Art in Science Museums Towards a Post-Disciplinary Approach

Art in Science Museums brings together perspectives from different practitioners to reflect on the status and meaning of art programmes in science centres and museums around the world.Presenting a balanced mix of theoretical perspectives, practitioners’ reflections, and case-studies, this volume gives voice to a wide range of professionals, from traditional science centres and museums, and from institutions born with the very aim of merging art and science practices. Considering the role of art in the field of science engagement, the book questions whether the arts might help curators to convey complex messages, foster a more open and personal approach to scientific issues, become tools of inclusion, and allow for the production of totally new cultural products. The book also includes a rich collection of projects from all over the world, synthetically presenting cases that reveal very different approaches to the inclusion of art in science programmes.Art in Science Museums should be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students working in the fields of museum studies, cultural heritage management, material culture, science communication and contemporary art. It should also be essential reading for museum professionals looking to promote more reflective social science engagement in their institutions.

Introduction: the post-disciplinary museumCamilla Rossi-Linnemann and Giulia de MartiniPremise1.1 How art contributed to the public image of sciencePietro Greco1.2 Making meaning with Art, Science and TechnologyJohn DurantArt as a narrative tool: seeing the unseen2.1 A house of collaboration: investigating the intersections of art and biomedicineKen Arnold, Adam Bencard, Bente Vinge Pedersen, Thomas Söderqvist, Karin Tybjerg and Louise Whiteley2.2 Sophia’s Whale and the Hypercubic Showcase of Sudden ComprehensionNuno Ferrand de Almeida, Nuno Valentim, Luís Mendonça, Rui Mendonça and Maria JoãoFonseca2.3 In the Spirit of Enquiry…James Peto2.4 Context, collaboration and contemporary cultureHannah Redler Hawes2.5 Case studies Art for science education and enquiry: patterns of thinking3.1 The Exploratorium: Art as InquiryMarina McDougall3.2 Art Thinking Christopher Lindinger and Maria Pfeifer3.3 Art as ingredient for meaningful science learningSamar D. Kirresh3.4 Answering the unasked questionsIan Brunswick and Andrea Bandelli3.5 Case studies Art, inclusion, controversy and imagination: from facts to values4.1 Criticality, Imagination and Interaction: A new basis for Art Science CurationMike Stubbs and Mark Wright4.2 Shifting meaning, shifting contracts – Biological arts and evolving museum ethicsOron Catts and Ionat Zurr4.3 Decolonising natural history museums through contemporary artBergit Arends4.4 Case studies (Open) Conclusions - The Post Disciplinary MuseumCamilla Rossi-Linnemann and Giulia de Martini

Camilla Rossi-Linnemann is currently International Partnership Coordinator at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, where she focuses on international projects and collaborations for visitor engagement and cultural diplomacy, especially based on the interrelation between science, technology and art.Giulia de Martini is currently Head of Research at TheFabLab, a digital manufacturing laboratory, where she studies the impact of innovation in society and spreads awareness about the technological and human competences involved in the fourth industrial revolution, focusing on the connections between different fields of knowledge.