X-43. 18” x 30”. Watercolor on paper. NASA
Commission, Collection NASA. Image courtesy
the artist.
When asked about the relationship between
art and science, Prey noted that both scientists
and artists “look at the world and try to
understand it.” In addition, “both artists and
scientists are thinkers who reflect, solve
problems, and use their imaginations.” But
sometimes their roles diverge. “Scientists
analyze and dissect,” Prey states, “while artists
point towards what should be analyzed and
dissected.”
Prey also had a lot to say when asked
about the differences between paintings and
photographs. “Paintings are imaginative, not
reflective,” said Prey. “They are stamped by the
artist’s viewpoint.” Paintings, according to Prey,
are filtered by the artist’s brain, which absorbs
information and processes it. The result is that
paintings are both “very personal and very
universal,” Prey said.
Today, the NASA Arts Program is not what it
once was. Hobbled by budget cuts, the program
16
has not commissioned a new artist in five years.
“We are definitely on hiatus,” said Bert Ulrich,
the former manager of the program. Ulrich
is now the NASA Liaison for Multimedia,
and coordinates collaborations between
the space agency and television and movie
producers. (Past projects include Transformers,
The Avengers, and Men in Black 3.) He also
helps coordinate NASA participation in
documentaries (up to 100 a year).
Though they have a wide audience, one could
argue that these projects lack the impact and
cultural stickiness that, say, a Rockwell painting
has. Art like that communicates the essence
of NASA in a way that a partnership with a
Hollywood blockbuster rarely can.
“Part of NASA’s mission is to disseminate
information as much as possible,” Ulrich
related. “Art was an easy way to do that.” Amen.
SciArt in America June 2014