At UNCSA, 'puzzling' over the representation of scientific discovery

On Monday, Kendall Doub was back in our classes in the Division of Liberal Arts with a first digital rendering that captured the discussions he'd had previously with Paths-to-the-Present students in "History and Philosophy of Science" and "Urban Experience" classes. We had some great discussions about the "puzzle" motif that continues to be central to the design, and about the different ways it can be used to represent established knowledge, uncertainty, and the unknown. From the perspective of an instructor, it's just wonderful to see the way that the artistic process—especially this give-and-take between artists, students, and faculty—elicits the very sort of questions that we consider to be the real "content" of courses. What is the nature of progress? What is knowledge? Certainty v. uncertainty? How does history work, how is time organized? Discussion about how the "river" should function across the four panels of the mural was particularly interesting. Can't wait to see how Kendall's next iteration of the design turns out. Painting will start pretty soon!