Science and Art Collide in the SmartArt Exhibit at the EcoTarium

Worcester, Mass. November 14, 2008 -- On December 20, 2008, the EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, invites visitors to explore science with a creative twist in a new, hands-on exhibit, SmartArt: Exploring Science & Art.

Not your typical science or art exhibit, SmartArt combines the best of both worlds, offering original pieces of artwork with corresponding interactive science exhibits that together explore a single phenomenon from two unique perspectives. Visitors of all ages can discover the changes taking place around us - from motion to sound, sound to shape, carbon dioxide to oxygen, and 3D to 2D - as envisioned through this creative collaboration of art and science. Presented in both English and Spanish, the SmartArt: Exploring Science & Art exhibit includes a variety of fun activities for families:

Play custom-made musical instruments to turn motion into sound
Turn music into shapes
Use sounds to make a robot trio dance
Feed a plant with your breath
Turn a three-dimensional object into a two- dimensional topographic "map" using lasers
Play with color and light in the "Disc Dance" pavilion
SmartArt was produced by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative, a group of mid-sized science and children's museums organized by the EcoTarium, and is made possible by grants from Jane's Trust and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust. It will be at the EcoTarium through November 1, 2009.

Exhibit Background
The four museums in the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative each selected an artist from their state or province to partner with them in developing a pair of exhibit components exploring the scientific phenomenon of change from X to Y. The museum- artist teams each chose a specific transformation to explore, such as the change from sound to motion. Thus, visitors experience the same transformation from both scientific and artistic perspectives. A fifth artist worked with the museums to develop the large, colorful "Disc Dance" that serves as the exhibit centerpiece. The result is SmartArt: Exploring Science & Art, a unique exhibit featuring interdisciplinary, family learning.

Environmental Exhibit Collaborative
EcoTarium, Worcester, Massachusetts
ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont
Exhibition Production Center, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Children's Museum of Maine, Portland, Maine

Participating Artists
Dave Blumenthal, Montpelier, VT
Exhibiting "Topoform"
www.studiozoic.com

Peter Evonuk, Boston, MA
Exhibiting "WeBreather"
http://jameshull.com/peter_evonuk.html

Nicolas Reeves, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Director, NXI Gestatio Design Lab based at the University of Quebec
Exhibiting "GESTATIO o [SLUM / OPERA]"
www.hexagram.org

Randy Regier, Portland, ME
Exhibiting "Automata Dancers"
http://homepage.mac.com/rregier/

Janet Van Fleet, Cabot, VT
Exhibiting "Disc Dance"
www.janetvanfleet.com

http://www.ecotarium.org/exhibitsanimals/exhibits/smartart/

About the EcoTarium
EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, is a unique indoor-outdoor museum offering three floors of interactive exhibits, wildlife habitats, interpretive nature trails, a digital planetarium, and a narrow- gauge railroad. The EcoTarium, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, college students and children ages 3-18. Parking is free. For information, visit www.ecotarium.org.