2021 Neuroscience Art Contest

I think one of the most fascinating things about the human brain is how it allows us to communicate, understand, and build relationships with others. I designed the piece to show two people connected not only by hugging, but also emotionally, through their minds. [Medium: Wood, nails, and strings, Dimensions: 12" x 16"]

"Synapse of Light" features a portrayal of a neuronal synapse-a primary connection of the nervous system. Connections bring learning, understanding, and ultimately light into our lives, which is the one powerful reason that light is an integral feature of this piece. I hope that viewers recognize through the use of lighting, color, and synapse positioning that the pre-and post-synaptic terminals are different from one another yet still reach out towards each other until they finally achieve meaningful connection. [Medium: Shadowbox, paper, and light, Dimensions: 7.5" x 7.5"]

One of the most prominent ways we “connect” and form connections with others is through touch. But have we ever stopped to really think about the miracle that is touch? From the touch receptors on the skin and the release of oxytocin to the feeling of bonding and well-being, touch is so important to us as a species—and we are hardwired with so many tiny connections that make it possible. It’s so fascinating that human connection can begin from a single touch. This piece features two hands and composed of neurons, passing neurotransmitters between them, much like the connection at axon terminals. [Medium: Acrylic paints on glass, Dimensions: 10" x 8"]

Since it's been kind of a wild year with a lot of disconnect, I wanted to juxtapose that disconnect with the theme of connections. Thus, I chose to draw neurons, which make up thousands of connections, as seeds in a dandelion, drifting apart. [Medium: Acrylic paints and permanent marker, Dimensions: 18" x 24"]

"Neuron or Not" is an interactive photo collage that highlights the beautiful branching patterns that not only connect our neurons but connect us with nature. [Medium: Photo collage, Dimensions: 8" x 25"]

My piece depicts the microscopic basics of connection, the synapse, by using symbols of what connect us macroscopically as people. Many symbols try to depict actual units in the synapse such as vesicles, channels, and neurotransmitters. Connections between us as people use different tools, but similar processes. [Medium: Pen on paper, Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"]

This piece is dedicated to all who have helped me break free from my mental prison. Mental illnesses can make me feel trapped and defined by my struggles. The chains symbolize the restriction I feel, and the lock is the added measure to deny freedom. There have been many people in my life no matter how enchained I feel, who have shown me the key. It is through my connections with these people and their compassion for me that I find the strength to unlock the chain and take my control back. I hope to continue the cycle and help others find their key. [Medium: Clay, metal, wood, acrylic, Dimensions: 7.4" circle]

I have always loved the ventricles which provide a system of transportation for important fluid (CSF) in and out of the brain. This painting depicts ventricles as the canals and rivers of a bustling port town, which provide movement of goods and connections from outside the city. This painting is a reminder that our brain is the hub of life and transportation in a miraculous connection of bodily systems. I was inspired by the city map of Taipei, Taiwan. [Dimensions: 11" x 8.5"]

Connections within out community and family are so important to keeping out physical connections in our head healthy. Patients who have Alzheimer's disease start to lose this basic ability to connect with other humans and their thoughts start unraveling as they go down this sad journey. Although they might start off seeming fine, over time we see how their thoughts become undone and slowly stop connecting to each other. The words they speak seem confused and they forget people who they've loved for years. Their relationships become complicated and bewildering. Connections are what keep us together and the physical entanglement of the colors represents the patient's inability to keep simple facts straight. Since there is no cure, they sadly take this disease to their grave and the disease has gotten much worse by then and not much makes sense. After they pass, their loved ones can never really have too much closure because they lost someone who couldn't recall them in their last days. [Medium: Acrylic paints on stretched canvas, Dimensions: 24" x 30"]

I wanted to create something that emphasized the importance of connection with others. This piece shows how it is important to create our own thoughts and ideas, represented by the white flowers in one mind and the red flowers in the other. However, as we bring our experiences and backgrounds together, we can create something more beautiful than we could on our own. Connection with others enhances our own knowledge and creates meaning in our lives. [Medium: Gouache, Dimensions: 7" x 10"]

"Fire together, wire together". When we connect, we fire together. Life becomes more colorful, vibrant, and we start to thrive. The black neurons represent the loneliness brought when we don't connect with one another. The ability to connect is powerful. [Medium: Irregular watercolor, Dimensions: 18" x14"]

My image of the brain as a bonsai tree with neurons as branches demonstrates the interconnectedness of the brain as well as its constant need for care and nourishment. The image of the "Tree of Life" as well as the verse I composed also highlights the interconnectedness of the whole human family and how we can lend one another strength of mind and spirit. What we synecdochically call qualities of the heart are actually qualities of the mind. [Medium: Watercolor, pens, and pencil, Dimensions: 7" x 10"]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have been affected in countless ways. One significant loss for many people has been the loss of human connection. As we lose physical, personal connections we must hold on to the connections we already have, try to retain them in our brains and hold on to the memories associated with them. While our ability to make new memories with these people may be limited, we enjoy reliving old memories and faces. [Medium: Watercolor, Dimensions: 4.5" x 6"]

In an attempt to bridge the gap between my head and yours, we find instead the overlap and thread of connection. Through this exploration of what makes a mind, we come to that familiar realization that fundamentally we are all the same. And beyond that, every distinction is rooted in the same color family of basic operations. We hunger. We fight. We love. We dream. In the pursuit of that exact moment when chemical reactions become consciousness , we find ourselves indistinguishable under the microscope. Being made of the same 'stuff' is hope that one day we'll see eye-to-eye. [Medium: Acrylic paints on canvas, Dimensions: 10" x 8"]

Neuroplasticity is a buzzword in Neuroscience nowadays. It refers to the brain's ability to change and grow through making new connections and changing brain systems, often in response to damage elsewhere or learning. In essence it is all about making new connections. Plastic bags are difficult to recycle and pollute easily. I decided to take the word plasticity literally and make this piece out of primarily plastic products. To represent the many connections that exist in our brain, that are interwoven together to make us who we are, I wove the pieces of plastic to make each gyri. [Medium: Plastic bags, cardboard, and plastic bottles, Dimensions: 8" round]

This mid-sagittal section of the brain simply shows a few of the many complex connections in the nervous system. This piece shows both the simplicity and complexity of the brain in one art piece. [Medium: Print, Dimensions: 8" x 10.5"]

My painting is a bird's eye view of the JFSB overlaid with an abstract coronal slice of the brain. Just as individual neurons are small yet contribute to the bigger picture, the people depicted on the plaza are small yet all connected. [Medium: Watercolor print, Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"]