IMAGE ABOVE: Creative Clay dancers perform an interpretive dance based on the research
conducted at the College of Marine Science. Image credit: Stage Photography of Tampa.
By: Carlyn Scott, Science Communications Manager
A collaboration between local artists and researchers at the USF College of Marine
Science (CMS) aims to bridge the gap between science and the public through artistic
performances.
Spearheaded by outreach coordinator Makenzie Kerr, the Breitbart Lab’s partnership with artist Sheila Cowley set out to reinterpret
scientific findings and engage new audiences. Cowley’s group, Sparks Creative Stories, developed several performances featuring artists from Creative Clay, a local organization that works with individuals with physical and developmental
disabilities.
In “What Shines Beneath,” dancers perform movements inspired by ocean research and employ field recordings
of marine organisms collected by Tiffany Raetzel, a graduate student at CMS.
“Plankton Poem” is an artistic interpretation of plankton imagery collected by members of the Breitbart
Lab and Maggi Mars Brisbin, assistant professor at CMS. Written by Creative Clay artists
and poet Sara Ries Dziekonski, the bilingual piece incorporates visual and auditory components, including sounds
produced by some of the lab’s favorite scientific equipment.
“This is a wonderful collaboration between CMS, Sparks Creative, and Creative Clay,”
said Mya Breitbart, Distinguished University Professor at CMS. “We love to see our research portrayed
in such a unique way. By including Spanish and American Sign Language interpretations
we can reach new audiences and show that science truly is for everyone.”
The collaboration with Sparks Creative Stories was designed to “celebrate the beauty
of marine science and the need for arts and science to be accessible to all,” said
Cowley, who obtained a Beyond Placemaking grant for this unique project from the National Endowment for the Arts through Creative Pinellas.
“This project encourages scientists to push their limits and work on including the
public in their communication,” said Kerr. “The Creative Clay artists are all so enthusiastic
and passionate about art. I have learned something new from every single artist we
have worked with.”
In true CMS fashion, this partnership was a collaboration with multiple partners across
the university, including the USF School of Music’s Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, USF School of Theatre and Dance, and USF Department of Anthropology.
