Category Archives: Science Art (Quilting & Crocheting)

Quilting Science Stories – Science Communication/Engagement

Laura Guertin standing next to one of her quilts

From Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

In 2018, I expanded my toolkit for communicating science stories through the creation of quilts. Each quilt has a narrative relating to topics ranging from coastal adaptation/resilience to global warming solutions. The quilts are being shared at conferences and in the community. As COVID reduced some of the planned dissemination events for the quilts, YouTube videos and virtual displays have been created to further the reach.

All of my science-themed quilts have images and descriptions posted on my Journeys of Dr. G blog.

Award-winning quilt

My Blue Skies and Cloud Cover quilt was named the BTAA Data Visualization Challenge Champion during International Love Data Week (February 2024 – quilt description, and full contest summary)

Media features/interviews

Presentations in Fine Arts section of scientific/education conferences

(*note additional presentations given at scientific conferences and public venues on the use of quilts for science storytelling are not listed here – this section lists presentations in sessions/conferences specifically designated as fine arts)

  • Guertin, L., Stories from the South Atlantic Ocean: Highlights from an IODP Expedition via Quilts. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting [solo art exhibitor, San Francisco, CA] (December 11-14, 2023)
  • Guertin, L., Stitching Hope for the Louisiana Coast. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting [invited solo art exhibitor, New Orleans, LA] (December 13-17, 2021) (photos/description of display)
  • Guertin, L., Drawing Down Towards Climate Solutions. TEDxPSUBrandywine art display [solo art exhibitor, Penn State Brandywine, Media, PA] (November 17, 2021)
  • Guertin, L. Consilience Virtual Exhibition – The Anthropocene. [virtual – invited exhibitor along with eleven additional international scientists/artists] (September 15, 2021) https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/7526365/the-anthropocene
  • Guertin, L. Climate solutions mini quilts. Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Education Conference [virtual – submission invited and paid to exhibit] (June 30, 2021)
  • Guertin, L. Solving the puzzle of reversing global warming. Sigma Xi Annual Meeting/STEM Art and Film Festival [virtual – submission peer reviewed] (November 8, 2020)

Creation and organization of quilt shows, individual quilts on display

  • Two quilts (Taking the Temperature, From the Bridge) selected and displayed as part of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Juried Members’ Exhibition, a virtual, juried art exhibit, starting 2024.
  • Twelve quilts from my Endangered Species Act quilt collection displayed at the Delaware County Institute of Science (Media, PA) (October 2024-present). Invited.
  • Six quilts at the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery, Penn State University, University Park, PA, from November 9, 2023, to January 2024.
  • One quilt (What Goes Up, Must Come Down) displayed as part of the Undercover Quilters Sew Many Colors Quilt show, Brookhaven, PA, October 13-15, 2023.
  • One quilt (It Begins With the Ocean Biome) displayed at the Delaware County Institute of Science (Media, PA) (October 2023-September 2024). Invited.
  • One quilt (Blue Skies and Cloud Cover) selected and displayed as part of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators 55th Anniversary Juried Members’ Exhibition, a virtual, juried art exhibit starting on August 11, 2023. https://www.gnsi.org/2023-gnsi-juried-members-exhibit
  • One quilt (Looking Out at the Ghosts of the Coast) selected and displayed as part of The Changing Chesapeake, juried art exhibit at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, from March 1, 2023, to February 25, 2024. My piece was selected for display at the entrance of the exhibit, out of the 75 pieces in the exhibition (from the 150 submitted). The museum then purchased the quilt for their permanent collection.

  • Solo exhibitor – Stitching Climate Science & Solutions, at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens (Devon, PA), from October 1, 2022, thru January 8, 2023. This collection of 24 quilted and 11 crocheted pieces calls attention to changes in local-to-global climate data and the actions we can take in addressing these changes. Pieces include examples from Philadelphia, PA, and the Louisiana coast. The exhibit included an opening reception, educational session on teaching visitors how to research and stitch their own temperature data, and a gallery walk for a high school group.
  • Co-creator and organizer (with E. Wilkening) for an annual collaborative virtual/in-person collection of stitched items that celebrate a science theme (2021-present). We open this opportunity to all individuals of all ages and skill levels from any geographic area – one does not need to be a scientist to participate, so we can bridge science communications and community.
    • Stitch Your Science 2024, Making the Unseen, Seen – We are currently advertising and connecting with participants. New this year will be a science poetry connection to go along with each quilt and a plan for publication.
    • Stitch Your Ocean Science 2023 – We generated a call for participants in this ocean-themed celebration with any stitched items. This event was endorsed by the United Nations as an Ocean Decade Activity. The result was 13 individuals, two university classrooms, and one oceanographic research vessel’s scientists and technicians that submitted 19 items for virtual display in an ArcGIS StoryMap and connecting in Zoom and at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Information and the virtual gallery is available at: https://arcg.is/XuWeX I presented two of my quilts as part of this event.
    • Stitch Your Climate Science 2022 – We created a call for any stitched item (crochet, knit, embroidery, quilting, etc.). The result was 22 international stitchers submitting 27 items for virtual display in Google Earth and connecting at the AGU Fall Meeting in Chicago (December 2022). Information and the virtual gallery is available at: https://tinyurl.com/scistitch22 I presented two of my quilts as part of this event.
    • Quilt Your Science 2021 – We created a call for quilters to create earth/space science-themed mini quilts. The result was 20 international quilters submitting 23 quilts that were put on virtual display, with a subset of quilters connecting at the AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans (December 2021). Information and the virtual gallery is available at: https://tinyurl.com/sciquilt21 I presented two of my quilts as part of this event.

Virtual reality exhibition of quilt collections

  • Drawing Down Towards Climate Solutions. Created with Artsteps, June 2021. Images and descriptions of ten quilts can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/drawingdowntour
  • Stitching Hope for the Louisiana Coast – a virtual tour. Created with Artsteps, April 2021. Images and descriptions of nine quilts can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/stitchinghopetour

Blog postings/videos of science quilts

Online descriptions and videos of the quilts can be found at: https://journeysofdrg.org/tag/sciquilt/ Video descriptions of quilts are available on YouTube: http://bit.ly/quiltingsciencestoriesvideos

IODP Expedition 390 – Stories from the South Atlantic collection

  • Quilt collection of 19 quilts based upon my two months sailing on board the scientific research vessel JOIDES Resolution in the South Atlantic Ocean. View quilts, descriptions, and videos at: https://www.sciodquilts.studio/

Endangered Species Act collection

Drawing Down Towards Climate Solutions collection

Stitching Hope collection

Nine full-size quilts completed 2018-2021; link to descriptions of each quilt available online.