What do Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso have in common? Can we learn about science by studying art? There are many connections just waiting to be discovered between the natural world and artistic techniques that have been used for centuries. Author and retired science educator Mary Kirsch Boehm systematically guides readers through a look at science with an artistic eye, introducing an integrated and often overlooked view of the two disciplines. By exploring the materials and techniques of art and the science behind them, Boehm reveals just how interconnected our world really is.
$19.95
Exploring Science and Art
Exploring Science and Art: Discovering Connections between the nature of Science and the Science of Art is a venture of discovery. Author and retired science educator, Mary Kirsch Boehm, guides readers through an examination of science with an artistic eye, introducing an integrated and often overlooked view of the two disciplines.
FORMAT SOFTCOVER
ISBN 978-1-942483-89-2
Meet the Author
FORMAT | SOFTCOVER |
---|---|
ISBN | 978-1-942483-89-2 |
4 reviews for Exploring Science and Art
Related products
Supernatural Shakespeare: Magic and Ritual in Merry Old England
$19.95Immerse yourself in Shakespeare’s magical world, filled with supernatural encounters with faeries, ghosts and witches. Frolic with royalty, wander through forests, and experience love layered with enchantment. The Bard’s use of these fantastical phenomena has had a tremendous and enduring influence on authors and audiences for more than four centuries. But what are their origins? Explore the folk beliefs and literary sources that influenced Shakespeare and discover how he assembled his own masterful portraits of these phenomena, giving his plays vibrant life and his characters unforgettable personalities.
Softcover only.
Tales From Azar’s Attic: A Look Inside a Broadcasting Career
$19.95Rick Azar. For many, this name evokes a wave of wistful nostalgia. A member of the charismatic trio “Irv, Rick and Tom” on WKBW-TV that dominated the Western New York and Southern Ontario airwaves for nearly two decades, Rick Azar tells engaging stories about so many historical beginnings. His tales chronicle the birth of broadcasting, the contentious start of the Sabres and the beginning of the Buffalo Bills. Azar shares fascinating behind-the-scenes encounters with some of the colorful celebrities he interviewed – and, more often than not, befriended – over the decades. Meet Howard Cosell, Jack Kemp, Joe Namath, Ted Williams, Gil Perreault, Wayne Gretzky, Floyd Patterson, Ilio DiPaolo, Jack Nicklaus, Dizzy Gillespie, and so many more. Azar’s journey from Brooklyn to Buffalo, on the stage and on the air, covering sports and offering commentary, is entertaining and insightful. It also reveals much about Buffalo, his beloved hometown.
Frederick Law Olmsted’s Point Chautaqua: The Story of an Historic Lakeside Community
$14.95A well-preserved creation of America’s most celebrated landscape architect, Point Chautauqua’s 1875 Frederick Law Olmsted design is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Among Olmsted’s many works, Point Chautauqua stands alone. Only here did the master find a physical setting that conformed to his aesthetic ideal. Moreover, this was his only design for a religious community. Frederick Law Olmsted’s Point Chautauqua richly exhibits Olmsted’s design principles, making it a perfect example of historic landscape architecture that is also a living, working community, and a rewarding laboratory for students of historic landscape architecture.
Albright: The Life and Times of John J. Albright
$35.95 – $45.95The fascinating story of the elusive man who brought steel to Buffalo, harnessed the power of Niagara Falls, and gave Buffalo its most treasured gift: the Albright Art Gallery. To tell this compelling tale required a long and circuitous journey, from small town archives to big city libraries, tracking down Albright descendents in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to sift through the many layers of mystery which have for so long shrouded this enigmatic man. The result is a beautiful, illustrated biography of industrialist and philanthropist John J. Albright, one which reveals the remarkable story of a man and the turn-of-the-century city in which he lived. Exquisite photographs by Susan Fuller Albright bring to life this extraordinary man and his family.
