Lectures & Residencies

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Rebecca Kamen: A Curious Life
This film, by Shawn Kornhauser, explores the significance of curiosity and collaboration in the development of
Kamen’s career as an artist.

Credits: Videography by Shawn Kornhauser, Artists: Rebecca Kamen, Zhao Shu Tong; A Bridge Between Cultures Film Footage, Filmmaker: Bob Nesson; Assistant Professor, Annenberg School of Communication: David Lydon Staley, Neuroscience Researcher, University of Pennsylvania: Dale Zhou; Curator: Sarah Tanguy; Exhibition Venue: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center Washington, DC.

Doppler

2024

Cecila & Wally Gilbert Artist in Residence, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, NY

Featured Speaker — Ewing Distinguished Lecture Series
Department of Integrative Biology Oklahoma State University

Poem of the Day Guest Editor for the month of March, Poetry Foundation, Chicago
In collaboration with British poet, SJ Fowler

Featured Speaker — Arts Based Research Scholar Panel: Michigan State University

Artist Talk — The Gifts of Neurodiversity: A Catalyst for Awakening Scientific Discovery Through Art, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

Featured Speaker — In the Umbra: An Artist’s Perspective — Chief Science Officers Meeting

2023

Featured Panel Speaker: In The Umbra: An Artist’s Perspective — Chimaera Gallery,
Philadelphia, PA

Curiosity and the Creative Process: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discoveries of Women
The American Philosophical Society Museum
Philadelphia, PA

Featured Panel Speaker — Beauty at Work: Work and Well Being in Science International Symposium
Catholic University,
Washington, DC
Click to learn more about the symposium

The Lamar Dodd School of Art Visiting Artist and Scholars Series
University of Georgia
Athens, GA

Curiosity and the Creative Process as Self Care
Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts
Singapore

The Butterfly Effect: Cajal as Catalyst
Art Therapy Class
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

Making the Invisible, Visible: The Art of Reimaging Scientific Discovery
The Cosmopolitan Club
Philadelphia, PA

Making the Invisible, Visible, The Art of Reimaging Scientific Discovery
Lecture and Sculpture Dedication,
American University, Physics Department
Washington, DC

2022

The Butterfly Effect: Cajal as Catalyst
Art Therapy Class
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

Grey Matter: Exploring the Intersections of Art, Neuroscience, and Architecture
Computational Neuroscience Initiative Seminar
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Making the Invisible, Visible: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery
University of Georgia
Athens, GA

Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery
Life @ Elon
Elon University
Elon, NC

2021

Making the Invisible, Visible: Reimagining Scientific Discovery
Science, Technology, and Society Meeting
Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA

Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery
Towson University,
Towson, MD

Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery
Northern Virginia Community College,
Alexandria, VA

Making the Invisible, Visible: Reimagining Scientific Discovery
The Library Company,
Philadelphia, PA

Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery
Museum Gallery Talk
American University,
Washington, DC

Curiosity at the Edge: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry
American University,
Washington, DC

Crisis, Curiosity, and the Creative Process
Georgetown Visitation School,
Washington, DC

Lever Book Talk: Extraordinary Partnerships: How the Arts & Humanities are Transforming America
This Lever Book Talk features Rebecca Kamen and Ari Epstein, both contributors to Lever Press title “Extraordinary Partnerships: How the Arts and Humanities are Transforming America” (Christine Henseler. ed.). The conversation focuses on the interactions and intersections of science with the creative process from the perspective of an artist and a scientist who regularly cross these boundaries. (Taken from the Lever Online You-Tube write-up)
Lever Book Talk: Extraordinary Partnerships Episode 1
In the first episode, Rebecca Kamen (an artist) and Ari Epstein (a scientist and faculty member at MIT) talk about how they met and the creative synergies they both find at the intersections of science and art.
Lever Book Talk: Extraordinary Partnerships Episode 2
In Episode 2, Rebecca discusses her piece _Portal_ and how she was inspired by collaborating with scientists who study black holes.
Lever Book Talk: Extraordinary Partnerships Episode 5
Episode 5 features Rebecca’s piece “Divining Nature” and how it makes the essential beauty of the Period Table of Elements accessible to both scientists and non-scientists.

