Peter Krsko

In 2006, while working on a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Materials Science, Peter Krsko discovered a way to use a traditional scanning electron microscope as a focused electron beam lithography instrument, enabling him to create artwork viewable only with a microscope

After receiving his degree, Krsko was awarded a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where his interests expanded into medically-relevant biological communities, bacterial biofilms, bioinspired materials, colors and vision and the combination of science and art in order to develop unique lesson plans for young students. He continues providing educational services to schools, summer camps, after-school programs and correctional facilities today.

Krsko also creates collaborative and community public art, such as sculptures and murals, inspired by biological concepts of diversity, differentiation, participation and co-ownership. He develops STEAM-based lesson plans for schools, summer camps, after-school programs and correctional facilities. His sculptural installations mimic the structure and form of natural entities as well as the dynamics and laws of interactions among members of the ecosystems. Krsko’s work has been presented in Honfleur Gallery, The Fridge DC Gallery, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Fermentation Festival, Sculptural Visions, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and other festivals and venues nationwide. His work has also been featured in BBC World News, The Washington Post and National Public Radio.

Community Partners:

Peter Krsko’s residency is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute and hosted by the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, with Sundaram Gunasekaran as lead faculty. Co-sponsors include the Departments of Art, Design Studies and Physics.

The UW-Madison Arts Institute has hosted world-class artists in residence since 1995 and formally launched the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP) in 1999. The IARP is made possible by funding from the university’s Office of the Provost.

Katie Schofield combines traditional crocheting techniques with new material and hyperbolic geometries. The resulting sculptures share many similarities with sea coral, especially the large surface area to volume ratio. The corals, as organisms residing on the sea bottom, intake nutrients by filtering their environment. The more water they can filter through their bodies, the more nutrients they obtain.

Schofield explores unique ways to maximize the surface area of her pieces by group assemblies of hyperbolic shapes. Working with Schofield, the students will stretch their mathematical imagination literally into new dimensions.

Dan Steinhilber is a sculptor, whose original approach to utilizing new sculptural material has been widely noted. His recent research and development in areas of robotics and mechanical systems is inspired by soft body organisms, such as jellyfish or unicellular organism. His artwork explores very similar approaches in order to reach new definition of shape and volume, whether static or dynamic.

Besides transforming two-dimensional shapes into three-dimensional objects, the students through Steinhilber’s lessons will also get a chance to investigate fluid mechanics, pressure gradients and how a system in equilibrium results in a mechanical movement.

• Watch the highlights video from Peter Krsko’s residency by clicking here!
• Isthmus calls Zoethica, on at Olbrich Botanical Gardens through August 6, “Beautifully nerdy.” Read the article here.
• Check out this coverage of Peter Krsko’s involvement with the Madison Mini Maker-Faire, courtesy of Isthmus.
• Learn how Zoethica bridges the gap between art and science, courtesy of the Wisconsin State Journal.
• Peter Krsko and UW-Madison students’ Zoethica exhibition opening at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on May 5 (PDF)
• Read “Artist/scientist Peter Krsko bends nature to his will,” courtesy of Wisconsin Gazette!
• Read “Art exhibit to open” in the Reedsburg Times-Press.
• Listen to an interview with Peter Krsko on an episode of the podcast, Sustainable Nano.
• Check out photo galleries from our spring 2017 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency program on Smug Mug.
• Get some insight into Peter Krsko’s classroom by reading “Students find inspiration in class merging science and art,” courtesy of UW News
• The Badger Herald covered Peter Krsko’s on campus installations in “UW’s artist in residence looks to blend nature, art.”
• Read “Q&A: Artist Peter Krsko finds the art in science, and the science in art,” courtesy of The Cap Times
• UW-Madison to host bioinspired artist – Peter Krsko – as the Spring 2017 Arts Institute’s Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence (PDF)
• View the photo album Art and Technology Inspired by Nature with Peter Krsko from Peter’s visit to Madison in October 2016.
• Visit the artist’s website at peterkrsko.com to view more of his work as well as to learn about Krsko Creative Group.