Genetic Art

I find the concept of learning from art work fascinating. When I read the article I thought that it was such a brilliant idea, and so new, but then I thought about everyday art that teaches us things. For instance my mom is a kindergarten teacher and a big percentage of how she teaches uses illustrations to teach her children. However, I think Genetic Art is an incredible way of teaching the public about science and technology. "As important as the scientific process is going to be, there’s an equally important need to struggle over the images and the metaphors that we’re going to be able to use to understand the science, and in the end I think that the people who contribute the images and the metaphors that we as a society choose will shape the impact

of the genetics every bit as much as the scientists" (Culturing the Pleeband). In this article Lisa Lynch discusses and explains different examples of genetic art and the struggles artists face while trying to represent it.

One of the things she discusses is Paradise Now. Which was described as, "“the first major exhibition to identify key work by artists who are examining the meaning and urgent implications

of dramatic breakthroughs in genetic research", by it's curators Heiferman and Kismaric. This exhibition brought together 39 artists who had been interested in genetic art or were just started to look into genetic art. I think that the idea that art had potential for social change is amazing, and one we often over look. Art can be used for so many things, and Genetic Art Teaches as well as brings to light issues of social change.