Illustration from “The Art of Science”

Virtual Graphic Facilitation: This session was illustrated in real time. Click for an illustrated summary of this Shout event. Refer to the drawing as a memento of the session and to inspire continued exploration of this topic.

Classroom activities inspired by the exhibition Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow are the focus of this session embracing science and art as complementary ways of understanding our world. Rockman is one of the first contemporary artists to build his career around exploring environmental issues, from evolutionary biology to deforestation and climate change. His work expresses deep concerns about the world’s fragile ecosystems. In this session, museum educators will model the writing prompts, optics demonstrations, and art activities included in the American Art Museum’s multidisciplinary Observation Journal.

Suzannah Niepold is Teacher Program Coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is responsible for teacher workshops, pre- and in-service training, Teaching American History grant programs, classroom resources, and the coordination of a partnership program with District of Columbia schools. Suzannah also launched the museum’s program that provides classroom videoconferencing and an online community of practice to visual arts teachers in the Department of Defense schools around the world. Before receiving a graduate degree in museum education from The George Washington University, she worked in a number of museums, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Sally Otis is Videoconference Coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In this position, she brings together a background in studio art, art history, and museum education. In addition to training the museum’s videoconference presenters, Sally collaborates with Department of Defense teachers across the U.S., Europe and Asia, developing classroom resources that correlate to their curriculum standards. Before coming to the Smithsonian, she worked at an elementary school, a historic house, a space-science center, and a botanical garden. She has a B.A. in graphic design and a graduate degree in museum education from The George Washington University.