Artful Science
The mission of Artful Science is to make the sciences, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) more relevant, exciting, accessible, and entertaining through the prism of an artist. In essence, we put the arts into STEM, creating STEAM to empower our society.
The intellectual understanding of the world around us through the systematic study of our physical and natural surroundings' structure and behaviors is critical to our ability to not only thrive but sometimes simply survive as the human species. However, this knowledge alone is useless to us as a society unless we can implement these findings into our daily activities as individuals and policies that we implement as communities. Unfortunately, the culture and language that often surround scientific study create barriers to interest and understanding amongst the wider population, thereby preventing science's benefit from thoroughly permeating our society. Artful Science serves as an interpretive forum in which we delve into scientific discovery through the prism of an artist's perspective to present the broader audience with an opportunity to understand and benefit from the information that is shared.
Every episode of Artful Science invites a leading scientist, technologist, engineer, or mathematician to delve into a relevant topic of interest to our audiences. The show then interrogates an otherwise complex issue that influences our society, humanity, and the world through an engaging, revealing, and entertaining interview by the Host. A MacArthur Fellow, an author, practicing artist, and a Professor of Arts Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Aaron Dworkin is an established show host and social entrepreneur. During each episode, the guest is also asked to share an artistic aspect of their life that connects them to their humanity. The essence of the show is captured in the following quote from engineer, physician, and 1st Black woman to travel into space, Mae Jemison, who stated, "Sciences provide an understanding of a universal experience, Arts are a universal understanding of a personal experience... they are both a part of us and a manifestation of the same thing... the arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity."
Ultimately, Artful Science:
builds a more vibrant and informed citizenry through increased understanding, acceptance, and dissemination of critical STEM knowledge
improves the quality of civil discourse between people by encouraging and empowering their intellectual curiosity
fosters creativity and innovative thinking among youth, especially in underserved communities, through dynamic interviews with a creative African-American host
encourages future engineers, designers, architects, and scientists through access to the world's leading scientists in an entertaining forum
reinforces the powerful interdependence between the sciences and the arts