Although two seemingly separate disciplines, the practice of both science and art cultivates curiosity, motivates discovery and informs our natural, physical and material worlds. Scientists and artists pay studious attention to detail and the arduous application of continuously refined methods to create concepts and products that benefit our society. The celebration of this union has even taken root in various social media channels and under the auspices of the hashtag #sciart.

The UT Health San Antonio partnered with the City of San Antonio becoming one of over 20 sites showcasing 50 years of work by acclaimed Mexican artist Maestro Sebastian. He is best known for his sculpture La Antorcha de la Amistad or the Torch of Friendship at the heart of downtown San Antonio. The Maestro utilizes a heavy emphasis of mathematical properties in his monumental sculptures exhibited in cities throughout the world such as Mexico City, Jerusalem, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Venice, Berlin and many more. The geometric complexity often reflects the intricate but entwined nature of things that we experience running parallel to the reciprocal and interwoven relationship of science and art.   

Piscis can be viewed on the Greehey Campus in the public space between the South Texas Research Facility (STRF) and Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI).  Maestro Sebastian will be the featured artist for Conversations on Science and Art (Dec. 5, 2019). The semi-annual “meet-up” brings together San Antonio’s life sciences ecosystem to celebrate science and art.

“It is a very interesting networking event highlighting two disciplines that are different yet intertwined,” said Amrita Kamat, Ph.D., deputy associate chief of staff for research at the Long School of Medicine, “As a scientist, it helps me visualize and think out of the box.”

The inaugural Conversations on Science and Art occurred late 2017 featuring the work of Hispanic artist Ernesto Ibanez followed by pieces from Ovidio Giberga and Cody Vance for the 2018 collections. These exhibitions of artwork from renowned artists draw on diverse backgrounds representing a milieu of culture and collaboration culminating in an experience of friendship among scientists and artists within realms that can sometimes be perceived as siloed.

Currently, we have Maestro Sebastian’s work on display in addition to Ken Little. We invite you to visit our collections at the STRF and carry this message forward with you. Neither science nor art would be as rich as they are without the other.

It’s an honor to show case Piscis at the Greehey Campus located at the heart of the Medical Center.

A special thanks to Arturo Infante Almeida, special collections curator at UTSA Libraries, for his partnership in bringing artwork to the STRF to bridge the gap between science and art.