UNT exhibit shows collaboration of art, metabolic science

Thursday, October 17, 2013 - 16:52
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What: Metabolic Science in Art, a juried art exhibition that stemmed from a collaboration of UNT College of Visual Arts and Design and Chemistry professors and students.

When/Where: Nov. 8 to 23 at UNT on the Square, 109 N. Elm St., Denton. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended hours until 8 p.m. Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission: Free

More information: For more information, visit the exhibition’s website at http://untonthesquare.unt.edu/metabolic-science-art

DENTON (UNT), Texas — A student exhibition at UNT on the Square will explore the intersection of art and metabolic science.

Students at the University of North Texas have created pieces for Metabolic Science in Art, a juried competition that offers creative responses to the growing body of research in metabolic science.

The exhibit — a collaboration between professors and students in UNT’s art and chemistry departments — aims to promote cross-pollination of ideas and disciplines.

“Artists often create new ways of understanding to respond to difficult information in our world,” said Andrew Decaen, associate professor of art and one of the exhibit’s organizers. “New research in metabolic science is presenting information that may have life-changing consequences for people with metabolic health disorders.”

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels — that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

In recent years, research in the field has grown exponentially.

Guido Verbeck, associate professor of chemistry and one of the organizers, said art students have visited science laboratories to gain insight and inspiration.

“There has been tremendous interaction between artists and scientists,” said Verbeck, who researches the effect fat cells have on metabolic disorders. “By combining art and science, we want to create a new paradigm that will educate people and potentially reach new audiences.”

For the exhibition, students have submitted drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and new media works.

Judges, including Decaen and Verbeck, will hand out $3,000 in scholarships.

The project is funded and sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, Institute for Advancement of the Arts, the College of Visual Arts and Design, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Chemistry.

The free exhibit will run Nov. 8 to 23 at UNT on the Square, with a reception Nov. 8 to announce the winners.

Hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended hours until 8 p.m. Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. UNT on the Square is at 109 N. Elm St. in Denton. For more information, go to http://untonthesquare.unt.edu/metabolic-science-art

Located in downtown Denton, UNT on the Square is an arts and meeting space devoted to presenting UNT programming in service to the university and to the community at large.

 

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