Tyler W. Davis, a visiting assistant professor in Catawba College’s department of environment and sustainability, visited Assistant Professor Matthew Forrest’s advanced printmaking class in the department of art at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia, on March 26.

Davis had previously conducted a virtual workshop in Forrest’s class in which he discussed how geographic information systems can be used to make visualizations of the land surface using publicly available software and data. Davis showed the class how to create geographic maps of Catawba College and Georgia College, highlighting the ways color and symbols can be used to give meaning to the imagery.

Forrest then made 3D cutouts of the maps, which were used by Georgia College students to create art using a number of processes including intaglio, photolithography, and screen printing inspired by student and faculty research on tactile-based screen printing. The endeavor highlighted how students view and assign artistic value to the scientific representations of place, part of a broader theme of looking at the nexus between art and science.

The culmination of this semester-long partnership was Forrest’s visit to Catawba on April 11. Forrest demonstrated screen printing with heat-activated ink to Davis’ intermediate geographic information systems and field GPS class. In addition, Forrest had artwork from this collaboration on display in the lobby of the Center for the Environment.

A longer art installation will run at Ennis Hall at Georgia College from April 22 to May 3.

The intercollegiate experience was made possible by a grant from Georgia College.

For more information about the collaboration, contact Davis at twd17@catawba.edu.