When my son was in High School, it was apparent that although he was smart and had an interest in science and technology, his passion was music and film. Thankfully, his High School had a fantastic music class that provided education on music production, hosting events, performing and songwriting. If it wasn’t for that class, I don’t think he would have made it through graduation.
Art in Science
There are most likely millions of young men and women who have thought about science and technology careers but who have no real interest in math and physics. If you’re one of these people, or you know someone who is, below is a list of online pages that describe science and technology careers for artists. As someone who is a balance of tech-nerdy and artistic creativity, I’ve observed the need for artists of all types in science and technology spaces. One of the jobs I’ve coveted is the Artist in Residence position at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, home of the Large Hadron Collider, a multi-national particle accelerator project. The position surprised me because CERN is at the cutting edge of quantum research and the last place some might think artists would reside. But without art, science would be a cold, dark world.
“Encouraging curiosity is central to our agenda, and introducing the public to experimental and open-minded artists is an amazing way to inspire creativity both within science and arts,” said FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) director Mike Stubbs in his call-to-artists in 2016.
Science Jobs for Artists
I’ve compiled a short list of interesting articles and information that highlights science and technology jobs and careers for artists.
http://arts.cern/
Artist openings available at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, with a goal to, “foster the creation of new expert knowledge in the arts by extending artists’ practice in connection with fundamental research.”
https://www.indeed.com/q-Science-Art-jobs.html
Check out the list of science/art jobs on this online job search site!
http://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/148079/scientificbiological_illustrator
This is an example of the need for illustrators in a science-related field
http://www.brighthub.com/office/career-planning/articles/110003.aspx
Career path examples for people passionate in both art and science.
http://work.chron.com/jobs-involve-music-science-23862.html
Four interesting jobs that involve music and science.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/10/10-creative-careers-that-use-science-and-math/382160/
“STEM topics blend harmoniously with art, nature, construction, and other areas, making those fields more precise and enabling the creation and discovery of things far greater than the sum of their parts.”
http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2002/02/combining-science-technology-and-arts-career-well-rounded-or-confused
A brief essay on the author’s desire for more creative freedom in the sciences and the career path she chose.
https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7446-537a
Great article that describes what happened when synthetic biologists were teamed with artists and designers.
“I am happier and more productive when I use my brain differently,” says an Evolutionary Biologist and dancer who uses dance to choreograph DNA sequences.
http://www.branchingpoints.com/one-branch-ahead/forging-a-career-from-science-and-art/
Story of how a degree in plant biology and love for drawing turned into a career as a scientific illustrator and translator. “My drawing skills had already proved themselves incredibly useful during college for making the schemes of cells, tissues and organisms that are so important in biology. And in the previous year I had already been asked by two colleagues to make scientific illustrations for their publications!”
Do you have other art/science sites that should be added to this list? If so, please post them on my Facebook page!