Winner of the 2019 IPPY Award, Silver in Biography
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra: The BPO Celebrates the First 75 Years
$29.95The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra came into existence at the height of the Great Depression. Seventy-five years later, it is an internationally renowned, Grammy-winning Orchestra. The story of this amazing trajectory is told through more than 200 images in a beautiful 120-page coffee table book that celebrates music in Buffalo. Follow the BPO from Lajos Shuk to JoAnne Falleta, and meet many of the world’s greatest musicians. Leonard Bernstein to Lang Lang, Johnny Mathis to the Grateful Dead, the BPO has brought the world of music to Buffalo. On tour, it has brought Buffalo to the world. Special sections showcase the BPO’s home, the acoustically perfect Kleinhans Music Hall, the BPO’s many Carnegie Hall appearances and the hundreds of recordings made over the decades.
Ellen R –
Mary Kirsch Boehm is a retired science teacher who now docents at art museums. The presence of this book says to me that the author discovered the amazing connection between science and art in her post-retirement career, and wants to share this knowledge with those who are still clinging to the notion that science is a more “serious” pursuit than art. In these days of dismissing the arts in favor of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math). In fact, as Boehm points out, nearly every aspect of art involves science, from color theory to understanding how to build a sculpture to last or restore an old work of art.
With this important topic, I wish Boehm would have thought more carefully about who her audience might be. At times, the writing is grade-school elementary (“atoms are very, very small”), and much of the time, the text glosses over a bunch of seemingly unrelated topics without following through in a later chapter. The author seems to think that by merely presenting the facts without context, the reader can draw their own conclusions.
The other problem I had with this book is that there are no pictures of the art she describes. This is a real missed opportunity to point to specific elements in the works of art she describes that use the scientific principles she discusses.
Finally, I need to point out that there is no mention of the performing arts in this book. I get that, it would have been a much longer book and involved an artistic area with which the author is not as familiar. But musicians, actors, scene designers, and dancers also use science, and if you’re trying to make a case, all the arts should be included.
Joseph M –
I have mixed thoughts on this book. I think the content and topics are very good, and interesting. And make the author’s points well. Good descriptions. The author probably doesn’t need to add the essay style beginning and end. Or she could have used another method to relay the information. To me, this weakened the book a bit.
The organization of the book would be greatly enhanced by adding images of the artwork, science, and items being discussed. Otherwise, it is a book about visual things without visuals.
I think this book has the most potential as a guiding document to develop a script for a PBS series or documentary series.
Annie B –
This is a layman-accessible examination of the intersection and interplay between the arts and sciences and how creativity is necessary and indelibly entwined with the pursuit of advances in both. It’s an academic work, written by a professional educator and as such, is exhaustively annotated. It’s not at all dry, however, and readers who are interested in the subject matter will find a great deal of well-presented information to ponder here.
The subject matter is presented in a logical progression: from the larger overarching themes (interconnectedness and relationships between science and art and the similarities between methods of thinking) to specifics of materials & techniques, light and color, conservation (fascinating info here, including copious notes for further reading), and the nature of matter including biodiversity and weather, biology, and astronomy and how they’ve defined and informed art and science.
This is a fascinating and information-dense work. It’s not light reading, by any stretch, but it is fascinating and well worth a look for readers interested in the subjects. It would make an excellent course instruction for wide-ranging subjects – a science-heavy book for artists/students, and a look at art with an artistic sensibility that will challenge STEM folks.
Four and a half stars. It would be a good choice for public or university library acquisition or as a resource for related classroom instruction (at the post-secondary level). It’s admittedly a niche book, but very well done.
Jennifer W –
This is a book all about science and art, just as the title reveals.
Mary Kirsch Boehm says “At first, I have to admit, I viewed the two [science and art] as separate and never considered the possibility of connections between them. But gradually I learned that they did not exist in a vacuum and were indeed related and in many ways. For me, this was a different and very interesting approach, and it was one that added to my understanding and appreciation of science and art.”
The writing is a little bland at times, I didn’t get a sense of the author’s excitement about the subject she is writing about. But I did find it interesting to learn about people in science and some artwork that I was unfamiliar with before I read the book. The book piqued my curiosity and I ended up looking up some things for even greater information. So at the end of the day, I learned some new things which is always a good thing.
I think to enjoy this book you really need to be into both science AND art.