#art.science.gallery

[lostwithoutscience]

This Week: When Stars Collide & Hummingbirds

Howdy! A few events are happening this week in ATX, including an Astronomy on Tap at a new location:

Tuesday, May 26 at 7:30pm Astronomy on Tap @ The North Door

From the site: 

Three spectacular science talks this month. First up, Director Taft (aka Dr. Taft Armandroff) will share some behind the scenes stories from McDonald Observatory, of which he is currently the Director. We also have Dr. Double Trouble (aka Dr. Natalie Gosnell) with a talk entitled "When Stars Collide!" And finally, The Notorious L.A.E. (aka Dr. Steven Finkelstein) will talk about distant galaxies and how he won (and subsequently lost) the record for the most distant galaxy ever discovered.

Thursday, May 28 at 6pm Travis Audobon Society: Hummingbirds @ Wells Branch Library

From the site:

Shelia Hargis will cover the basics of hummingbird natural history, and will focus on common species expected in our area and how to ID them. Some hummingbirds from other parts of the state that occasionally show up here will be mentioned.  In addition she will talk about how you can make your yard a hotspot for hummers and recommend some places to go to see hummingbirds, especially during migration. 

 Shelia has been birding for 18 years.  She teaches the beginning birding classes for Travis Audubon, surveys birds for the City of Austin and the USGS Breeding Bird Survey as well as private landowners, regularly leads birding field trips, and is Past President of Travis Audubon. She is currently on the Travis Audubon Habitat Conservation Committee, the Travis Audubon Education Committee, and the Texas Ornithological Society Board of Directors.

Friday, May 29 at 7pm Screening of Your Inner Fish @ Art.Science.Gallery

From the site:

ATXScience, the Austin science communicator collective, in cooperation with Art.Science.Gallery. is proud to present a screening series of the award-winning documentary Your Inner Fish by Dr. Neil Shubin. Dr. Joe Hanson of PBS Digital Studios’ It’s Okay To Be Smart will guest host the screening series.

Have you ever wondered why our bodies look the way they do? Famed paleobiologist Neil Shubin sets out in this three-part series to find the answers in a surprising place: the ancient animal ancestors that shaped our anatomy. Episodes will be screened the last Friday of the month starting in April. Following each screening, special guest scientists will lead an engaging group conversation about evolutionary biology and the power of science storytelling.

[lostwithoutscience]

Happy Earth Day!

I am a woolly mammoth, according to my Google Doodle quiz. 

How about you?

Tonight, spread some Earth Day love by heading over to Art.Science.Gallery. for their Earth Day ATXScience Extravaganza!

From the site:

On Earth Day (Tuesday April 22, 2015 6-8pm), Art.Science.Gallery. is gathering Austin's science-savvy organizations together for an outdoor activity fair at the gallery’s east Austin arts complex at Canopy (916 Springdale Rd. Austin, TX 78702). This annual event celebrates planet Earth by raising funds for an environmental project, and raises public awareness of the plethora of science and nature related venues, organizations, lecture series and events in central Texas. The event is free and open to the public. The 2015 Earth Day ATX Science Extravaganza benefits the Sustainable Food Center's new Teaching Apiary -- an observation colony of honeybees that will be installed in the SFC Teaching Garden this fall. Visitors will be able to: Meet the people behind Austin's science organizations and participate in fun science activities at each of the organization booths. Enjoy lemonade and meet young entrepreneur and bee enthusiast Mikaila Ulmer of Austin’s BeeSweet Lemonade (who was recently successful on SharkTank) Eat insects and learn about entomophagy with Little Herds. View the The Buzz Stops Here exhibit – an encaustic art exhibit about the science and conservation of bees. The exhibit is a partnership between Art.Science.Gallery. and the International Encaustic Artists, and benefits The Sustainable Food Center’s Teaching Apiary. Enter a raffle drawing for prizes contributed by our participating organizations, benefitting the Sustainable Food Center’s Teaching Apiary. Enjoy food and drinks at Sa-Tén Coffee & Eats Explore the neighboring galleries and artist studios at the Canopy fine arts complex.

[lostwithoutscience]

This week: Drought & Lasers

Drought in Knox County <Image credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department>

It’s kind of a dry (pun completely intended) week for science, but there are a few things coming up:

Tuesday:  Austin Science Communicators Happy Hour Art.Science.Gallery

It’s a meetup for science-minded people! I’ll be there, but since I’m new to Austin, I may be the awkward person in the corner.

