Stephen Nowlin

Stephen Nowlin, Pasadena, California, 2013

Stephen Nowlin is an American curator/artist whose practice superimposes art and science and is associated with the national ArtScience movement.^[1][2] He is a Vice President at Art Center College of Design^[3] and founding director of the college's Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery.^[4]

Education and ArtScience

Stephen Nowlin was born in Glendale, California, to professional musicians Ray and Roberta Nowlin.^[5][6] 1966 to 1969: lived in Berkeley, attended California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC); experimented at Mills College Tape Music Center. 1968: left CCAC, worked for Ladd & Kelsey Architects,Pasadena; helped build a model of California Institute of the Arts (Calarts).^[7]

1969-70: worked in the Astro-Electronics Lab at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), drafting computer circuits for the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories; participated in Caltech's E.A.T. (Experiments in Art & Technology) program,^[8][9] working with filmmaker and computer animation pioneer John Whitney. 1970: made the 3-minute film NNON, using early motion-graphics programming developed at Caltech.^[10] 1970/71: attended Calarts to finish undergraduate degree.^[11] 1972-76 worked as laboratory technician, University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine; pursued studio art practice and experimentation.

1976: married Anne (Hathaway) Nowlin. 1978: received MFA degree from Art Center College of Design and joined the college's faculty. 1979: organized, with Fine Art Chair Laurence Dreiband, a survey of paintings by pop-artist Wayne Theibaud. 1979-80: pursued studio practice, exhibited at various Los Angeles venues including Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art (LAICA),^[12] and Topo Swope Gallery. 1979: son Thomas born. 1989: daughter Elizabeth born. 1991: daughter Rebecca born.

1980 to the early 1990s: curated over forty exhibitions including the first exhibition of work by 1930s-era photographer Horace Bristol; exhibitions of photojournalist Mary Ellen Mark, art directors Josef Muller-Brockmann and Helmut Krone; group exhibitions with Leo Castelli Gallery and John Berggruen Gallery; and solo exhibitions with David Hockney, Duane Michaels, Donald Judd, and Robert Venturi; curated solo exhibitions of recent work by James Rosenquist,^[13] Judy Pfaff, Sol LeWitt and Robert Morris; managed and designed the installation of large-scale sculptural works by David Smith, Alexander Calder, Donald Judd, Anthony Caro, Mark di Suvero, Richard Serra and Bruce Nauman. 1990 - 1992: collaborated with architect Frederick Fisher and Partners, on Fisher's design for the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery on Art Center's campus.

Curatorial: ArtScience

• Digital Mediations (co-curated with Erkki Huhtamo, 1995);^[14][15]
• Jim Campbell (1997);^[16]
• Sara Roberts (1998);^[17]
• Charles and Ray Eames' Mathematica (2000);^[18]
• Jennifer Steinkamp, STIFFS (2000);^[19]
• Telematic Connections: The Virtual Embrace (traveling exhibition hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2000);^[20]
• Russell Crotty: The Universe from My Backyard (2001);
• Paul De Marinis (2001);^[21]
• Christian Moeller (2001);^[22]
• Situated Realities: Works from the Silicon Elsewhere (traveling exhibition hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2002);
• GHz: The Post-Analog Object in L.A. (co-curated with John David O'Brien, 2002);^[23]
• Paradise Now: Picturing the Genetic Revolution (traveling exhibition hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2003);^[24]
• NEURO (collaboration with the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering, a Caltech NSF-funded lab exploring sensory systems in machines and biological organisms, 2003);^[25][26]
• Lita Albuquerque (site-specific installation at Caltech campus, 2004);
• Michael McMillen (site-specific installation at Caltech campus, 2004);
• EAR(th) (with Steve Roden/AnnMarie Thomas, 2004);^[27]
• Michael Naimark (2005);^[28]
• AxS: At the Intersection of Art & Science (co-curated with Jay Belloli);^[29]
• In the Dermisphere (2007);
• OBSERVE (collaboration with Caltech's Spitzer Science Center and NASA-JPL Spitzer Space Telescope, 2008);^[30][31]
• TOOLS (co-curated with John David O'Brien, 2009);^[32]
• ENERGY (2010);^[33]
• Things That Float (online exhibit for NASA Images, 2010);^[34]
• Hyperbolic: Reefs, Rubbish, and Reason (Institute for Figuring traveling exhibition curated by Margaret/Christine Wertheim hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2011);^[35]
• WORLDS (2011);^[36][37]
• The History of Space Photography (traveling exhibition curated by Jay Belloli, hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2012);^[38]
• PAGES (co-curated with John David O'Brien, 2012);^[39][40][41]
• Intimate Science (traveling exhibition curated by Andrea Grover, hosted at Williamson Gallery, 2013)^[42]
• Co-organizer with Pasadena Arts Council, AxS: Pasadena Festival of Art and Science (2011, 2014)^[43]

Recognition

• Muchnic, Suzanne, "Under the Microscope," ARTnews Magazine, cover story.^[44]
• Nowlin Essay, "Art Meets Science! Get Over It . . .", STEAM Journal^[45]
• Article on Stephen Nowlin ENERGY exhibition, The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts.^[46]
• Guest Showcase, NASA Images^[47]
• Nowlin Essay, Why is Science Important?^[48]
• Article on "Art, Science, Engineering, Unite," Caltech News^[49]
• Article, "Art and Science Collide at Pasadena Gallery," L.A. Times^[50]
• Honoree, 2009.^[51]
• Honoree, 2004.^[52]
• Article, on Stephen Nowlin's Jim Campbell exhibition, L.A.Times.^[53]

