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Artwork copyright Nancy Goss. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Multiples: The Sciences and Art Collection

"Multiples: The Sciences and Art" (1991) is a collection of artworks that explore ideas and issues related to science. The collection offers the perspectives of ten artists looking at, thinking about, and using science in their art practice. Their speculations, investigations, and discoveries ask us to re-consider assumed and widely accepted aspects of science and art.

After looking at these artworks, and considering the artists' ideas and creative processes, you may notice that the process of creating art and conducting scientific experiments have a lot in common.

The original "Multiples: The Sciences and Art" collection included one hundred artworks, ten each by ten artists. These artworks were split into ten similar mini-collections that were circulated to Washington public school districts, along with an exhibition workbook and a video about the artists. The original school districts for the ten mini-collections were Ephrata (Central WA), Issaquah (Western WA), Kalama (SW WA), Manson (Central WA), North Thurston (Western WA), Olympia (Western WA), Quillayute Valley (Forks, NW WA), Snoqualmie Valley (Western WA), University Place (Western WA), and Yelm (Western WA).

The "Multiples: The Sciences and Art" workbook was produced by the Washington State Arts Commission's Art in Public Places Program in partnership with Washington Public Schools, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington State School Directors' Association, and the State Board of Education in 1991.