Wednesday Nite at the Lab

press release: WN@TL goes hybrid both with Zoom and with in-person (Room 1111) presentations. The zoom registration link is still go.wisc.edu/240r59. You can also watch a live web stream at on YouTube.

On October 12: a presentation by Sharon Tang, artist and researcher with the Cellular and Molecular Biology program, entitled “A Landscape of Wisconsin Discovery – The Making of a Mural Bridging Art, Science, and Technology.”  Then stay for a panel discussion with fellow artists Amy Zaremba and Alicia Rheal.  This presentation follows the opening reception of the new mural in the Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard, from 4 to 5 pm.

Description:  Commissioned by WARF, the newly installed “Discovery Mural” at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery celebrates notable Wisconsin scientific innovations, highlights diverse scientific fields, and features underrepresented scientists from the past, present, and future. Join artists Sharon Tang, Amy Zaremba, and Alicia Rheal to learn how they intentionally integrated details into the design and how they hand painted a mural that lies at nexus of art, science, and creative fusion. They will also share the process for how they incorporated QR code technology, allowing the mural to serve as an interactive living portal for educational content delivery and dynamic viewer engagement.

Bios:

Sharon Tang, lead artist and speaker

Sharon Tang is an artist and scientist in Madison, WI. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Queens, NY, Sharon took the scenic route while making her way to the Midwest. After completing her undergraduate degree in Studio Art and Russian Studies in upstate New York, she taught kindergarten and 1st grade in Washington, D.C. for several years and then earned her masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology in Baltimore. She finally landed in Madison in 2013 and has made it home ever since.

Sharon creates her own oil and acrylic paintings in her home studio and is broadly driven by the intersections found in discovery, creativity, communication, and connection with others. She is thrilled to combine these interests through mural making to help communities engage in the spaces around them. In addition to painting and designing murals, Sharon is currently a cell and molecular biology PhD candidate at UW-Madison studying wound healing in Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infections of the heart. She believes there is incredible potential to enhance the accessibility of science through art and finds a beautiful balance swapping between petri dishes and paint brushes every day.

Website: www.studiostang.com

Amy Zaremba is a Wisconsin native who spent her childhood enjoying the lakes and forests of the beautiful Northwoods and now makes her home in Madison. She earned a bachelor's degree in Studio Art and English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison 2005 and a J.D. from DePaul College of Law. Amy is a muralist and painter through her business, Zaremba Art, and a lead community muralist with Dane Arts Mural Arts.

Amy was coping with non-creative career choices before finally picking up a brush for a living in 2015. The decision to follow a dream comes with a great awareness of the power art has to enrich our lives. Her personal work reflects on the beauty and small joys we can find in the everyday when we take the time to look. Amy’s deep held belief in the great importance art holds in a happy and healthy society led her to pursue work in public art and community murals. Amy has designed and painted murals for over six years and her bright and colorful designs are intended to captivate, celebrate and bring a burst of joy to any space. Her work can be seen on walls in and on businesses, schools, libraries and community centers.

Website: www.zaremba-art.com

Alicia Rheal, a native of New York, has been painting professionally since 1986 when she created her company Rheal Imagination. At the start, the business specialized in painting custom designs on clothing, until 1989, when Alicia started painting backdrops and sets for opera, ballet, television and theater. Since then, Alicia has continued to work as a Scenic Artist for theater, as well as move into the world of Custom Murals and Collaborative Art.

In Wisconsin, she has designed and painted murals for homeowners and businesses, including the Prairie Bookshop in Mt. Horeb, the Iowa County Chamber of Commerce, the Cross Plains Public Library, and EPIC Systems Corporation in Verona. Alicia has also initiated and led many community art projects, including ones for the Walls of Wittenberg, Grandview and the PEC Foundation, and Folklore Village.

Website: www.rhealimagination.com

Explore More: www.discoverymural.wisc.edu