It’s no secret that Wilkinson College artist Lia Halloran, associate professor in the Department of Art, is busy intersecting art and science together everyday.

Like really busy!

During her sabbatical in New York last spring, she was invited as an Artist in Resident at the American Museum of Natural History in the astrophysics department, while keeping a studio at the interdisciplinary space Pioneer Works in the Science Department in Redhook, Brooklyn. In addition to those projects, she has been working on five solo shows within a 15-month period (which is crazy considering most artists only create one show every couple of years), first starting last fall with ‘Lia Halloran’ at the LUX Institute in Encinitas, then in spring ‘Double Horizon’ at Luis De Jesus in Los Angeles, this summer ‘Your Body is a Space That Sees’ at the Schneider Museum in Oregon, which will be followed by ‘The Same Sky Overarches Us All’ at the University of Maryland Art Gallery starting on September 4 in Maryland, and finally a site specific installation at the Simons Foundations in New York later this fall. However, on top of all that, she was just recently selected for a 10-week joint fellowship for a new program in Visual Cultural at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (The Huntington) in Pasadena (oh and did I mention she has a toddler at home?).

“I am so excited to be offered this opportunity. The Huntington is one of my very favorite places and to have full access to the archive is kind of mind-blowing,” said Halloran.

Halloran’s time will be spent conducting research at the Carnegie Institute, Mt. Wilson Observatory, Caltech, and the Huntington archives, making a body of artwork that reflects the research. In addition to that, she will be teaching an art/science seminar, as well as participating in a public lecture and event at Caltech.

“Working on various projects at once keeps me learning and growing as an artist. Within the past year I’ve created a body of photographs, an installation video, and a series of cyanotypes that are a merge of photography processes and painting,” said Halloran. “I make quite a few lists of various things and ideas I’d like to explore, materials I want to experiment with, things to read, as well as mundane tasks that are still important to making artworks. Becoming a parent has given me very strict cut off times for working so I have no choice than to be productive and hit the ground running when I get to my studio,” she said.

Halloran’s daughter, Jasper, is 20-months old, “She’s so fun,” she said.

20-month-year-old Jasper, Halloran’s daughter.

This program was launched last year and was funded by a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a huge supporter of the arts and humanities in higher education. Halloran’s appointment will start on March 30- June 17, 2020.

The residency supports artists and other creative practitioners whose work involves research and experimentation and engages art, humanities, science, and technology in society.

“They are looking for artists and writers to bridge the gap between research and art,” said Halloran.

With that being said, we have no doubt that she will surely succeed with this amazing challenge.

(Photo Above: Your Body is a Space That Sees. Artwork by artist and associate professor, Lia Halloran.)