{"id":225821,"date":"2025-03-31T09:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T13:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=225821"},"modified":"2025-03-31T10:16:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T14:16:59","slug":"when-art-meets-science-montclair-state-universitys-groundbreaking-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2025\/03\/31\/when-art-meets-science-montclair-state-universitys-groundbreaking-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"When Art Meets Science: Montclair State University\u2019s Groundbreaking Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Department of Art and Design<\/a> in the College of the Arts<\/a> and the Department of Biology<\/a> in the College of Science and Mathematics<\/a> at Montclair State University joined forces to explore what happens when art and science collide. The result? A visually striking and intellectually stimulating exhibition that brings neuroscience to life through artistic expression.<\/p>\n

Fusing Art and Neuroscience: The Zebrafish Project<\/h2>\n

Assistant Professor of Biology Thomas Mueller, who uses zebrafish as a research model to study human affective disorders, approached Professor of Art and Design Cathy Bebout, head of printmaking, with an invitation for the collaboration.<\/p>\n

Mueller\u2019s work focuses on the amygdala\u2019s role in regulating fear and anxiety in the brain. \u201cZebrafish is really a very important genetic model organism,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt shares around 70% of genetic similarities with humans and about 80% of the diseased genes that you find in humans have a counterpart in zebrafish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Grace
Senior Visual Arts major Grace Whitaker shows off one of her prints currently on display at the Finley Gallery. (Photo by University Photographer John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following a presentation of Mueller\u2019s research, students were challenged to create artwork inspired by scientific imagery. The resulting prints, produced through collaboration and layering, mirrored the investigative process of scientific discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a relationship between this collaborative way of working and a scientific process,\u201d said Adjunct Art Professor Bridget McGuire. \u201cIt\u2019s experimental. It was an interesting investigation and felt like a research collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Lindsey Scheier, a Visual Communication Design major, found inspiration in the abstract nature of emotions: \u201cDr. Mueller’s presentation made me think about abstraction, and how to convey fear through abstraction. It felt too literal to print a fish, so I tried to explore what the shapes and colors of fear might feel like, especially for such a tiny creature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bebout emphasized the project\u2019s educational impact: \u201cThis project uses art and science as a teaching tool, fostering dialogue and learning between disciplines while demonstrating the arts\u2019 power to drive engagement and social change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Professors
Professor of Art and Design Cathy Bebout, left, speaks about the art and science collaboration, which included Art professors Bridget McGuire and Sharon Lindenfeld and Biology Professor Thomas Mueller. (Photo by University Photographer John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Data to Design: The Creative Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Under the guidance of Montclair faculty, students transformed scientific data and microscopic images into artwork now on exhibition at\u00a0 Finley Gallery<\/a>. The scientific research generated vibrant images of neurons and neural circuits in zebrafish brains, inspiring a unique approach to artistic expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows up in the brain as color, so that\u2019s why you see all this brilliant color on display,\u201d Bebout said about the students\u2019 artwork. \u201cThe students, in the beginning, were like zebrafish too; I could see a lot of fear and emotion. As artists, we get these ideas in our head about what we see. And for the students, it was sort of like groping in the dark in the beginning, and then things started to develop.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 work emerged from several \u201cprint jams,\u201d intense printmaking marathons where Illustration<\/a>, Visual Communication Design<\/a>, Visual Arts<\/a>, and Art Education<\/a> majors collaborated. The final exhibition, \u201cZebrafish and the Art of Fear: A Creative Inquiry into Memory and Emotion<\/a>,\u201d showcases a range of abstract and literal interpretations.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is part of a month-long, multi-faceted series of events that included animated projections featuring zebrafish in both the Finley Gallery and the lobby of Irvin D. Reid Hall, an Art Forum discussion with London artist Andrew Carnie, who specializes in science-based works, an Art and Science Symposium featuring renowned neuroscientists, Koichi Kawakami, of the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, Japan, and New York University Professor Joseph E. LeDoux, director of NYU\u2019s Emotional Brain Institute.<\/p>\n

Senior Visual Arts major Grace Whitaker incorporated fish eyes into her prints, while other students took a more abstract approach. Scheier described the process as both challenging and rewarding. \u201cScreen-printing being such an experimental art form encouraged learning through doing. It was a great opportunity for creative exchange, as we all shared and taught each other new techniques along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art Professor Sharon Lindenfeld echoed this sentiment: \u201cYou learn from what you just printed and then you try something different in the next one, much like a scientific process. Working this way creates tension and feelings of anxiety and fear, relating back to the research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Artwork
Some of the artwork created by Montclair students. (Photo by University Photographer John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking Ahead: The Future of Interdisciplinary Collaboration<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For many participants, this project marked their first time working across disciplines. \u201cI\u2019ve never worked collaboratively like this, so it was such a cool experience,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cThere’s a relationship between this collaborative way of working and a scientific process, it’s very experimental. It creates tension, almost a feeling of anxiety and fear, again relating back to the research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Science and art faculty members are already planning future interdisciplinary collaborations. \u201cThis is the startup of a major endeavor and future collaborations,\u201d said Mueller.<\/p>\n

Bebout highlighted the broader impact: \u201cThe art will help to promote science and get people’s attention, so they want to know more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd make neuroscience accessible to the wider public and maybe inspire students in the arts and high school students to pursue a career in these scientific sciences or in the arts,\u201d Mueller added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe art and science are closely connected and more focus should be placed on their collaboration,\u201d Scheier said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see more partnerships between departments in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Thomas
Biology Professor Thomas Mueller looks on as Finley Gallery Director Jennifer Wroblewski talks about artwork resulting from the art and science collaboration. (Photo by University Photographer John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are you a\u2026<\/h2>\n

Prospective Student or Parent?<\/strong> Learn more about Visual Arts<\/a>, Visual Communication Design<\/a> or other College of the Arts<\/a> programs or plan a visit to our campus<\/a> and take the first step in applying to become a Red Hawk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Journalist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the Media Relations team<\/a> for assets or to schedule an interview with a graduating student.<\/p>\n