A group of Arizona State University students explored the intersection of art and science and found astounding beauty. In the “Art and Science” course, students work with faculty members in the School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Institute . One of the assignments is to find an object that can viewed under an electron microscope, where the hyper-resolution produces extraordinary images. Then the students produce artworks inspired by their discoveries. The dramatic pieces created by the students who took the course during spring semester will be exhibited in the show “Sculpting Science,” which will run Aug. 19 to Aug. 28 at the Step Gallery, Grant Street Studios in Phoenix. “Art and Science,” offered every other year, is taught by Susan Beiner , a professor in the School of Art and internationally known ceramic artist , in collaboration with science faculty members, including Robby Roberson , an associate professor in...

What is sacred? If something is sacred, can it be sold? These are the questions that Jacob Meders is asking in his exhibit titled “And It’s Built on the Sacred” at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Meders earned a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from the School of Art at Arizona State University and is an assistant professor in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at ASU’s West campus. He’s a member of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, California. He works in several media, primarily printmaking through his own fine-art printmaking press, WarBird Press . He also does weaving and painting. “And It’s Built on the Sacred,” in its own gallery at the museum, features four tall podiums with Christian religious figures inside glass domes. Meders found the objects in thrift stores and left the discount tags on them. These are surrounded by four...

Scientists have been sounding the alarm on the climate crisis for nearly three decades, and we still face major challenges. A group of Arizona State University educators are reaching out to youth for solutions. “Scientists have warned us that the planet’s systems are dangerously close to irreversible tipping points. Children and youth are well aware that we live in environmentally precarious times and that they face an uncertain future,” said Iveta Silova , professor and director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Global Education at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College . “Yet, schools and universities continue to reproduce the hierarchical ‘man over nature’ relationships in an ongoing pursuit of economic growth.” She believes this requires a complete paradigm shift and that our very future survival depends on our capacity to make this shift. Which is why Silova is participating as a research director for a new ASU initiative...

In what reads like a piece of advice from a 19th-century version of Marie Kondo, British textile designer William Morris once wrote, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” An artist, poet and visual designer, Morris was devoted to beautiful things and created many in his lifetime. In 1891, he founded the Kelmscott Press out of a desire to return to an artistic craft that had faded during the Industrial Revolution: the finer production of books. The ASU Library holds all 53 titles printed by Kelmscott, including the 1896 publication of “The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Now Newly Imprinted,” thought to be one of the most beautiful books ever printed, exemplifying Morris’ vision of the ideal book. Both the original and a facsimile of the "Kelmscott Chaucer," as it is known, will be on display, Friday, June 25, at...

The Institute for Humanities Research at Arizona State University has awarded funding to six new seed grant projects for its spring 2021 funding cycle. The projects and their principal investigators (PIs) are as follows: "'The task is hers': Asian American Women, Literature and Reproduction" PI: Karen Kuo , associate professor, School of Social Transformation. "A Third Act for Intergenerational Climate Activism: Using Narrative to Engage Climate Action" PIs: Shirley Rose , professor, Department of English; Jennifer Richter , assistant professor, School of Social Transformation. "Circles of Truth: Story Circles for Diversity and Inclusion" PIs: Rafael Martínez Orozco , assistant professor, College of Integrative Sciences and Arts; Lily Villa , PhD candidate, School of Human Evolution and Social Change. "Future IDs Art and Justice Leadership Cohort" PIs: Gregory Sale , associate professor, School of Art; Julio Cesar Morales , curator, ASU Art Museum; Johanna K. Taylor , assistant professor and program...

Photographer and digital montage artist Stephen Marc has been named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in photography by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Marc is the fourth faculty member in ASU’s photography program to be named a Guggenheim Fellow; he joins Mark Klett , Betsy Schneider and Liz Cohen . “Stephen is an extraordinary photographer doing essential work,” said Herberger Institute Dean and Director Steven Tepper. “I think the story of Stephen Marc is a story about discovering our common humanity in the face of polarization — something we need desperately now.” “This wasn’t my first time applying,” Marc said. “I also never expected to get it. I wasn’t doing the work for the grant; I was doing it for myself. You have to have tough skin as an artist. You get rejected all the time. But it’s better for them to reject me, than for me to reject myself...

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2021 graduates . John Joe is an Irish and Din é (Navajo) student graduating this spring with an MFA in art (digital technology). He has been creating art for 30 years and has slowly integrated digital technology over the past decade. He was named one of Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts’ Outstanding Graduating Students for 2021 in the category of Excellence and Innovation in Creative Practice. His work is currently on display in the Harry Wood Gallery. Joe’s MFA thesis exhibition, "Our Way, Route 2021,” features a soundwalk project with a route that is Joe's journey traveling from his family home in Naschitti, New Mexico, to Hweeldi-Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The project “offers a 2021 route to be held by the land, honoring our way of life, family, traditions, tribal community and ancestors,” according...

Arizona State University’s spring 2021 graduates were congratulated for not only persevering through the difficulties of a pandemic, but also for helping to make the university a better place despite the challenges. “What we’ve found in 2020 and 2021 is that we’ve learned to be a better university, our faculty have advanced and we’ve developed new teaching and learning techniques,” said ASU President Michael Crow during the commencement video. “I hope people see what we’ve done. We’ve kept the institution moving forward in the middle of the first global pandemic in over 100 years.” Crow said that the 2021 graduates are prepared to be lifelong learners. “We’re living in a world where everyone is empowered by technology and they’re able to study across cultures and across complex subjects, and they’re able to double major and triple major and they’re able to build things and do things,” he said. “Our undergraduate...

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2021 graduates . Amber Cook’s parents taught her to advocate for herself — a skill that has served her well while in college. She is graduating from Arizona State University this semester with a degree in art studies from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts , with a minor in design studies. Cook, who is from St. Michaels, on the Navajo reservation, was born with cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair, has a slight speech impediment and some limitations in her hands. “My parents fought to raise me to be as independent as I can be and to have just as much equal opportunity as everyone else,” she said. Amber Cook is graduating with a degree in art studies and would like a career in architecture, designing accessible housing. Photo courtesy of Amber Cook...

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2020 graduates . During her time at Arizona State University, Rachel Hebert walked 500 miles across Colorado, climbed a 1,200 foot wall in Zion National Park and summited numerous 14,000 foot peaks. “I have spent much of my time here exploring the public lands that make this country great and seeking to convey their beauty in the gallery space,” said Hebert, who graduates this December with a BFA in printmaking. “I grew up nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountains and my childhood was spent mostly alone,” she said, “exploring the endless woods behind my house in search of natural treasures. In my teenage years, I embarked on a series of solo road trips through the Four Corners Area. These early experiences in the desert formed a deep love for the arid region, so I...