Credit: Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) / Hazen Creative, Inc..

The Art Collection of the National Academy of Sciences

Did you know the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has an art collection? Or that they have cultural programs (CPNAS), including exhibitions and a monthly art-science rendezvous? It’s true! You can visit their collection in Washington, DC. But if you aren’t nearby (or without a teleporter) you can transport yourself to their gallery via this 136-page catalog.

The book opens with an introduction by CPNAS director J.D. Talasek who writes:

The boundaries that once separated painting, sculpture, and other disciplines are now giving way to multimedia approaches to solving aesthetic problems. Like scientists, artists are not restricted by past divisions between disciplines.

There are some great essays from E.O. Wilson (Evolution and Visual Culture), David Edwards (Art, Science, and Discovery), Roald Hoffman (Reflections on Art and Science), Anne Collins Goodyear (Picturing Creativity: Portraits of Scientists in the Genetic Age), Lee Boot (See. Wonder. Shhhhhhhhh. Aha!), Andrew Solomon (From Imaging to Image), and more. Not to mention, contemporary art from Suzanne Anker, (ART)n, and Charleston curator/photographer Mark Sloan as well as historic works.

Ignite your scientific senses and add Convergence to your bookshelf by purchasing it on Amazon or National Academies Press. It’s worth having a hard copy; but if you can’t splurge, browse the online version.