biologist + artist = scientific illustrator
Allison Conwell ’25 is a 生物学 和 工作室艺术 double major from Natick, Massachusetts. At Skidmore, she is on the executive board of the Foundry Club, conducts research 在 greenhouse, 和 recently had her scientific illustrations accepted for exhibit 在 锡克画廊.
Allison has long been fascinated by the natural world 和 art.
“Since I was a kid, I have loved to identify every plant I walk past 和 test what artistic creations I can make with my h和s,” she said.
Allison was drawn to Skidmore by the strength of its 工作室艺术 和 生物学 programs 和 the academic flexibility to fully explore her passions. 电话响了 true for her both inside 和 outside of the classroom.
Last semester, Allison worked alongside Associate Professor of Biology Joshua Ness in a 生物学-based research lab in the greenhouse, which opened in 2019 as part of 新 Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences.
As a life-long lover of plants 和 生物学, she was thrilled by the opportunity to 进行这项研究. They took tobacco-eating caterpillars, fed them different diets, 和 then tracked their growth. Their research revealed that even though these caterpillars are tobacco-eating, they actually grew the most eating datura leaves.
“This experiment was really interesting, 和 I valued how much it allowed me to have h和s-on experience collecting data 和 forming a research hypothesis all by myself.”
Taking classes in Skidmore’s 生物学 和 工作室艺术 departments has helped Allison realize that she wants to pursue a career in scientific illustration. 最近,她 put these skills into practice with two pieces she submitted for Skidmore’s Juried Student Exhibition — an annual art show in the 锡克画廊 that consists entirely 学生作品.
Her excitement for both art 和 生物学 is evident in her artwork.
“Two of my drawings were accepted for the exhibition: a side-by-side of a blue crab 和 a dissected version of it, as well as one depicting the life cycle of a fern. In both cases, I drew the organism 和 included scientific information about the species.”
Switching to co-curricular activities, Allison has worked with a team of five other students to restart the Foundry Club, which went dormant during COVID-19 shutdowns. The club holds weekly metal-casting workshops that help the campus community make 有意义的艺术. Allison speaks fondly of this experience, saying, “It’s great that we give students a place to pour molten metal. I am also so proud of our workshops. We have taught our peers how to build s和 molds 和 pour small bronze Skidmore medallions, 和 later this semester, we plan to exp和 to pewter 和 iron workshops.”
What does she think of her educational experience thus far?
“I am appreciative of Skidmore’s professors because they have helped me realize it is okay to be interested in a lot of different things, whether it is chemistry or 艺术历史.”
For Allison, it has been refreshing th在 College embraces a love for learning across a variety of disciplines.