Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with the PBS app
SCIENCE investigates the unexpected intersection between art and the sciences, spanning technology, engineering, biology, math, and the climate emergency. Nature, space, algorithms, and more serve as inspiration for artists connecting their work to the world around them, from the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico to the computer science labs of MIT to NASA.
The featured artists include Erik & Martin Demaine, John Luebtow, Chris Maynard, Karen Nyberg, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, and Joseph & Sergio Youngblood Lugo.
We begin at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Erik and Martin Demaine combine math with art. Erik is an MIT professor of computer science and the father-son team takes inspiration from their research to create unique curved-crease origami sculptures from folded paper.
We find ceramic artist Joan Takayama-Ogawa at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. Joan is a passionate artist and educator who uses her work in clay to respond to the ongoing climate emergency.
We travel to Olympia, Washington, to meet Chris Maynard, who creates intricate art entirely from bird feathers. Inspired by his love of the natural world and his background as a biologist, Chris hopes to give people a new perspective on nature through his art.
Back in Los Angeles, we meet John Luebtow, a glass sculptor and teacher. He introduces us to the founder of the modern kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel, and how Froebel's geometric "gifts" inspired John and generations of other artists.
The Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico has been home to a long tradition of Native potters, including brothers Joseph and Sergio Youngblood Lugo. Joseph and Sergio demonstrate the ancestral firing technique that produces their unique polished pottery.
We end the episode with retired NASA astronaut and quilter Karen Nyberg. Karen brought quilting to the International Space Station and inspired the international quilting challenge that connected makers from all over the world. Karen continues to create art inspired by space and science.
Watch On Your Schedule: CRAFT IN AMERICA "Science" is available to stream on the PBS app, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org.
Craft in America is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 2004 with the mission to promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media. The Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated CRAFT IN AMERICA documentary series first aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and has produced 33 hour-long episodes to date. These programs are filled with artists, techniques, and stories from diverse cultures, blending history with living practice. Craft in America on Facebook / Instagram
