The Science Museum of Minnesota has a long history of bringing art and science together to educate people about the complex processes that are going on in our world. We are trying to strengthen that marriage in our exhibits and programs through a formal artist residency program called Art & Science.

Our first artist in this program, Charles Matson Lume has done some wonderful work to interpret the beauty of light, reflection, and projection. Lightsey Darst over at MNArtists.org has written a nice article on his work, Sweet Tangles: Charles Matson Lume at the Science Museum and the more artistic implications of this installation. His work is currently featured in the museum's experiment gallery along side a series of exhibits focusing on the scientific nature of light.

It is exciting to see Charles Matson Lume's work alongside exhibits about how retroreflectors work in STOP signs. This juxtaposition makes you think about light in unconventional ways. And it is just this sort of thinking that is necessary in the processes of scientific research. Art is often trumpeted to be a visualization tool for complex scientific ideas. However, I think it should also be recognized as a tool for inspiration. Science research is all about asking unconventional questions and looking at common things in a new light. Unique artistic experiences can help this process along in ways that we might underestimate.

Has art ever inspired you to ask any scientific questions? What was the question?

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