mSU SCICOMM
Michigan State University's
Science Communication Organization
Kelly Stanford
What was the inspiration behind your artwork?
The hyper realistic bee and wasp illustration series started as a fun side project to the ‘STEM Bee’ science communication sculpture project I was doing in Manchester, UK at the time. I became interested in the diversity of bee species around the world + I wanted to challenge my coloured pencil skills. After doing the first few I thought to myself “why don’t I turn this into a scicomm thing?”, So I started drawing these bees live at science outreach events in the UK as a way to draw in the public so I could talk to them about bee conservation.
What do you see as the similarity between science and art? Why is science-art important in today's society?
The unique thing about art is it gives a universal access point to introduce scientific topics to lay people in a more palatable fashion. I feel like most find science quite daunting on the surface when it doesn’t have to be, and that gives ride to mistrust. By utilizing art to convey scientific subjects to the wider public we can help break down that barrier through a medium all humanity naturally appreciates and help open dialogue between experts and the wider community.
Get to know the artist!
Kelly Stanford, Science Communicator and artist, University of Hull, MSc Physical Geography
Get in touch!
Follow Kelly on Twitter @TheLabArtist and on Instagram @kellystanfordart
