CREATIVITY AT SEA: STEAMING ON THE JOIDES RESOLUTION

The JOIDES Resolution is the workhorse research vessel for the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and sets out on two-month scientific expeditions into seafloor science around the world and around the calendar. Funded by the National Science Foundation and international partners, it carries an international crew of scientists, technicians, crew and education/outreach personnel carrying out exploration and investigations into a wide variety of earth science topics. Over the years, the education department has promoted integration of the arts with this complex science and engineering that takes place during these expeditions as ways to reach out to new audiences, encourage new ways of looking at discovery, demonstrating how art and science support each other, and encouraging creativity to all aspects of this massive STEM endeavor. Through art contests and embedding artists on expeditions, the program has created numerous examples of sculpture, video, animation, illustration, painting, logo design, photography, music videos, soundscapes, writing, poetry, children’s books and even dance. From creation of the “world’s deepest art installation” installed into the seafloor to the “Art Under Pressure” contest of carefully designed Styrofoam sculptures sent to (and returned from) the seafloor, IODP has much to share about the use of art in science and science in art. Opportunities abound to use these examples in educational settings and for the creative-minded to set sail to create new ones.