Visiting art educator giving lecture at Roper on bridging art, science

Sculptor and art educator Rebecca Kamen will deliver a presentation titled “Connecting Creative Communities by Bridging Art and Science” on March 26 at 2 p.m. at Tidewater Community College’s Roper Performing Arts Center in Norfolk.

The event is free and open to the public. Kamen will also be featured at TCC’s Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth for a three-day residency from March 25-27.Rebecca Kamen

Kamen’s work reflects her passion for creating bridges between the art and science communities. Her presentation will examine some of her most recent projects, including “A Bridge Between Cultures,” a cultural exchange project between the United States and China; “The Teardrop Project,” an art installation created with fifth-grade students as a memorial to 9/11; and “Divining Nature: An Elemental Garden,” a sculpture installation inspired by the Periodic Table.

Kamen’s presentation will illustrate how art can serve as a catalyst for significant multi-disciplinary dialogues between academic and scientific institutions and the communities they serve. The program will be particularly relevant for art, science, math and engineering faculty, students and researchers.

This program is sponsored by a VCCS Paul Lee Professional Development mini grant, the VAC and the TCC Educational Foundation.

Kamen received master’s degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Illinois. Her undergraduate degree from Penn State University in art education began with a student teaching practicum on the Navajo Indian Reservation, where cross-cultural exchange was instilled in her. She has since exhibited and lectured both nationally and internationally, including in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Ecuador and Egypt.

Kamen has taught at Northern Virginia Community College since 1978. For information about the event, call Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878.