Infinite Potentials

I co-curated this international exhibition with the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. We explored the question: If stem cells were the artistic medium by which we design our future, what does this future look like?

Summary:

This exhibition was a collaboration between SciArt Center and the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. It was conceived of, curated, and made possible by myself, Julia Buntaine and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute scientists (Jamie McGinn, Alisa Molotova, & Clara Novo) and staff (Becky Jones & Greg Palmer).

curatorial call:

Starting out as tiny clumps, stem cells connect us to our origins and offer a glimpse into our future as we grow and age. The master copy, the master cell, they renew themselves while retaining the extraordinary potential to change, to become new cells with specialized purposes - blood, brain, lung, liver?

The complexity of the cellular behavior and molecular signaling at work make these a fascinating subject matter for scientists, drawn to their potency and their uniqueness. Can harnessing this power influence our ability to offer truly “regenerative” medicine and grow “personalized” tissues in the laboratory? How, when combined with technological advances in genetic engineering, could stem cells help eradicate disease-causing mutations in our genome, and shape our species for generations to come?

If stem cells were the artistic medium by which we design our future, what does this future look like?

participating artists:

  • Aishazhan Abouva

  • Allie Wilkinson

  • Anna Rock

  • Biju Parekkadan & Jay Webb

  • Christopher Hanusa

  • Dalal Baird

  • Dana Simmons

  • Daniel Ambrosi

  • Darlene Farris-LaBar

  • David Joel Thomas

  • Deanna Lee

  • Diaa Ahmed Mohamed Ahmedien

  • Echo Lew

  • Emily Garfield

  • Eva Humphrey-Lahti

  • Frank Ippolito

  • Jenny Walsh

  • John de Marco

  • Jordan Segal

  • Julie Light

  • Julie Tixier

  • Karsten Perzan

  • Kate Grant

  • Kathrin Hunze

  • Kathryn Jo Yarrington

  • Kyoko Miyabe

  • Linda Alterwitz

  • Mara G Haseltine

  • Mark Lee Koven

  • Nathanael Prunet

  • Nicholas Warndorf

  • Pedro Cruz

  • Rachel Penton

  • Rikke Darling

  • Samo Davis

  • Shawna R. Snyder

  • Shelley Lowenstein

  • Zahra Jlayer