Science on Paper
This talk will look at how science has been visually communicated through the ages, focusing on natural history illustrations and the artists who were major contributors to the field in the age of exploration and onward. Artists from many countries and backgrounds all contribute to the advancement of science through their work, from Maria Sibylla Merian to Edward Tufte and many more. Visual communication itself can cover a broad range: organismal illustrations, habitat descriptions, diagrams, maps, charts, infographics, etc. The possibilities of the field are endless, and the practice of explaining science through art has a strong history and a strong future.
Presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Science Festival as part of Science on the Square.
Jacki Whisenant
Jacki Whisenant is a scientific illustrator with a fondness for bats, beetles and other unsung ecological heroes. As an artist and educator, she enjoys finding ways of celebrating the many facets of the natural world, and encouraging enthusiasm for all aspects of science, from the vast down to the very small. Slowing down creates space to breath, sink your feet into the dirt, and notice small details of the surrounding environment. Each painting becomes a study in patience and the meditative practice of close observation.
A Madison native, she is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Entomology at UW-Madison, and holds a Master’s certificate in Science Illustration from the University of California - Monterey Bay. She delights in any opportunity to get outside, breathe the fresh air, and investigate tiny worlds hidden beneath logs and mosses.