by Adam Hinterthuer
In 2013, Trout Lake Station launched our “artist-in-residence” program. Every year, artists from around the country apply to spend a few weeks “on station” accompanying our researchers as they do field work and producing works inspired by the science around our amazing lakes. Here are a few examples of what happens when science and art meet.
2017 Artist in Residence – Rebecca Jabs
“Trout Lake is a year-round station. On-site cabins have electricity and running water – and are within earshot of the loons calling out on the Lake. I was able to borrow a station canoe to paddle Trout Lake and nearby Allequash Lake.
A highlight of my residency was learning to cast a plankton net and viewing my catch under a microscope! Tiny underwater creatures called zooplankton may escape casual notice, but they are a vital part of the aquatic food web. This illustration identifies some of the zooplankton species common to Wisconsin waters.”
2018 Artist in Residence – Mary Burns
“I think people really feel drawn to water, and it means a lot to people, whether it is a sense of belonging, or a sense of serenity. I think there is a magnetic pull to water for most people.
Women working in limnology are essential. I would like to bring their expertise into this discussion, [and] broaden people’s knowledge of our water problems and encourage people to take action.
Bringing these stories to life in weaving is a gift I have been given. I think that people relate to it and are amazed by it. It’s a textile, and people are drawn to that. It’s something basic, it connects to everybody and it’s something that can be touched.”
2019 Artist in Residence – Jim Arnold
“I spent my time as a nature photographer snorkeling the local lakes photographing the art and beauty of life below the surface. I had memorable encounters in lakes named Star, Little Bass, Clear, Trout, Sparkling, White Sand, Blue, Presque Isle and Solstich filling memory cards from 33 different outings in water temperatures from 60 to 78 degrees.
The experience was not just in the water but also when I would share what I had found with staff and students and the debates of the names of what I had captured digitally and questions of where I had seen certain aquatic plants, fish, algae, frogs, and aquatic invertebrates.”