The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, the MSU Museum and Michigan State University’s art, science and culture collaborative, the STEAMpower Project, are excited to announce the inaugural open call for the MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency program. This new residency aims to foster collaboration, exploration, experimentation and innovation, culminating in the creation of groundbreaking artworks at the intersection of art, science and technology. The program provides a supportive environment for artists to create new artworks while engaging with the vibrant communities across MSU’s campus.
The call invites visual artists of all backgrounds to immerse themselves in the FRIB laboratory environment, fostering a culture of innovation and boundary-pushing exploration. The theme for this year is nuclear astrophysics. Artists who submit to the call are encouraged to propose interactive visual artworks that explore the societal or philosophical context of this important area of FRIB research.
“Creative innovation is the driver of a major research university,” said Judith Stoddart, vice provost for University Arts and Collections. “Thinking and experimenting together across fields opens up new discoveries. Thanks to the generosity of MSUFCU, we have new ways to collaborate that will create unique experiences and opportunities for engagement with big ideas. This combination of FRIB, the MSU Museum experimentation hub and the STEAMpower Project arts and science research initiative can only happen here.”
FRIB is a world-unique rare isotope research facility that enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security and industry. FRIB proudly supports a community of about 1,800 scientists from around the world and regularly collaborates with artists across disciplines.
“We are excited to share with our community how the research conducted at FRIB can positively impact all our lives,” said Thomas Glasmacher, FRIB laboratory director. “The MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency offers a unique opportunity—by connecting science, technology and the arts—to draw people to FRIB to build community and inspire future scientists, technological innovators and creative communicators to collaborate.”
The selected artist-in-residence will spend an enriching three to four months on MSU’s beautiful campus in East Lansing. They will be provided with private studio and office space at FRIB, along with travel support and a stipend to cover living expenses during the residency period.
Furthermore, the artist-in-residence will have the unique opportunity to showcase their works in an exhibition coordinated by the MSU Museum CoLab Studio, an experimental division within the MSU Museum that fosters the development of novel programming and community engagement initiatives.
“The MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency promotes innovation through a unique blend of art, science and technology, aligning with the MSU Museum’s strategic goals,” said MSU Museum Director Devon Akmon. “The museum’s galleries aren’t mere spaces for exhibits or experiments; they’re hubs for idea generation, interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration.”
Learn more and apply for the MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency; the submission deadline is 20 October, 2023.
The MSUFCU Arts Power Up Arts Residency at FRIB program is generously supported by an endowed gift from Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, with contributions from MSU Museum and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Michigan State University operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. FRIB enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security and industry.
MSU Museum
As the state’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, the MSU Museum is an innovative and experimental collaboratory that exists to catalyze creativity. Here, people can openly explore, express and experiment with ideas across disciplines and interests, and indulge their natural curiosity about the world. The museum features three floors of special collections and changing exhibitions. For more information, call (517) 355-2370 or see museum.msu.edu.
Arts MSU
Arts MSU is a strategy that moves creativity to the center of university life by integrating the arts into our educational experiences, our research activities, our outreach and our campus culture.
Guided by the belief that the arts are essential to a vibrant university community that is resilient, inclusive, collaborative and globally minded, this strategy is committed to advancing the impact and amplifying the presence of the arts across campus.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years. One of the world's leading research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.