This presentation will review one way in which chemistry teachers and other science educators can engage their students, and the public, through the visual arts. As the principal example, a series of oil paintings illustrating the history of organic chemistry was prepared and used in both classroom and art gallery settings. In the classroom, the paintings function as an image bank for portraits of notable chemists, significant molecules, reactions schemes, and a number of chemical diagrams, names, and formulae. The paintings also function well in lecture as motivational items with which to begin a lecture or to provide some historical context in a visually rich way. Both in and out of the classroom, these paintings can serve as access points for viewer reflection and departure points for discussions on the complex interactions of history, science, psychology, and culture. Anecdotal evidence indicates that this approach is particularly valuable for engaging the public in conversations about chemistry, science, and society.

Engaging science students and the public through science-themed art

249th National Meeting (2015)

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