Michele Banks

Michele Banks is an American artist (also known as Artologica)[1] whose work explores themes inspired by science and medicine, including images such as viruses, bacteria, and plant and animal cells.[2] Her paintings and collages explore neuroscience, microbiology, climate change and more. She lives and works in the Greater Washington, D.C. capital region.

Michele Banks
NationalityAmerican
Alma materGeorge Washington University, Harvard University
OccupationArtist
Known forAbstract painting inspired by science and medicine
Websitewww.artologica.net

Education

She earned a BA from George Washington University in 1987, and an MA from Harvard University in 1989.[3]

Artwork

Although Banks' paintings are generally based on scientific[4] and medical themes,[5] she is not a scientist, but is fascinated by the natural world, and mankind's impact on that world, especially at the microscopic level.[6] She has exhibited in galleries,[7] art[1] spaces,[8][9] and art festivals[6][10] around the Greater Washington, DC region[11] and the Mid Atlantic. Several of her paintings have also been reproduced as book[12] and journal covers.[13][14]

In 2011 The Atlantic described her paintings as "simply breathtaking."[15] A 2018 review, The Washington Post art critic observed that her paintings had "soft but vividly hued watercolors, some displayed in petri dishes, depict viruses, bacteria and other microscopic players, including sperm thronging an egg."[16] Three years earlier, the same Washington Post art critic noted that her work "depicts the body indirectly through the mechanical pulses of EEG and EKG tests."[17]

In 2020, as the coronavirus struck the planet, Banks art was a "natural" for depicting the virus. She noted that she "created a whole series of work specifically inspired by the pandemic. I’ve been painting viruses for years, so of course I painted the coronavirus, over and over. It was all I could think about.”[18]

Solo and two person shows

2011 - Johns Hopkins University, Rockville, MD[3]

2012 - Montgomery College, Silver Spring, Cafritz Art Center, “Our Small Rooms” (Two artist show)[19]

2016 - “Hidden Worlds” Park View Gallery, Glen Echo, MD[20]

2017 - “Hidden Universe” Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County, Rockville, MD[21]

2018 - Artists and Makers Gallery, Rockville MD[22][23][24]

2018 - Methods of Inquiry: Fields of Discovery, McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA[25]

References
  1. "Featured Maker: Michele Banks | Make". Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  2. Wilkinson, Mike (2011-08-12). "Trowbridge doctor's bid to make science fun". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  3. Mellow, Glendon (November 14, 2011). "Bleed Pretty Cells: interview with Michele Banks". Scientific American. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  4. Brookshire, Bethany (2019-04-05). "Using art to show the threat of climate change". Science News for Students. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  5. "The World through the Interplay of Art and Science: Perspectives from Michele Banks". On Art and Aesthetics. 2020-06-24. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  6. "Artomatic 2012". Virology. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  7. Donovan, Carrie (November 23, 2016). "Going Out Guide for Montgomery County, Nov. 24-30, 2016". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  8. Editor. "Love and Death at the NIH by Michele Banks | Bourgeon". Retrieved 2019-02-03.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  9. "'Voyage Of Discovery' Explores Climate Change Through Science And Art (PHOTOS, VIDEO)". Huffington Post. 2014-03-16. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  10. "Bethesda Fine Arts Festival Announces Artists". Bethesda Magazine. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  11. Donovan, Carrie (January 4, 2017). "Going Out Guide for Montgomery County, Jan. 5-11, 2017". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  12. Meek, James (2012). The Heart Broke In. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. Cover. ISBN 978-0374168711.
  13. "Blue Mitosis". Journal of European Molecular Biology Organization. 31: Cover. 16 May 2012.
  14. "Orange Electrophoresis". Genetics. 203: Cover. August 2016.
  15. Popova, Maria (2011-11-09). "Michele Banks's Painting of Cancer Cells, Inspired by Carl Sagan". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  16. Jenkins, Mark (February 23, 2018). "In the galleries: Crossing the line between aesthetics and science". The Washington Post.
  17. Jenkins, Mark (November 13, 2015). "In the galleries: Getting 'Personal' at King Street". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  18. Zebra (2020-10-05). "Supporting the Art Community through Difficult Times %". The Zebra. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  19. ""Our Small Rooms" Exhibit on View at MC-TP/SS Campus - Inside MC Online". insidemc.montgomerycollege.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  20. "Glen Echo Park News". Glen Echo Park. 2017-01-06.
  21. "Cell Inspiration - News - Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus". mcc.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  22. "June Exhibits at Artists & Makers Studios". Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  23. "Like Flies to Art". Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  24. "First Friday at Artists & Makers Studios". WETA TV. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  25. "Past Exhibitions". McLean Project for the Arts. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
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