UMN art-science installation redefines success through algae and lichen
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Exploring the intersection of art and science, a collaborative University of Minnesota project proves that the planet’s most resilient role models might be the ones people overlook every day. Inspired by the slowness, flexibility and omnipresence of terrestrial algae and lichen, Artist-in-Residence Diane Willow collaborated with scientists Daniel Stanton, Beatriz Baselga-Cervera and Daniel Keefe to create “Slow • Flexible • Everywhere | Algae and Lichen Redefine Success,” a suite of improvised installations of participatory art in dialogue with science. Hosted Thursday at the Regis Center for Art, the temporary installation event invited visitors to observe and linger with living lichen and algae to rethink human definitions of success. Supported by the University’s Research Innovation office as a 2025 artist-in-residence awardee, the event used casual conversations with tangible and intangible media to highlight these living organisms to shift our perceptions of their scale, presenc