Black Hills State University graphic design professor Gina Gibson’s body of artwork inspired by the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) is being exhibited virtually through Fermi National Laboratory.
An internationally exhibited artist and lecturer and BHSU professor since 2008, Gibson became the first Artist-in-Residence at SURF in 2019 and created a body of artwork called “Seeking the Unseen” based on her experience at the facility. The art was originally exhibited in the Deadwood Arts Center in Lead and is currently housed at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
“The exhibition is traveling,” said Gibson. She expects it to be exhibited by the University of Michigan next spring. “And I’m currently talking to several places in South Dakota. I know it’s not done.”
Gibson sought out the SURF AiR opportunity as part of her interest in the interdisciplinary exploration of science through art. SURF is the deepest underground laboratory in the United States, nearly a mile below the surface. It houses research in physics, biology, geology, and engineering. Gibson’s artwork based on the facility includes bacteria imagery, blueprints, and found objects.
“I think art is an opportunity to say ‘Hey, this thing is important, look at this,’” said Gibson. “I wanted to say, ‘These things matter.’ There’s a history that matters. there’s science that’s literally world-leading that’s really hard to wrap your head around, so I think it makes it more accessible.”
“I want people to be less afraid of science,” Gibson added. She believes interdisciplinary study is more important than most people think. “I think as a society, we need more interdisciplinary, more overlaps, more diversity at the table, so to speak.”
Gibson’s “Seeking the Unseen” will be part of Fermi National Laboratory’s virtual gallery exhibit from May 2nd until June 29th. Gibson will give a Virtual Gallery Talk May 10th, with registration now available on the Fermi National Laboratory’s website.