Letter from the Editor
Hello readers!
As we head into the colder months here in New York, things in
the SciArt world seem to be heating up. Lately it has felt more and
more like if there’s one sci/art event I plan on attending, there’s
probably another one I’ll be missing because of it. Although a
source of occasional frustration, I am always delighted by these
schedule overlaps, because it is surely a good sign and indicative of
the growing presence of the sci/art dialogue.
As it happens sometimes when putting an issue together, an underlying theme can emerge across the interviews and articles, and
we are able to address what seems to be truly on everyone's minds.
The place of science-based art in the art world is a central topic this
December, touched upon by artists in many of the Straight Talks,
and is the focus of our own On Topic article (which I couldn’t help
but jump in the fun of writing with our Managing Editor, Ashley
Taylor.) As with most big questions in art, the answer here is multifaceted and evolving—I hope you enjoy our take on it. A second
common thread running through our December issue is the idea
and possibility of scientist and artist collaboration, with the future
of sci/art collaborative practices discussed explicitly in our Dialogue
by contributor, Suzanne Anker.
While some of the topics we discuss may never have a concrete
answer and may in fact be more valuable as a continuing dialogue,
we can make concrete plans in the mean time. I’m pleased to announce that in conjunction with the Art Science Observatory, we
are now hosting a science-art event calendar for the New York area
on our website. As always, we encourage you to write us if you have
an event, or anything else you’d like to add. Happy reading.
Julia Buntaine,
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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SciArt in America December 2013