On Wednesday, July 17, the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) held its second annual summer art show. One of the summer’s most anticipated events, the show featured 46 submissions from members of the broader IBB community. Participants again showcased their talent and creativity through various mediums, ranging from paintings and photography to a sculpture and even a garden-inspired chair. More than 200 attendees were dazzled by the art pieces and enjoyed a reception.

“IBB is so proud to host this fantastic event to showcase the tremendous artistic talents of our community,” said IBB Executive Director Andrés J. García, Regents’ Professor and the Petit Director’s Chair in Bioengineering and Bioscience. “Experiencing the exhibits, talking with the artists, and sharing this fun event with the community were wonderful.”

A panel of judges voted for awards and selected the winners in three categories, while attendees voted for the Best in Show award. Best in Show was awarded to a submission that stands out across all mediums for its outstanding creativity, innovation, and artistic quality. The Fan Favorite award was voted on by IBB Art Show attendees to reflect the collective sentiment of the community and celebrate the artist's ability to connect with viewers. The new IBB ArtSci Award was a special recognition celebrating the most striking and poignant display of the intersection of art and science. Additionally, the new BRAINiArts Award was given to a piece honoring creative artistic expression through the lens of neuroscience.

BRAINiArts Award
Sakthi Priya Ramamoorthy – Undergraduate student in neuroscience.
Artwork Title: The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Medium/Description: 3D clay sculpture

IBB ArtSci Award
Hannah Usadi – Strategy and operations management at McMaster Carr and visual communicator for the Williams Lab at IBB. 
Artwork Title: Water in the Origin of Life
Medium/Description: 6 pages of 16''x20'' digitally illustrated prints 

Best in Show Award
Sophia Schumaecker – Undergraduate Student in Chemical Engineering.
Artwork Title: The Gap 
Medium/Description: 12" x 9" acrylic painting on canvas

Fan Favorite Award
Hannah Usadi – Water in the Origin of Life