Lecture — Torrance Festival of Ideas, Torrance Center for Creativity,
University of Georgia,
Athens, GA

Visiting Artist — NeuroSalon Seminar,
Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA

Lecture — Lafayette College,
Easton, PA

2020

Lecture — NYC Psychoanalysts / Psychotherapist Study Group

Featured Speaker — NeuroSalon, Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA

Featured Speaker — Brain Visualization Seminar
Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA
Click to watch a video of Rebecca’s talk with the Brain Visualization Seminar

Lecture — Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH titled: Patterns: Making the Invisible, Visible: Discoveries Between Art and Science

Virtual Artist Studio Tour and Lecture: Curiosity and the Creative Process: Re-Imaging Scientific Discovery, sponsored by Esther Klein Gallery,
Philadelphia, PA
Click to see a video recording of the presentation

Featured Speaker — Penn Network Visualization Workshop,
University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA

Featured Speaker — Interdisciplinary Mind and Brain Series,
Computational Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA

Featured Speaker — The Apollo 11 Artists Response Video Project
 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11,
The Franklin Institute, Night Skies in the Observatory Program,
Philadelphia, PA

Artist in Residence — Westtown School,
West Chester, PA

2019

Keynote Presentation — Curiosity and the Creative Process: Awakening Scientific Discovery Through Art. Click to see the event flyer as a PDF.
American University,
Washington, DC

Featured Speaker — Shoemaker Visiting Lecture Series — Westtown School,
West Chester, PA

Artist in Residence — Westtown School,
West Chester, PA

Featured Speaker — PLOT Project
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11
The Franklin Institute, Night Skies in the Observatory Program
Part of the Summer of the Moon celebration
Philadelphia, PA

Featured Speaker — PLOT Project:
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11,
Read the article in The Library Company blog
The Library Company of Philadelphia,
Philadelphia, PA

Featured Speaker — Interpreting the Periodic Table Through Art,
Science History Institute,
Philadelphia, PA

2018

Featured Speaker – Biological Sciences Seminar,
Louisiana State University (LSU)
Baton Rouge, LA

Featured Speaker – Saturday Speaker Series – Science History Institute,
Philadelphia, PA

Artist in Residence – University of Manitoba,
Manitoba, Canada

Artist in Residence – Singapore Teachers Academy for the Arts,
Singapore

Featured Speaker – National Art Education Associate Conference,
Seattle, WA

American Philosophical Society – Lunch at the Library Lecture Series,
Philadelphia, PA

2017

Artist in Residence – Carolinas Healthcare System Artist in Residence, The McColl Center for Art,
Charlotte, NC


Artist Talk – Science Center,
Philadelphia, PA

Women Who Make a Difference Speaker Series, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School,
Washington, DC

Education Innovation: Building Cultures of Creativity, 2017 National Coalition of Girls School Conference,
Washington, DC

Lyceum Lecture, Annandale Campus, Northern Virginia Community College,
Annandale, VA

2016

Keynote Speaker – Design Science Symposium, Rhode Island School of Design,
Providence, RI

Artist in Residence – Sponsored by MLC School,
Sydney, Australia

Artist in Residence – Sponsored by the Arts Council of Fairfax County
Fairfax, VA

Keynote Speaker – Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia Biennial Educators Conference,
Brisbane, Australia

Featured Speaker – Global Forum, National Coalition of Girls Schools,
New York, NY

Artist in Residence – Sponsored by Bullis School,
Potomac, MD

Janelia Research Campus,
Ashburn, VA

Complexity Systems Group, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA

Honors Program – Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College,
Alexandria, VA

Keynote Address – The College of New Jersey,
Ewing, NJ

Keynote Address – Emma Willard School,
Troy, NY

Agnes Irwin School,
Rosemont, PA

TC Williams High School – Nifty-Fifty Speaker, USA Science and Engineering Festival
Alexandria, VA

2015

MLC School, Sydney Australia

Arlington Economic Development Lecture Series, Arlington, VA

TEDx Lecture, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA

Science Education Seminar – Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University

Sun Valley Center for the Arts – Ketchum, Idaho

Featured Speaker – National Coalition for Girls’ Schools Conference, Richmond, VA

A Nifty Fifty Speaker – USA Science and Engineering Festival

Loudoun School for the Gifted, Ashburn, VA

Madeira School, Great Falls, VA

Art / Science Lecture / Workshop:
Marblehead High School- Marblehead, MA
Cooper Middle School, McLean, VA
Langley High School, McLean, VA
Falls Church High School, Falls Church, VA
Oakton High School, Oakton, VA

Symposium Speaker – 2015

Cajal Symposium, NINDS / National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Invited Seminar Participant – 2015

