Friday December 27, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with the PBS app
SCIENCE investigates the unexpected intersection between art and science, covering technology, engineering, biology, mathematics and the climate emergency. Nature, space, algorithms and more serve as inspiration for artists who connect their work to the world around them, from the Pueblo of Santa Clara in New Mexico to the computer labs of MIT to NASA.
CRAFTS IN AMERICA: scientific overview
Featured artists include Erik & Martin Demaine, John Luebtow, Chris Maynard, Karen Nyberg, Joan Takayama OgawaAnd Joseph and Sergio Youngblood Lugo.
We start at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Erik and Martin Demaine combine mathematics and art. Erik is a computer science professor at MIT, and the father-son team draws inspiration from their research to create unique curved-fold origami sculptures from folded paper.
Courtesy of the artists
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PBS
We find the ceramist Joan Takayama-Ogawa at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. Joan is a passionate artist and educator who uses her work in clay to address today’s climate emergency.
We travel to Olympia, Washington to meet Chris Maynard, who creates intricate works of 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.
Courtesy of Chris Maynard
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PBS
Back in Los Angeles, we meet John Luebtow, glass sculptor and teacher. He introduces us to the founder of the modern nursery school, Friedrich Froebel, and how Froebel’s geometric “gifts” inspired John and generations of other artists.
The Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico, is home to a long tradition of indigenous potters, including brothers Joseph and Sergio Youngblood Lugo. Joseph and Sergio demonstrate the ancestral firing technique that produces their unique polished pottery.
Courtesy of King Galleries
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PBS
We end the episode with Karen Nyberg, retired NASA astronaut and quilter. Karen brought quilting to the International Space Station and inspired the International Quilting Challenge that brought together makers from around the world. Karen continues to create art inspired by space and science.
Watch according to your schedule: CRAFT IN AMERICA “Science” is available for streaming on the PBS app, pbs.org/craftinamericaAnd craftinamerica.org.
Courtesy of Karen Nyberg
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PBS
Craft in America is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 2004 with a mission to promote and advance original craft work through programs in all media. The Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series CRAFT IN AMERICA first aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and has produced 33 one-hour episodes to date. These programs are full of artists, techniques and stories from diverse cultures, blending history and living practice. Crafts in America on Facebook / Instagram