The University of Wisconsin hosted its annual Going from STEM to STEAM: Using Arts and Science event Thursday at the BioCommons in Steenbock Library.
The Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement and The Flow Project collaborated to share the unconventional intersection of how scientific research inspires artists to craft their pieces.
The Flow Project pairs undergraduate student artists in the UW system with water professionals nationwide to create art inspired by water and share research, according to The Flow Project’s website. The program allows students to participate in professional development workshops and the ability to showcase their artwork at various institutions.
UW senior Abby Sunde, is a member of The Flow Project. Her glass sculpture, “Mercury, Suspended” was featured at the event this year.
Sunde said she was paired with UW soil scientist Geoffrey Siemering, who is currently conducting research in the Amazon rainforest on mercury contamination in water that was caused by illegal gold mining in the surrounding area. This causes mercury to go up in the air, leading to mercury mining ponds.
Both Sunde and Siemering were interested in glasswork and created the glass sculpture, Sunde said.
“The process we did was hollow core kiln casting,” Sunde said. “The core itself is hollow, so you make a sculpture that then becomes a void. Then you get the droplet that signifies mercury being trapped in the water.”
Sunde said she hopes her work engages different audiences in art, which is something she is highly passionate about.
Before pursuing an art degree full-time, Sunde attended the University of Minnesota Morris where she received degrees in biology and environmental sciences. She then later returned to UW to pursue her bachelor’s of Fine Arts focusing on drawing and glass.
“A lot of my current work is investigating the space between nature and the contamination of our identity,” Sunde said.
Sunde is also an Indigenous fellow scholar and a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Earth Fellowship that funds students to do research in the summer and school year. It is part of researching the community water grant through Water@UW and the Morgridge Center for Public Service.
By merging science and art, Sunde said she can draw individuals of different backgrounds to understand the practice of art and convey research through a different lens.
After graduating, Sunde hopes to continue to graduate school and eventually become an educator, where she can facilitate others in their exploration of arts and sciences.
