Biologist and photographer Roger Hangarter and artist and curator Betsy Stirratt are long-time collaborators who share an idea of beauty as an experience found in nature. Together they discuss a photograph of a spider web taken by Hangarter during an ordinary walk in the woods. They examine beauty as a phenomenon that inspires both scientists and artists, and find common ground in the pursuit of mystery and light.
Spider Web
Photo: Courtesy of Roger Hangarter, Indiana University
Meet Roger Hangarter and Betsy Stirratt
Roger Hangarter is a leading plant scientist known for his ability to combine science and art to educate and inspire. He holds the titles Distinguished Professor of Biology and Chancellor's Professor of Biology in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology.
View faculty profileBetsy Stirratt is an award-winning artist, graphic designer, and curator. She is the director of IU Bloomington's Grunwald Gallery of Art, one of the region's premier contemporary art spaces, where she has curated numerous exhibitions, including Feminine Persuasion, Personal: Selections from the Robert J. Shiffler Collection, Human Nature, and The Miniature.
View faculty profile
A Thing of Beauty was made possible by:
Faculty guests: Roger Hangarter, Jason Jackson, Ellen MacKay, Catherine Pilachowski, Kate Rowold, Eric Sandweiss and Betsy Stirratt; host Claire Repsholdt; editor and producer Jon Pieczynski; John Lucaites, associate dean for Arts and Humanities and Undergraduate Education; Tracy Bee, director of Academic Initiatives, College of Arts and Sciences; Themester 2016 Faculty Advisory Committee; The College of Arts + Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington.
The College of Arts