The Synergy Project

Above: Cyclonic Flux by Betsy Ritz

Bridging Art and Science: The Synergy Project Enters Its Sixth Year with a Dynamic New Cohort 

Art League RI is proud to mark its sixth year of sponsoring The Synergy Project, a unique initiative that bridges the gap between the creative and scientific communities. We are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of 36 artist and scientist teams—representing states including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and California—to both the project and the Art League RI professional community.

The Synergy Project is a collaborative program that pairs artists with research scientists from renowned institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Rhode Island (URI), and the University of Connecticut (UConn). By developing a common visual language, the program serves as a vital tool for science communication, transforming complex data into engaging art that educates the general public about critical environmental, oceanographic, and pharmacological research. These dedicated teams have already begun the process of communication and collaboration, working together to design relevant and descriptive projects that will bring their scientific research to life for a broader audience.

Synergy Cohort III Artist & Scientist Teams and Thematic Research / Scientific Focus 

The following teams are currently collaborating on their respective research areas:

• Leslie Breault & Rachel Nelson (URI GSO): PFAS in coastal birds.

• Sharon Cutts & Veronica Berounsky, Ph.D (URI GSO): Ecology of marine and estuarine ecosystems.

• Barbara Danzi & Cora Hersh (WHOI): Climate and ocean circulation.

• Cynthia DiDonato & Francesco Ventura (WHOI): Seabird movement and foraging.

• Dina Doyle & Jaime Ross, Ph.D (URI CoP): Aging and Alzheimer's research.

• Lisa Lee Freeman & Svenja Ryan, Ph.D (WHOI): Ocean variability in the Northwest Atlantic.

• Topher Gent & Chris German, Sc.D (WHOI): Ocean Biogeochemistry and hydrothermal vents.

• Victoria Guerina & Jaime Ross, Ph.D (URI CoP): Aging and Alzheimer's research.

• Diane E. Heilig & Jayne Pawasaukas, Ph.D / Svenja Ryan, Ph.D (URI CoP; WHOI): Palliative care and ocean variability.

• Kathy Hodge & Francesco Ventura, Ph.D (WHOI): Seabird movement and foraging.

• Judith Jacobs & Alexandra Johnson, Ph.D (URI Biocontrol Lab): Environment and pest population control.

• Laurie Kaplowitz & Sarah Shackleton, Ph.D (WHOI): Ancient air and climate history.

• Karen LaFleur & Caroline Ummenhofer, Ph.D (WHOI): Physical oceanography and climate science.

• Elizabeth Lind & Veronica Berounsky, Ph.D (URI GSO): Ecology of marine and estuarine ecosystems.

• Robin M. Lussier & Thomas Lavoie, Pharm.D / Jayne Pawasaukas, Pharm.D (URI CoP): Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and palliative care.

• Sydney Mantell & Mateja Nenadovic, Ph.D (URI CELS): Fisheries policy and sustainability.

• Phoebe McMahon & Robin Littlefield (WHOI): Ocean engineering, kelp aquaculture, and deep-sea exploration.

• Mallory McPherson & Russell Shomberg, Ph.D (URI GSO): Side scan sonar and sea floor imaging.

• Todd Monjar & Kaitlin Dailey, Ph.D (URI CoP): Pancreatic cancer therapeutics.

• Catherine Moylan & Maria V. Ingersoll, PhD (WHOI): Molecular adaptations of marine invertebrates.

• Joy Muller-McCoola & Lindsay Grose / Kathy Donohue, PhD (URI GSO): Ocean mixing and eddies off South Africa.

• Chris Page & Yanxu Chen, PhD (WHOI): Ocean-atmosphere heat exchange.

• Kylie Pasternak & Allessandra D'Angelo, PhD (URI GSO): Biogeochemical Oceanography.

• Betsy Ritz & Jaime Ross, Ph.D / Teresa Sierra (URI CoP): Alzheimer's and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

• Ewa Romaszewicz & Ambarish Karmalkar, PhD (URI CELS): Climate and Global Warming.

• Susan G. Sancomb & Lindsay Grose / Kathy Donohue, PhD (URI GSO): Ocean mixing and eddies off South Africa.

• Katy Scudieri & Brittany Sprecher, Ph.D (WHOI): Microscopic eukaryotic cells.

• Katha Seidman & James Brice (WHOI): Biophysical interactions in marine communities.

• Michele Hayeur Smith & Allessandra D'Angelo, PhD (URI GSO): Biogeochemical Oceanography.

• Peter Snyder & Alex DeCicicco / Ryan Campos (URI GSO Inner Space Center): Ocean access and technology.

• Marilu Swett & Alyssa Tsukada (URI GSO): Biological Oceanography.

• Roma Taitwood & Chris German, Sc.D (WHOI): Ocean Biogeochemistry and hydrothermal vents.

