More on this project at Technology Review.

Below is the CDASH list of nine Curricula linking the Arts, Humanities and Chemistry.  Topics include color, forensic chemistry, chemistry in the movies, and more. of course summaries. More information about CDASH is available at http://www.utdallas.edu/atec/cdash/.

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OCAD University, Toronto, Canada   http://www.ocadu.ca/

SCTM 2B90 “Topics in the Science of Colour”:  This course will take a cross-disciplinary approach in examining colour, with the aim of understanding colour and colour phenomena from the multiple viewpoints of art, physics, chemistry, physiology and history. Particular emphasis will be placed on exploring the inter-related nature of science and art.

University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins    http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/

Unit 1 – “Art and Science in Context”:   This unit explores relationships between art and science, both contemporary and historical, and related critical issues. You’ll develop your understanding through a series of projects that investigate topics such as Visualizations: Technology and the Extension of the Eye; Mathematics: Surface and Space; The Body: Anatomy, Biomedicine, Identity; Material and Process: Studio Chemistry.

Lourdes University   http://www.lourdes.edu/

CHM 165 “The Chemistry of Art”:  This course introduces students to the techniques of forensic chemistry, particularly as they relate to crime scene investigation and ongoing analysis of evidence obtained after a crime is committed.  The course involves the basic chemistry concepts needed to solve problems in forensic science and illustrates the specialized applications of forensic science through case studies and laboratory methods.

University of California, Davis (UCD) Art-Science Fusion   http://www.ucdavis.edu/  http://artsciencefusion.ucdavis.edu/homepage.html

SAS 40 “Photography: Bridging Art and Science”:  Beginning with centuries-old experiments in optics and chemistry to the present-day digital revolution, the camera has relied on science for its development while also serving as a vital scientific tool for probing and documenting the natural world. In the hands of the artist, the camera has heightened our awareness of the aesthetic qualities of space and light while revealing hidden truths about culture and society.  In this course, students use photography to explore the common ground occupied by art and science. Two lectures each week address such topics as the art/science roots of photography; principles of space, time and light; composition in the visual arts; aesthetics and the geometric foundations of art and science; and photographic interpretation of the environment. One studio session each week builds visual literacy skills through hands-on photography projects.

University of Illinois at Springfield   http://www.uis.edu/

CHE 121 “Chemistry of Art – The Materials of the Artist”: From cave paintings to digital images, chemistry and art have been closely intertwined. In this course we will examine these relationships throughout history. We will explore the science of color and how the artist uses color in his or her creations. We will also examine the properties of materials including minerals, metals, paper, glass, ceramics, and polymers, and how they are used by the artist.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln   www.unl.edu

CHEM 292H “Chemistry in the Movies”:  This course will explore the intersection of film history, chemical history, and the public perception of science.

CHEM 191H “The Color Red”:  This course will approach the color red from as many academic perspectives as possible. Thematically, the disciplines have been grouped into three categories: Art & Literature, People & Society, and Science.   This was done so that we could discuss similarities and differences between the disciplines. The real goal of the course is to give students a better understanding of various academic disciplines, how they do research, and the relationships between them.

CHEM 898 “Chemistry Matters – Chemistry, Society and Popular Culture”:  This course will share and explore the many ways to increase the appreciation of chemistry among both science-interested and non-science-interested students. Our focus will be chemistry as an intellectual enterprise that is deeply embedded in our society. As one example, we will examine classroom-accessible chemical references and imagery from popular culture such as songs and movies. We will also carry out a few low-cost, safe, and effective laboratory exercises. Our goal is to identify matter that will generate enthusiasm for chemical research to help meet the world’s needs, to increase an interest in chemistry among young people, and to generate enthusiasm for the future of chemistry.

University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh   http://www.uwosh.edu/home

Chemistry 104 “Introduction to the Chemistry of Materials”:  This laboratory course will teach the chemistry behind materials that society depends on:metals, ceramics, and polymers. Historic and economic impacts of their manufacture and use will be considered. Applications of advanced materials in fields such as electronics, aviation, or art will be discussed.

- the chemists who responded seemed largely intent on making ‘beautiful
molecules’ – that is, beautiful according to the criteria that chemists seem to
have self-selected, which refers to symmetry, elegant topology and so forth.
None seemed to quite get the point that I was hoping for synthetic targets
with some more profound artistic content: molecules that illuminate, challenge
and complicate some aspect of our relationship to the material and molecular
world. I am starting to think that this Platonic vision of ‘beauty’ and ‘art’ in
chemistry is a serious hindrance to a truly artistic exploration of what chemical
art could be.

- I also received several responses from artists, many of good quality and
standing. These, however, focused on what one might call “the artistic
representation of molecules and chemistry” – basically, attractive ways
of ‘showing molecules’. This too seemed to lack much that would genuinely
provoke and engage from an artistic perspective. All too often, I think,
collaborations of art/chemistry take this angle: how can we make molecules
look nice, or illustrate their roles in the world? That has some value, but it
remains divorced from chemical practice per se.

So I feel there seems to be some fundamental schism between the (visual)
artistic and chemical worlds, which has yet to be bridged (although some
artists, such as Julian Voss-Andreae, have found a nice approach from a
somewhat different perspective). Is it possible to get scientists to think like
artists? Or does, perhaps, the scientist’s common view of art as a “nice
picture” simply reflect that of society? I suspect that chemistry, which has
always been a fundamentally creative science, is the ideal starting place for
exploring these issues.