When Dance, Art, and Science Converge: Memoir of a Zebrafish

The Art and Science collaboration was conceived in 2023 by Department of Art and Design Professor Cathy Bebout and Department of Biology Professor Thomas Mueller as part of the university’s initiative to foster innovative cross-disciplinary partnerships. What began as an artistic inquiry into neuroscience has since grown into an expansive creative ecosystem that bridges printmaking, biology, dance, and design.

Bebout first began exploring Dr. Mueller’s research on zebrafish and the emotional brain by initiating a Print Jam arts exchange between students at Montclair State University and Kansas State University. This exchange invited students to respond visually to neuroscience concepts, translating brain research into expressive, experimental printmaking.

The resulting exhibition opened at Kansas State University in Fall 2024 before traveling to Montclair State University’s Finley Gallery in Spring 2025. The exhibition was accompanied by a Neuroscience Symposium featuring four distinguished panelists whose work focuses on the emotional brain, offering students and faculty a rare opportunity to engage directly with leading scientific voices.

In addition to presenting collaborative student print works, the exhibition and symposium highlighted the power of interdisciplinary learning. Neuroscientists and visual arts students came together to examine how science, emotion, and perception inform each other and revealed new ways to visualize research and deepen scientific storytelling through art.

Building on this momentum, Professors Bebout and Maxine Steinman (Department of Theatre & Dance) have expanded the project to include a new interdisciplinary performance titled Memoir of a Zebrafish. This multimedia dance work blends movement, animation, print design, costume innovation, and lighting to further explore the emotional lives and behaviors of zebrafish.

The animated score was created by Bebout in collaboration with technical assistant Alexis Orfan, bringing visual rhythm and scientific imagery to life on stage. Professor Sharon Lindenfeld and her textile design students contributed printed costume elements, developed in collaboration with Costume Designer Marlene Hamm, adding tactile and symbolic layers to the performance. Professor Nick Kolin serves as Lighting Director for the Fall Dance Series, shaping the visual atmosphere through dynamic, research-inspired lighting design.

Memoir of a Zebrafish will premiere at Montclair State University’s Memorial Auditorium, Life Hall, on December 3–6, 2025, with evening performances at 7:30 p.m., a 12:30 p.m. matinee on December 5, and a 2:00 p.m. performance on Saturday.

This expanding Art and Science initiative exemplifies Montclair State University’s commitment to collaborative research, creative innovation, and experiential learning, showing how the arts can illuminate scientific inquiry and how science can inspire new artistic possibilities.