My involvement in science caused a personal transformation that is reflected in my current artwork. During my pursuit of chemistry, moments and events gradually acquired names, and the world turned into a language of formulas. But once something could be named and broken down, it no longer contained its sublime, powerful anonymity. As a result, and despite my continued love of chemistry, I experienced anguish and a desire to find other ways to explore the enigmas of life.

Instead of serving as a means of self-expression or communication, art now fulfills the same role that chemistry once did: it is an avenue of inquisition and discovery. Unlike chemistry however, art aims to reveal questions rather than answers.

born: 1976, Chicago, IL

education

Loyola University Chicago, BA, 2000, and BS, 2000
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, BFA, 2003
The Ohio State University, MFA, 2005

selected awards/honors

Curator's Choice Artist, 10th Annual Chicago Art Open, 2007
CAAP Grant, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, 2007
Drench Award, Illustration, Best of Category Winning Entry, Area of Design, 2006
Merit Scholarship, Recognition Award, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2001

selected publications

Amy Braverman Puma, Art in Science, University of Chicago Magazine, Vol 101, No 3, p. 20-21, 2009
James Glisson, Photographing Sprawl: Picturing the Contemporary Suburb, Afterimage, Vol 35, No 4, p. 13-17, 2008
Alternative Trends Magazine, Canada, front cover and p. 90-97, Spring Issue 2007
Daria Ricci, Una Settimana Ricca di Appuntamenti d'Arte. Tra Lecce e Galatina Cittá Magazine, p. 20-21, October 13-19, 2006

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Anatomy in the Gallery, The International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL, 2009
Science in Art, University of Chicago Gordon Center for Integrative Science, Chicago, IL, 2009
Formation, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2009
Pareidolia: Inkspill Drawings by Vesna Jovanovic, Ebling Library, Health Sciences Learning Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 2008

selected group shows

32nd Annual Art on Paper, Circle Gallery, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, 2009
Remedy: The Art of Healing, Gallery 180, The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2008 (invitational)
Science in Art, The University Chicago Gordon Center for Integrative Science, Chicago, IL, 2008
National Juried Competition: Works of Art on Paper, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Loveladies, NJ, 2008