Research Scientist and Glass Artist To Share Her Fascination With Science and Art

Pictured is "Anna Reflects on Her Choices," a piece by Dr. Jerri Bartholomew, who will give a free lecture at Western New Mexico University on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.

© Western New Mexico University

Research scientist and glass artist Dr. Jerri Bartholomew will give a free lecture on the Western New Mexico University campus in Light Hall Auditorium on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Part of the Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts lecture series, this talk is open to the public but seating for the event is limited.

Bartholomew has combined her lifelong fascination with both science and art for twenty years. “In some ways, science is stripping away the layers to see what’s beneath, and art is the opposite, building up the layers to create something new,” she said. “Art trains your mind to be open to different solutions.”

Inspired by both creativity and a desire to ask questions and make discoveries through trial and error, Bartholomew experiments with collages in glass, combining photographic screen printing with free-form imagery, and using a variety of fusing and cold-working techniques like squeezing, bending, shearing and drawing.

“I have thought deeply about the processes of art and science. Both are creative and exploratory and require keen observation. They involve taking a step, assessing the outcome, then either building on it, or stripping away the layers,” Bartholomew said.

Her color palette is simple, keeping black and white photographs at the core of her creations.

In addition to being an artist, Bartholomew is a professor and the head of the Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University and is known for being an Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professor.

“We are excited to present an artist who has such a well-known career in science. The worlds of science and art are closely connected, and her work is fascinating,” said Faye McCalmont, who is Special Assistant to the President for Cultural Affairs and organizer of the Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts lecture series, which is co-sponsored by the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Get more details here.

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