On September 17th, 2019, the Zimmerli Art Museum will become a hub for art and science collaboration when it hosts its first LASER, or Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous, of the semester. These international meet-ups are a platform for cross-disciplinary exchange and collaboration across the arts, sciences, and technology. Rutgers’ LASER aims to illuminate the extraordinary research and applied practice taking place across New Jersey in our laboratories, studios, libraries and classrooms. 

On September 17th, LASER will bring together students, researchers, and the greater campus community to consider the theme of play, creativity and innovation. According to writer Tanner Christensen “By removing the strain and constraints of the real world, play allows us to more openly explore possibilities in our work. But play offers us more than mere escape from reality, it also offers us more exposure to diversity of perspective.” This evening will consist of a series of lightening talks that focus on the serious business of play.

The livestream will be here: https://www.facebook.com/lasertalks/

The LASER group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/962130843955665/

Speakers for “The Serous Business of Play” include:

Anette Freytag: Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, Rutgers University
Anette Freytag is an award-winning scholar, educator and critic.  Her research focuses on 19th- and 20th-century landscape architecture.  Her quest is to bridge the gap between landscape history and contemporary practice.  Her latest book The Gardens of La Gara, an 18th century estate in Geneva with gardens designed by Erik Dhont and a labyrinth by Markus Raetz, is a case study to explore, through the prism of one estate, all aspects of garden culture. In her LASER Talk she will give examples on how children´s play helped landscape architects to innovate their designs.

Megan Lotts: Art Librarian, Rutgers University

Megan Lotts teaches research workshops, builds collections, facilitates programming and events, and closely engages with students and faculty researching in the Arts. She has published articles in Art Documentation, portal: the Libraries in Academic, Journal of Library administration, College and Research Libraries News and more. She is known for her work implementing LEGO play and a culture of creativity at the Rutgers Art Library, teaching the semester long Byrne seminar “Playing to Learn in Higher Education”, and her work curating the Rutgers Art Library Exhibition Spaces.

Henry Turner: Professor, Department of English and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Humanities and Arts, Rutgers University

In his role as AVCR-HA, Professor Turner works closely with research centers, institutes, and with the faculty at RU New Brunswick to strengthen, support, and promote work in the humanities and arts at Rutgers. In the Department of English, his research areas are in Renaissance Drama, especially William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, in critical theory and philosophy, and in early modern intellectual history, especially literary theory and early scientific thought, the history of political economy, law, colonization, and the State, cartography, and theories of space in early modern mathematics, poetry, and theater. 

We hope you can join us! ---The Rutgers LASER Committee