With all the many hardships that persist, we want to take time to focus on the beauty that is still being created. We also recognize that with the increasing recognition of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) rather than only STEM, it’s important to highlight some of the scientists/ biologists, and those who create science related art. Our Art in Bio blogs feature artwork along with the artist’s thoughts on how their art influences biology and vice versa.
This week’s Art in Bio spotlight is a focus on Dr. Kevin Kohl, Associate Professor at University of Pittsburgh, and ICB author. Below, Dr. Kohl shares his (re)discovery of making art, and the intrinsic ways it is related to our understanding of science.
What led to you embark on the journey of exploring art and science?
My exploration into art really begins with a rediscovery of the Humanities in general – a wide area of study that I have always enjoyed. Through middle and high school I was heavily involved in humanities, music, and drama. During my undergraduate training at University of Wisconsin – Madison, this time was occupied instead by new things: socializing and scientific training. I don’t specifically recognize an absence of the arts during my undergraduate training, as it was a time of growth in other directions. However, during my graduate and postdoctoral training, I can retrospectively recognize a flurry of hoop-jumping professional activities. At this time, I was grasping for creative outlets, but always fighting an overbearing mindset that these were distractions and that time should be spent on professional and scientific activities. It is also during graduate school that I also came out as gay, which has been an important and continual process of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
Starting a lab at a research university was the next chapter in a series of mounting professional responsibilities. While I thoroughly enjoy research and the privileges that come with an academic position, it has been a journey in making this position sustainable for myself and my personal relationships. I hit particularly low points during the pandemic, where I felt overtasked with the upkeep of a research lab, training new mentees, and continuing to generate research productivity. This combination of isolation and overwork led to burnout and depression leading me to seek out therapy and meditation.
For better or worse, it was also during this time that I was preparing my tenure dossier due in Summer 2022 – leading to introspection towards my time, priorities, and future. I began watching YouTube videos, especially about philosophy and contemplating how we generate knowledge and information. I was also engaged in book clubs for books that I now consider life-changing: Holding Space by Aminata Cairo and Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. From here, I began initiating coffee meetings with colleagues from diverse departments around the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. I have been amazed to learn the perspectives and expertise of colleagues from Departments such as History and Philosophy of Science, or History of Art and Architecture.
One thing that I find interesting in expanding my professional network was a recognition of the many different types of products, knowledge, impact, and understanding that can be created. While the “scientific paper” is one, I now also recognize the importance and impact of other types of scholarly work, including artwork.
Kevin Kohl
From this exploration, came a rebound towards the humanities. After submitting my tenure dossier summer 2022, this poem was written September 6th, 2022.
What other artistic media have you explored, and what has your artistic process been?
I have been on sabbatical for Spring 2024 and have used this time to explore my own creative outlets. I have a partner who is a high school art teacher, and he was able to provide me with some simple materials and lessons before I left to spend 2.5 months living with my parents in Wisconsin. I took this time to explore techniques of watercolor and collage to create mixed-media artwork. This process actually started with going thrift shopping with my parents to collect collage material, often in the form of old science books. Then, I would create watercolor backgrounds at the kitchen table of my parent’s house, adding new layers every few hours and allowing them to dry while spending time with family. Next, finished watercolors would move to my “workspace”, where I would pour through my collage materials until hit with inspiration that matched the moment and the background.
The assembly is usually the most enjoyable part of the process. Here, I play and grapple with how I wanted compositions to come together. I find that the process is somewhat similar to putting together a puzzle, but that it is me that is deciding whether the pieces “fit”.
Stay tuned next week for more about Kevin’s work…
You can follow Kevin over various digital venues below:
Art Instagram Account: http://www.instagram.com/queerkeyart
Science Twitter Account: http://www.twitter.com/KevinDKohl
Lab Website: www.kohl-lab.com
previous ICB publication- free to read from issue 1 of 2023
Deficits in Accessibility across Field Research Stations for Scientists with Disabilities and/or Chronic Illness, and Proposed Solutions
Elizabeth N Rudzki, Kevin D Kohl
Integrative and Comparative Biology, Volume 63, Issue 1, July 2023, Pages 114–127, https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad019
Integrative and Comparative Biology 