• L. Grace Walls & Avery Fulford (WHOI): Microbe survival in extreme conditions.

• John Wolf & Miah Manning (WHOI): Algae and bacteria interactions.

• Jennifer Wright & Sarah Kienle, PhD (URI CELS): Biology of top predators and environmental adaptation.

• Mellissa Morris & Molly James (UConn Marine Science): Coastal wetland flooding dynamics.

Please stay tuned and check back often, as we will be publishing regular updates on their progress and upcoming exhibitions.

APPLY NOW!

Due to increased demand, we have reopened the Synergy Artist Application process!  There is still time to submit your application to participate in The Synergy Project and collaborate with a scientist-partner! Please click on the button above to access the application form.

Art League RI is currently accepting ARTIST APPLICATIONS for the 2025–2026 Synergy Project. Please read the details below, where you will find application requirements and a link to the application form. For questions about the application process, please contact nancym@artleagueri.org.

The Synergy Project is an art and ocean/environmental science collaboration between Art League RI (ALRI), the University of Rhode Island’s College of Environment and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Oceanography, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Designed as an innovative initiative, the Synergy Project seeks to enhance public engagement with science through art. Artists and scientists form partnerships through an extensive interview process designed to stimulate the “synergy” between the artist and scientist.

The Synergy Project is a collaboration of artists and scientists who collaborate to create art that communicates scientific discoveries in our oceans and environment. Artists do not need to have a science background to participate.

Recruitment of a new group of artists to participate in this exciting program is starting now! An application form can be accessed HERE.

Application Requirements: 1) Complete Application; 2) CV or Resume; 3) Artwork Samples; 4) A $50 application fee grants a one-year “Synergy Artist Membership” in ALRI. The application fee will be billed separately, and the fee is not required for current ALRI members.

Why would artists want to participate in The Synergy Project?

Artists participating in this program will gain insights into their scientist-partners’ research through regular conversations and will collaborate to design a project that communicates the research in an artistic form. Artists are encouraged to think deeply about the parallels between the scientific method and the creative process and independently find opportunities to learn more about their partner-scientist’s research topic.

Synergy artists have expressed how participating in the Synergy Project has affected both their personal and professional lives.

“Being part of the Synergy Project changed the trajectory of my art practice. The collaborative process with my partner scientists challenged and enriched my artistic storytelling in ways I never imagined… It has been gratifying to see my artwork become an effective tool for climate science conversations with multiple audiences, including children, scientists, museum docents, and climate science activists.” — Deb Ehrens • https://debehrens.com/abouttheartist

“The collaboration helped me see things in new ways, because I was required to look through a different lens… But perhaps the more important outcome was that it prodded me to deeper thought about how my art is understood, provoked new ideas about perception, and enhanced my ability to communicate abstract thought.” — Heather Stivison • https://www.heatherstivisonart.com/

Project TImeline

September 2025 through late fall 2026

DOWNLOAD PDF FLYER

Dr. Clarissa Karthäuser and Larie Kaplowitz, one of the artist-scientist pairs from The Synergy Project, will be hosting a book reading and art display of their collaboration, Marine Snow, A Lyric Meditation. Please join us on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:30 at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Redfield Auditorium to meet Clarissa and Laurie and learn how they came together to create science inspired artwork.

About Marine Snow, A Lyric Meditation

The book features paintings accompanied by text that traces the journey of marine snow as it travels from the surface of the ocean to the sea floor. Karthauser’s scientific work combines biochemistry with microbiology to gain a deeper understanding of carbon cycling in the ocean and the processes that drive it. The duo decided to envision marine snow as a woman and personify the life cycle of organic matter as it travels from the ocean’s surface to the sea floor. Clarissa wrote the narrative and designed the text pages. The narrative, a meditation that is lyric and elegiac in tone, accompanies Laurie's paintings to evoke birth, growth, and eternal sleep.

When: Wednesday, April 23, 5:30 pm
Where: Redfield Auditorium at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 45 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA

Art League RI is pleased to offer two free drawing workshops in March hosted by artist Cynthia Beth Ruben.  The workshops are in conjunction with The Synergy Project: A Collaboration of Art and Science Exhibition at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography. No prior drawing experience is needed and supplies for the in-person sessions will be provided.  Registration is required by clicking HERE.  Registrants will have the option to select either an in-person session at the School of Oceanography or participate via Zoom. 

(Zoom participants will be emailed a list of supplies needed to participate).

Dates: Monday, March 10 & Wednesday, March 19, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Location:
Coastal Institute Building (brown shingles),
Graduate School of Oceanography,
University of Rhode Island,
218 South Ferry Road,
Narragansett, RI

Questions? Contact Ellen Matezans at ematesanz@artleagueri.org