Thursday:  Past, Present, and Future Climate Change Impacts on Texas Water UT Energy Symposium

Water is a big deal in the Lone Star State. And climate scientists are predicting that drought will become a huge problem in the years to come. If you’re curious about Texas water policies, check out this talk at UT. 

PS - there’s also a talk about obesity on Thursday night. Also at UT.

Saturday:  La Jetée Film Screening & Discussion Art.Science.Gallery

From the site:

Photographer Robert Shults, UT Austin physics professor Dr. Todd Ditmire, and research scientist Dr. Gilliss Dyer will screen Chris Marker’s landmark “photo-novel” La Jetée and discuss the film’s influence on the design of “The Superlative Light”. The panelists will also explore the process of creating this innovative blend of science fiction and documentary photography within the unique environment of the Texas Petawatt Laser laboratory and present the highlights of experimental campaigns conducted with the Petawatt. A question and answer session will follow.

[lostwithoutscience]

March 9-15:  Sex-Changing Fish & Laser Art

Image credit: Art.Science.Gallery

Lots of interesting events coming up this week in Austin! 

Thursday: The Life and Times of a Sex-Changing Fish Science Under The Stars  The animal kingdom is a strange place, with ants that look like pandas and birds that vomit as a defense mechanism. On Thursday, meet the bluebanded goby, the fish that changes sex when the social climate is right.

Friday: Whence Came the Sun? Austin Astronomical Society  Astronomer Terry Phillips explains why the Sun is all alone in the Universe. Spoiler: It's not because all of its friends and family disappeared in the Last Great Time War.

Saturday: Art.Science.Gallery: The Superlative Light   Lasers! And Art! On Saturday, photographer Robert Shults and laser scientist Franki Aymond will talk about art and science behind Art.Science.Gallery's new exhibit about the Petawatt laser at UT. Fun fact from the exhibit description: 

"The Petawatt laser can produce, for a fraction of a second, more power than the entire U.S. electrical grid."

 Sheesh. That's a lot of power.

Friday to Sunday: SXSW Create 2015: Hackers and DIYers Unite  Honestly, SXSW terrifies me. There are so many events! How do you even choose?! SXSW Create is one thing I may check out... partially because it's free with a guest pass. But seriously, who doesn't want to meet people who can build their own houses and make gorgeous bioengineered art?

[bizarrte]

Review: Print Expo 2015

Last weekend’s visit to Canopy for the Print Expo was a long overdue introduction to both the artist compound and the Eastside art scene, and exceeded my expectations on every level. The weather was perfect (in early February nonetheless) for strolling along the breezewalk and chatting with new friends and allowed for a casual intake of the art displayed throughout the patio galleries. The Contemporary Print Exhibit at Big Medium and the Carlos Hernandez Un-Modern showcase at Modern Rocks were two favorites. And the ladies at Bone Black Studio were gracious hosts during the Woodcuts with Sean Starwars Workshop and later during the reception for Mr. Starwars’ work. Local design studio CogDut was another standout for me, displaying their work and printing live on a manual 4 at Art.Science.Gallery.

It was already late into the event by the time I made it into the heart of the multifloor artist space, so I was only able to pop into a few of the rooms, but I did catch some of the Deconstructive Screen Printing on Fiber Demo by Lynne Brotman, which was a casual and very informative presentation on the medium as a whole. Chun Hui Pak and her origami inspired work was a surprise favorite, and she was a pleasure to speak with. I’ve been a fan of origami since my first viewing of Blade Runner, and fell in love with it after watching the amazing documentary Between The Folds. So getting to see someone take it to a new level of personal expression was just fantastic. I also quite enjoyed the art pieces that Melissa Borrell had on display. Some of which seemed to somehow capture a bit of the kinetic art aesthetic, freezing an object in mid-movement, or a material’s momentary curves, and allowing that beauty to be appreciated.

All in all, the Print Expo was both fun and inspiring, and displayed a lot of great work. The hosts and artists I had the opportunity to speak to were warm and welcoming, and the only downside for me was that I couldn’t enjoy it longer. That’s even more true for the 2015 Print Austin event, which by all accounts, and the sheer number of citywide exhibits and showcases, was a rousing success in its endeavour to bring more attention to the local printmaking community. Next year I will be better prepared for the month long happenings, and will schedule and plan for it with a mindset previously reserved only for SXSW and ACL.

Video clips and related followups will be posted throughout the week.