Art + Science
Our Story
Art Professor Karolina Karlic is the Art + Science Faculty Director of the Norris Center. Karlic’s mission is to cultivate a thriving community passionate about natural history in all aspects of life brings new prospects for enriching the integration of the arts and sciences within the Norris Center at UCSC, offering valuable opportunities for students, faculty, and the community to explore and grow.
At the Kenneth Norris Center for Natural History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, we believe in the power of collaboration between the arts and sciences to deepen our understanding of the world. Our Art + Science initiatives represent a unique and dynamic convergence of creativity and inquiry, where artists, scientists, and students come together to explore, engage with, and communicate the natural world in new and innovative ways.
Founded on the belief that the boundaries between art and science are not fixed but fluid, our initiatives seek to cultivate an environment where these disciplines enrich each other. The natural world is a vast and complex canvas, and we see the intersection of art and science as a way to reveal hidden patterns, inspire curiosity, and bring new perspectives to research and storytelling.
Through workshops, collaborative projects, exhibitions, and community outreach, we create opportunities for dialogue and discovery. By integrating artistic expression with scientific exploration, we hope to spark imagination, foster environmental awareness, and provide a platform for both established and emerging voices to share their work. Whether through visual art, soundscapes, or interactive installations, we invite the public to experience science as more than data, and art as more than aesthetics, but as complementary forces that together broaden our understanding of nature.
At the heart of our Art + Science initiatives is a commitment to sustainability and a deeper connection with the natural environment. We aim to inspire and empower future generations of scientists, artists, and environmental advocates to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively about the pressing challenges of our time.
As we continue to explore the intersections of art and science, we are excited to support a vibrant community of innovators who are shaping the future of discovery and expression. Our story is one of exploration, creativity, and a shared vision for a more connected, informed, and imaginative world.
Norris Center Art + Science Graduate Fellowship
Art + Science Graduate Fellowships are designed to support graduate students engaging with Art and/or Art + Science Collaborative projects that relate to Natural History or the Natural World. Each fellowship award of $2500 is made possible by the generous gifts of private donors to the Norris Center.
Norris Center Art + Science Undergraduate Award
Offered every fall quarter, the Norris Center funds a select number of undergraduate students conducting a project relating to natural history and can apply for an award of up to $1,000.
Amah Mutsun Native Plant Illustration Collaboration
This project, a collaboration between the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (AMTB), the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program (AMRP) at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden, and the Norris Center for Natural History, engages students in illustrating culturally significant native plants and documenting their traditional uses. This project not only highlights the deep cultural and ecological knowledge of the AMTB but also fosters meaningful collaboration between our student artists and Indigenous stewards.
Unseen California Artist-in-Residence Program
Unseen California, a research initiative at UC Santa Cruz, that provides artists with a supportive Artist-in-Residence AIR program that aims to deepen an artist’s way of knowing the shifting California landscape. Our program supports artists in the creation of new artworks and pairs artists with unique public programming opportunities through an established partnership with the University of California’s Natural Reserve System (UCNRS) and UCSC’s Norris Center for Natural History. This collaboration creates a unique opportunity to amplify artists’ voices and provide a platform for diverse perspectives on pressing environmental issues.
Thank you to our Art + Science community collaborators, project mentors and advisors!
Project advisors and mentors, from the Arts: Professor Ben Leeds Carson, Professor Irene Gustafson, Professor Jennifer Parker’s OpenLab, Professor Jorge Menna Barreto, Professor Jonathan Jackson, PhD student at UCSC and now Reed College Professor Juniper Harrower (our first Art + Science director), Professor Laurie A Palmer, Professor Enrique Leal, Professor Martin Rizzo-Martinez and Professor Grant Whipple, and project advisors from Environmental Studies: Professor Greg Gilbert and Professor Weixin Cheng; and project advisors from Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Professor Rachel Meyer; Feminist Studies Department: Professor Jennifer Kelly; Latin American & Latino Studies: Professor Lily Balloffet, and agency advisors from Fort Ord Reserve: Manager Joe Miller, and UCSC Campus Natural Reserve: Manager Alex Jones. We continue to grow our impact on access to interdisciplinary student research on campus, serving as a centralizing center for these activities.
