Science-art interactions through science gallery and google

The Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, which opened its doors there in 2008, has received a €1 million gift from Google.org—the software giant's philanthropic arm—to kick-start a network of eight similar centers around the globe.

Dublin's Science Gallery is different from most science centers in that it runs only temporary exhibitions, all of them free, and draws in artists and designers to explore scientific concepts. A group of 50 scientists, artists, engineers, technologists, and entrepreneurs brainstorms twice a year to come up with themes and ideas, which have included contagion, water, and the future of fashion. The formula has proven successful; the 18 exhibitions so far have drawn 800,000 visitors.

Google's donation is seed money, aimed at supporting a network of similar centers for the first 3 years. The plan is to launch two spinoffs by 2014; negotiations are underway with venues in London and Moscow, says Michael John Gorman, the founding director of the Dublin Science Gallery. But the ultimate goal is eight galleries worldwide by 2020, and Gorman has had talks with interested parties in Singapore and New York.

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/12/dublin-science-ga...