References

1. "SEAD - About". Sead.viz.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
2. http://blogs.artcenter.edu/dottedline/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Under_the_Microscope.pdf
3. "Art Center College of Design | Pasadena, CA | Learn to Create. Influence Change". Artcenter.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
4. "Williamson Gallery". Williamson Gallery. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
5. Tribute to Ray Nowlin by Don Christlieb.
6. Pasadena Star News announcement of orchestra romance.
8. "Summer at Caltech," 1970; article "Greenhouse Art," page 29.
9. http://www.williamsongallery.net/caltech_eat.pdf California Institute of Technology "Two Year Report on the Development of the Workshop and Gallery, ' page 6.
10. "NNON". Williamsongallery.net. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
11. Interview with Benjamin Tong, for Experimental Impulse exhibition at REDCAT (November 19, 2011 thru January 15, 2012).
12. "Detailed description of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records, 1973-1988 | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". Aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
13. "James Rosenquist's Placid Pictures," review by Christopher Knight, L.A. Times 1993.
14. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-09-02/entertainment/ca-41377_1_interactive-art
    • Christopher Knight, "Commentary : An Old Tradition in Art Is Revived in the Digital World," L.A. Times, September 1995
15. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol1/issue4/mclaugh.html
    • cited in: "The Art Site on the World Wide Web," Margaret L. McLaughlin
    • Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, search "Nowlin."
16. "Jim Campbell's Poetic Engineering of Choices," Los Angeles Times art review, William Wilson, May 1997.
17. http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/08/entertainment/ca-57732
    • "The 'Physical Fiction' of Virtual Reality," Los Angeles Times, art review, William Wilson, June 1998.
18. "Mathematica". Artcenter.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
19. "steinkamp_stiffs". Jsteinkamp.com. 2000-04-23. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
20. "telematic connection :: the virtual embrace". Telematic.walkerart.org. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
21. "Paul DeMarinis | Dotted Line | Blog of Art Center College of Design". Blogs.artcenter.edu. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
22. "A Time And Place". Christian Moeller. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
23. "GHz the Post-Analog Object in L.A.". Artcenter.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
24. Karow, Julia (2013-08-08). "Paradise Now?". Scientific American. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
25. "NEURO". Artcenter.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
26. "Art, Science, Engineering Unite in Art Exhibit | Caltech". Caltech.edu. 2003-03-28. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
27. "steve roden . work . ear(th)". Inbetweennoise.com. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
28. "Michael Naimark". Williamsongallery.net. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
29. "Exhibit Explores Intersection of Art & Science | Caltech". Caltech.edu. 2005-06-16. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
30. "NASA - Artists and Astronomers 'Observe' the Universe Together". Nasa.gov. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
31. http://www.observeexhibit.org/
32. http://www.williamsongallery.net/tools.pdf
33. http://blog.calarts.edu/2010/12/09/calarts-alumnus-stephen-nowlin’s-energy-show-extended-through-january-2011/
34. "Williamson Gallery". Williamson Gallery. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
35. "Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA". Crochet Coral Reef. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
36. "Art and science collide at Pasadena gallery - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
37. "WORLDS". Williamsongallery.net. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
38. "Art review: 'History of Space Photography' at Art Center - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
40. Rohr, Nicolette. "Letters on the Pages, Writing on the Wall | Los Angeles | Artbound". KCET. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
41. "PAGES". Williamsongallery.net. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
42. "Williamson Gallery". Williamson Gallery. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
43. "AxS Festival 2014 | Curiosity". Axsfestival.org. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
44. "Stephen Nowlin . . . organizes art-and-science crossover shows that are often seen as curiosities or spectacles," Suzanne Muchnic in ARTnews cover story article on leaders in the ArtScience movement, ″Under the Microscope,″ March 2013.
45. peer-reviewed STEAM Journal, Claremont Graduate University, Volume 1, Issue 1, 3/13/13.
46. "Nowlin has long been a significant voice in the contemporary discourse between art and science..." The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, January 18, 2011.
47. "Stephen Nowlin is the first participant of NASA Images’ “Guest Showcase,” a monthly presentation of digital exhibitions curated by leading professionals in the fields of science, education, art, entertainment, business, and academia." Video, "Things That Float," 2010.
48. "A collection of thoughts from leading scientists, public figures, ...and you." Why is Science Important?, March 7, 2009.
49. "At Art Center, Williamson Gallery director Stephen Nowlin has emphasized the common borderlines of art and science through a decade-long series of crossover exhibitions." By Jill Perry, Caltech News, 3/28/2003.
50. "The 'Worlds' exhibit at the Art Center College of Design examines how scientific knowledge shapes our understanding of the world. Meteor rocks, moon portraits and other works are on display." by Eryn Brown, "Art and Science Collide at Pasadena Gallery," L.A.Times science writer, December 16, 2011.
51. Gold Crown Award, Pasadena Arts Council, June 10, 2009. Award for contributions to the arts.
52. L.A. Artcore 16th Annual Award Benefit, Omini Los Angeles Hotel, October 9, 2004. Award for contributions to the cultural life of Southern California.
53. "The exhibition was organized by gallery director Stephen Nowlin. He has by now established a track record of shows that place him among the most thoughtful and inventive curatorial talents in this geography." William Wilson, "Jim Campbell's Poetic Engineering of Choices," Los Angeles Times art review, May 1997.