PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (July 12, 2018) – Deirdre Murphy is the newest artist to participate in the University City Science Center's BioArt Residency program. Murphy is a Philadelphia-based artist whose interests lie in the interconnected qualities of art and science with a focus on bird migration, climate change and data visualization. She will begin a three-month residency at uCity Square-based biotech company Integral Molecular on July 6. Murphy is the second of three artists selected to participate in the program.
Deirdre Murphy researches the effects of climate change on bird migration, using the visual data that scientists share with her to conceptualize and execute her paintings. Her fascination with avian migratory patterns and the effects of global warming have led her research to Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary, Powdermill Nature Reserve, Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Science and most recently the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.
The Science Center’s BioArt Residency program fosters collaboration between artists and scientists. Not only does it allow both parties to gain new perspectives, but artists are also able to serve as intermediaries communicating and creating dialog around complex scientific issues. Three artists will each spend three months working on creative research projects in Integral Molecular’s labs.
"Scientists and artists are kindred spirits that utilize visual problem-solving skills and critical thinking to produce different outcomes," says Murphy. "I relish the opportunity to work alongside the Integral Molecular scientists, and learn from their processes which will provide new inspiration and content for my artwork."
Murphy will be giving a lecture on her work on Thursday July 19 from 12 – 1 p.m. at Quorum at the Science Center, 3711 Market Street, 8th Floor.
Murphy has exhibited internationally and extensively in the United States in museums, galleries and institutions including the Philadelphia International Airport, Palm Springs Museum of Art, Biggs Museum of American Art, New Bedford Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Murphy is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including a Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Fellowship and a Leeway Foundation award, and an Ecotopian Toolkit Award through the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a sculpture commission from the Percent for the Arts in Dublin, Calif.
In addition to the Science Center, Murphy is currently an artist-in-residence at the Lacawac Sanctuary, a nature center, environmental education center and biological field station, where she studies the Golden Wing Warbler Project. Murphy has been an artist in residence at the Powdermill Nature Reserve and the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (both in Pennsylvania), Vermont Studio Center and Pouch Cove Artist Residency (St. Johns, Newfoundland). Her work has been published in New American Paintings and Fresh Paint Magazine. Murphy’s work can be found in many public and private collections including Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Museum, Temple University, AlphaMed Press and Gamblin Artists Colors.
Deirdre Murphy earned her MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute. Murphy is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.
The BioArt Residency is supported by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a business’s lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO – and beyond.
For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org
