Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts Symposium

Co-hosted by Lehigh University Art Galleries and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research

The arts—encompassing visual arts, design, music, theater, fiction, poetry, and other forms of creative production—are vital engines of innovation and engagement. While public-facing events often bring the arts to broad audiences, the intersection of the arts with disciplines in the social and natural sciences, health, education, engineering, and business is an equally dynamic and growing area of work. This symposium will bring these efforts to the forefront, offering a platform to share insights, foster collaboration, and support the advancement of arts-integrated research.

All are invited to attend this full-day event that highlights research being conducted by Lehigh students and faculty across a wide range of departments and disciplines.  Sessions will take place at Lehigh University Art Galleries and nearby spaces in Zoellner Arts Center and academic buildings.  Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided.

This event is free of charge but we ask that you RSVP.

Symposium Schedule and Presenters

8-8:30am Registration, Coffee

8:30-9am Welcome, Opening Remarks

9-11am Session 1:  Psychology and Health

Art x Health: Lessons from Engaging Together for Healthy Relationships (ETHR)
Joseph Amodei

How Do We Remember Art?
Almut Hupbach

The Indestructible Nature of Art
Jessecae Marsh

Wellness and the Arts
Erica Hoelscher

9-11am Session 2:  Community Development and Collective Well-Being

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Creative Industries in the Lehigh Valley: A Multi-Level Framework Approach
Antigoni Papadimitriou

The Small Cities Lab: Storytelling, Policy and Design Action Support Community-Led Urban Change
Karen Beck Pooley
Wes Hiatt

Photovoice: Bridging Research and Advocacy through Photography
Margaret Munley Stone, Lucy Napper, Student Participants

Queer Archives, Embodied Performance, and Public Health: A Screening and VR Experience
Lyam Gabel, Joseph Amodei

11am-12pm Performance, Posters, Workshop and Student Presentations

Ekphrastic Songs
Paul Salerni, Jessica Bowers, Oren Fader, Linda Ganus

Creative Coding Workshop
Jenny Kowalski

Poster Sessions
Karleigh Groves
Jordan Ho
Dean Caviano

Art History Across Disciplines:  Student Presentations
Makena Smith
Emma Wright

12-1pm Lunch, Optional Roundtable Discussions

1-3pm  Session 4:  Science, Nature and Technology

Great Painters are Protorheologists: Designing the Flow of Paint
James Gilchrist

Blasting Boundaries: How Art Integrates the Chemistry and Culture of Explosives
Elizabeth Young
Lorenzo Servitje

Exploring the Intersection of Martial Arts, Technology, and Human Experience
Jong Shin

Botanical Art and the University Herbarium
Anna Chupa
Robert Booth
Deirdre Murphy

1-3pm  Session 5:  Language, Communication, Research Methodologies

An Autoethnographic Approach to Art
Erica Hoelscher

"Sit Down, Servant, Sit Down:" Understanding the Remarkable Career of Soprano Dorothy Maynor
Monica Hershberger

Educating the Next Generation of Journalists: Data Storytelling through Visualization
Hiayan Jia

Enhancing Second Language Acquisition through Visual Art
Noa Barak