This fall, the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center will launch a professional artist-in-residence program to encourage a dialogue between artistic creativity and scientific inquiry and increase public support for research aimed at combating viral infections like COVID-19.
The six-month-long “Visualizing Virology” residency is an extension of the VI4 Artist-in-Residence Program established in 2019 by the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4), and supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
To date, the VI4 program has facilitated creative collaborations between 119 artists and 71 scientists, yielding graphics and cover illustrations for several scientific journals, and more than 200 images, animations and other media for science conferences, websites and social media.
“Visualizing Virology” invites professional artists to embed themselves in cutting-edge research groups that are exploring the power of the human immune system, said VI4’s artistic director, Kendra Oliver, PhD, MPS.
“One of the goals for this project is to break the panic-and-neglect cycle for diseases that can be treated with vaccines and highlight the need for sustained attention on developing new therapeutics before the next pandemic,” Oliver said.
Briony Marshall, a London-based sculptor and installation artist who has a background in biochemistry, will be the program’s first artist-in-residence. Three undergraduate students will be selected to shadow Marshall’s residency and create their own artistic renderings of the science they encounter in the lab.
The application deadline for the student participants is Aug. 12. Applicants can apply at www.artlab-air.com/vv or send an email to VI4’s senior program manager, Megan Schladt, MS, at megan.schladt@vumc.org.
The collaborative exchange between artists and scientists will emphasize mutual learning and sharing perspectives on visual-spatial reasoning and problem-solving strategies. Students involved in the program will produce a final project in the form of an installation, visual art, digital media or other media that communicates the intersection of art and immunology.
“I am delighted to embark on this fascinating journey with the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, where art and science will intertwine in unexpected ways,” Marshall said.
“As a sculptor with 20 years of experience and a foundation in biochemistry, I am drawn to the intricate forms and relationships of molecules involved in virology, immunology and vaccines. This endeavor, blending the precision of science with the creativity of art, is one I approach with great responsibility.
“By combining research data with a sculptor’s three-dimensional sensitivities, we aim to illuminate the hidden beauty and complexity of virology, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of the microscopic world that profoundly impacts our lives,” she said. “Together, we may uncover new realms of understanding.”
Like other artist-in-residence programs, “Visualizing Virology” has the potential to be a platform for discovery, energizing the creative and analytical skills shared by artists and scientists.
“There’s this limitation sometimes in scientific thinking where people will say, ‘You can’t do that,’ or … ‘That’s never been seen,’” explained James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, in a video interview for Vanderbilt University’s Quantum Potential podcast series.
“It’s only artistic thinking that invades science and disrupts the model that allows people to envision things they couldn’t see,” said Crowe, who has long recognized the cross-pollinating effect that the two disciplines have on each other.
By making science accessible and engaging, “Visualizing Virology” also aims to foster a greater public appreciation of and confidence in vaccines as a critical tool in preventing the spread of viral infections.
The dialogue between scientists and artists “impacts the mindsets and approaches of all involved,” Oliver added, “from faculty members at the top of their fields to undergraduate students who are the future of science and civil leadership.”