Honors Projects
Abstract
In recent decades, we have become more aware of the ways in which anthropogenic actions are harming Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and overall stability. Scientists generally agree on the urgency of our situation, yet the public may find difficulty in comprehending the multitude of information on it. This study aims to educate the public on biodiversity loss and related ecological issues in Ohio by discussing these topics through the medium of visual art. Five pieces involving different scientific subject matter and art mediums were created and displayed for participants to view. Participants completed two surveys, one before viewing the art and one after, to determine whether this project could raise awareness of environmental matters in Ohio and promote conservation efforts to the public. These data indicate that although most participants were already aware of the severity of current environmental issues, viewing the artwork informed them of new topics and motivated them to assist in conservation efforts. The more interactive artworks appeared to be most successful in conveying information, but each piece was appealing to certain participants for different reasons, and participants strongly agreed that scientific information would be more accessible if communicated through art. Despite this project showing positive results on the efficacy of educating the public on scientific topics through visual art, it involved a very small sample size and would therefore need to be modified and repeated before confirming results.
Major
Biology
First Advisor
Mason Murphy
First Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Second Advisor
Mille Guldbeck
Second Advisor Department
School of Art
Publication Date
Spring 4-2024
Repository Citation
Bell, Devi, "An Analysis on the Capacity of Visual Art to Promote Conservation Efforts" (2024). Honors Projects. 993.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/993