Every summer, Trout Lake Station fills with students and researchers from UW’s Center for Limnology.
It’s their home base while conducting research projects on lakes and other water bodies in the Northwoods.
Last summer, a few of those students had a bit of a different focus.
They were part of Trout Lake Stations’ re-imagined artist-in-residence program.
Art Coordinator Terry Daulton says the station has been working with artists for more than a decade, but last summer they changed up the program.
“It’s just a great group of 30, 40 students there engaged in all sorts of research, but we were having a hard time really connecting with them with just the professional artists coming in,” said Daulton. “We intentionally developed this new program which is teaming up working artists, a scientist, and a student artist to try and bridge that gap.”
The scientists come from Trout Lake Station, the Wisconsin DNR, and the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Natural Resources Department.
Science Coordinator Amber Mrnak says the collaboration helps people to connect with and understand science through art.
“I think art is a lot more approachable than the hard sciences are. It’s a lot more exciting definitely to look at and a little easier to enjoy for some people,” said Mrnak.
Daulton added that it’s a two-way street.
“Scientists are creative thinkers so are artists. The idea is when you bring these people together from technically different trainings, but really from the same creative roots. You can perhaps come up with new ideas and new approaches that no one had envisioned to begin with,” said Daulton.
The program is looking for artists to join as mentors for the students for the upcoming summer session.
It’s open to all artists from a range of mediums. You can learn more on the artist-in-residence website.
