Join us to learn about and practice the art of climate science communication (paint with us!)
Climate Artist and Science Communicator Jill Pelto will share about her work and the role of art in communicating about climate change and other environmental problems. Jill will then lead us in hands-on practice through a data art activity she developed. Come and paint climate and environmental data with us–all materials will be provided.
This program is co-hosted with the Climate Stories Collaborative, with thanks to Derek Davidson and Lorraine Affourtit, and is made possible by support from the University Forum Lecture Series.
Below are examples of Jill Pelto’s work using watercolor painting to communicate about climate and other environmental trends. Learn more about these works and others on Jill’s online Gallery, and read more about Jill in her bio below.
SPEAKER BIO
Jill Pelto is an artist and science communicator whose work focuses on communicating human-environment connections. She incorporates scientific data directly into her paintings to engage broad audiences around climate and environmental science in ways that are emotionally relevant and thought-provoking. Exhibiting in multiple states, her work has been featured on the cover of TIME, and in 2024 she served as artist in residence on a scientific expedition off the coast of Chile. She uses artwork extensively in education and outreach, and has worked with more than 150 K-12 classrooms to bring her data-art curriculum to students.
Jill’s art work builds on and bridges her academic training in both art and science. She completed a Masters of Science in August 2018, which focused on studying the sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to changes in our Earth-Climate system. She earned this degree at the University of Maine, where she also completed B.A. degrees in Studio Art and Earth Science. She has conducted research on the mountain glaciers of Washington and British Columbia, in the Dry Valleys and Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica, in the Falkland Islands, and in New Zealand.