Bald Eagle Area students from Tina Marshall's third grade class tour the exhibit, 'Geology: Materials of the Earth as Seen in Art,' at the Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center on the LHU campus on Friday, March 28.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University hosted elementary and middle school visitors for a unique exhibit that was a collaboration between the arts and the sciences.

Titled “Geology: Materials of the Earth as Seen in Art,” the show was the inaugural exhibit of the Art of the Natural World series, held at the Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center March 25 through April 4.

Two LHU faculty – Dr. Loretta D. Dickson, assistant professor of geology and physics, and Melinda D. Hodge, associate professor of art – worked to assemble the exhibit consisting of items from student, faculty and community contributors. Full of photographic and physical art, the show illustrated the beauty of geologic features and landscapes and rocks at the microscopic scale and emphasized the many natural materials that are used in the making of jewelry, stained glass, pottery and sculpture.

“We wanted to present geology in an artistic fashion,” Dickson said. “Each display was accompanied by a description that discussed the geology and the science in the art.”

Elementary and middle school students from Central Mountain Middle School, Bald Eagle Area schools and the Lock Haven Catholic School came to the exhibit, Dickson said.

Both Hodge and Dickson were present to answer questions. Hodge went over the processes involved in making some of the art, and Dickson discussed the geological features and their significance.

“The students also were able to participate in hands-on activities, such as learning some of the basics of sculpture by chiseling stone and assembling rocks to make images,” Dickson said.

Dickson said the display was made possible through the support of the College of Arts and Science, the College of Education and Human Services, the Department of Geology and Physics and the Art Department.

The next Art of the Natural World exhibit in the series is planned for the fall, and it will feature the artistic aspects of the biological sciences.

Dickson said that she hopes to see the series grow, and that each LHU department will promote its field of study in an artistic fashion. She also welcomes themed contributions from the general public. For more information, Dickson may be reached at (570) 484-2068, ldickson@lhup.edu.