Salzburg Global Seminar – Salzburg, Austria
Topic: The Neuroscience of Art: Sources of Innovation and Creativity

2014

Medical Museum Science Cafe, The National Museum of Health and Medicine – click to see a poster for the event.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

Art Exhibition and Residency Lecture, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Physics / Astronomy Seminar, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

STEM to STEAM Lecture / Workshop, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA

Parks and People Foundation, Baltimore, MD

Tidewater Community College, Portsmouth, VA

Brain Awareness Week, The National Museum of Health and Medicine

STEM to STEAM,  Loudoun Country Day School, Loudoun, VA

2013

Science Education Seminar – Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University

Terrascope Program – MIT

Honors Program – Randolph Macon College

Entertaining Science Series, Cornelia Street Cafe, New York City

Nifty Fifty Speaker Lecture, USA Science and Engineering Festival

Keynote Speaker, VA Art Education Association Fall Conference

World Intellectual Property Day- US Patent and Trademark Office

Keynote Speaker, Virginia’s Collegiate Honors Seminar Annual Meeting

Faculty STEAM Group- Fairfax High School- 2013

Keynote Speaker, VA Association of Museums (VAM) Annual Meeting

Cajal Neuroscience Institute, Madrid, Spain

Krasnow Neuroscience Institute, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

New Horizon’s Technology and Education Conference- Roanoke, VA

US Patient and Trademark Office, Alexandria, VA

2012

Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Focus on the Fellows, The Eye Institute, NIH

Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/ NIH

Patterns in Art and Science Lecture- NINDS Art Challenge- NIH

Native American Science Intern Lecture- NINDS/NIH

Lecture and Panel with Neuroscientists about Creativity and Innovation in Art and Science- NINDS/NIH

Department of Medical Arts / NIH

National Eye Institute- NIH

Making the Invisible, Visible – NINDS/NIH

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Professional Practices, VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Visual Sound, VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA

TEDx Lecture- Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Christianburg, VA

LASER (Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous) University of San Francisco

2011

Harvard / Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University

SERMACS 2011: Charting Chemical Connections, ACS Regional Meeting

DASER (DC Art Science Evening Rendezvous) National Academy of Science

DC Science Cafe

National Institute of Health

Virginia Library Association Conference-Keynote Speaker–Portsmouth, VA

New Horizons Conference-Roanoke, VA

American Philosophical Society–Friends of the Library Lecture

2010

Science Symposium-Northern Virginia Community College

2009

Center for Consciousness and Transformation, George Mason University

2008

American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia, PA

2005

American Center for Physics, College Park, MD

1999

US Embassy, Cairo, Egypt

Gezira Art Center, Cairo, Egypt

1995

Association of University Women, Arlington, VA

1993

Virginia Association of Museums Conference, Charlottesville, VA

1987

Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Research Institute, Shanghai, China

Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing, China

East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

Sichuan Urban Sculpture Planning Office, Chengdu, China

China Artist Association, Shanghai, China

1985

Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Research Institute, Shanghai, China

Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing, China

East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

Symposium Panel Speaker

2023

In May of 2023 Rebecca was invited to participate in the Beauty at Work symposium at The Catholic University of America. The organizer of the symposium, Brandon Vaidyanathan, has written an article and created a wonderful, short video about Rebecca’s practice of finding how her work overlaps with the worlds of science and philosophy and how this relates to the symposium topic. Click this to visit the symposium website. Click here to view the June, 2024 article by Brandon Vaidyanathan. Watch the video, below, which was produced by Grey Matter Group with the support of Templeton Religion Trust, and edited by Podcast Engineers.

2012

The Creative Mind – Brown University/Rhode Island School of Design

Transforming STEM Education – Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA

Chemistry and Art – American Chemical Society Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

2011

DASER Panel – National Academy of Science, Washington, DC

Divining Nature:  A Visual Dialogue between Art and Science, New Horizons Conference, Roanoke-2011

Art and Chemistry – SERMACS 2011 – Richmond, VA

2010

Galileo Gala Science Symposium, Annandale Campus, NOVA

1996

Contemporary Women Sculptors – Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

1995

Women in the Arts- Washington Junior League, Washington, DC

1994

Washington Artists – Washington Art Part 2 – National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC

1992

Content in Contemporary Abstract Art – Roanoke Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA

Artists Influenced by Other Cultures – Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD

1987

National Sculpture Conference:  Works by Women – Cincinnati, Ohio