Arts & Culture

Astrophysicist explores the interconnectedness of art and science

A new book by UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist and visual artist Nia Imara debuts tomorrow that explains the universe and traces how art has blended with science throughout human history.

February 24, 2025

By Mike Peña

A new book by UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist and visual artist Nia Imara debuts tomorrow that explains the universe and traces how art has blended with science throughout human history. Painting the Cosmos is a rare work that reveals the cosmic connection between art, science, and humanity—citing examples ranging from the Great Pyramid of Giza, to seminal astronomer Johannes Kepler’s 17th century writings on how our solar system’s planets sing, to the starry quilts created by Black women during slavery that pointed the way to freedom.

At a time when art and science are treated as separate disciplines in society, Imara says we have much to gain by looking at them together. And she hopes her 288-page book will leave readers with a greater sense of our interconnectedness. “I hope this book sheds light on some of the fascinating ways in which scientists and artists understand the universe,” she writes. “My bigger hope is that it encourages a feeling of interconnectedness and unity—within ourselves, with one another, with the entire cosmos.”

An assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics, and a self-taught painter, Imara says her body of work reflects her love for vibrant color, people, and their stories. She was the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in astrophysics from UC Berkeley, and now at UC Santa Cruz, she investigates how stars are born in the Milky Way and other galaxies throughout the universe.

As a painter, Imara primarily works with oil on canvas, drawing from a range of influences, including the Black experience, literature, nature, and music. She brings those same influences to Painting the Cosmos, which emphasizes Black and brown art and culture throughout, and is filled with nearly 100 breathtaking images of the cosmos and artwork from creators around the world—including about a dozen of her own illustrations and paintings. <h2>An eclectic educator</h2> This duality of science and art also fosters a more expansive, less siloed learning environment for Imara’s students. In her astronomy classes, especially her undergraduate courses, she incorporates visual art, music, and literature in the context of whatever subject she happens to be teaching. “I’ll often assign activities, such as writing short stories or drawing pictures, that utilize creative muscles not typically associated with doing science,” Imara said. “As an educator, my goal is to cultivate the joy of learning and help students grow their imagination. In Painting the Cosmos, I certainly hope that the stories shared and questions raised about art, science, culture, and the relationship between the three will stir readers’ imaginations.” <h2>Timely commentary</h2> In addition to inspiring awe, the book also provokes readers to think more deeply about important topics such as the meaning of “diversity,” and how in the United States, art is vastly undervalued compared to science. Imara cites how the U.S. government allocated $162.5 million to the National Endowment for the Arts in 2020, while $717 billion went to research and development in science. That’s “more than 4,000 times the spending on art,” she writes in the book. “On a local level, when public schools make tough decisions about allocating diminished resources, which programs are typically the first to go? The art and music classes.” In regards to diversity, Imara discusses her perspective on the topic in the chapter “Harmony of the World,” where she questions “this flabby notion of diversity that gets thrown around nowadays in every college, university, workplace, and business.” Instead, she hones in on the word’s roots in Latin: diversus, meaning “turned different or opposite ways.” She then proceeds to convey this more fundamental definition of diversity by describing the imbalance in the amount of matter and antimatter at the time of the Big Bang—and how that difference led to a little extra matter leftover at the beginning, which then became the seeds of everything currently in the universe. “Sameness gives birth to nothing. Evolution mandates diversity. And diversity makes harmony possible,” Imara writes. And when later asked how to apply this principle to our modern world, where there is strong sentiment among many that things should remain the same, or that society should even be restored to a simpler time, she said, “One of the things this national moment is revealing is that we need to get clearer and firmer in our language and actions around equity in our schools and other institutions.” <h2>An exemplar of an expansive mind</h2> Throughout the book, Imara also provides examples of notable figures who embodied what would be regarded today as “interdisciplinarity”—incorporating art and science into their contributions to humanity’s body of knowledge. If she had to choose one individual who stood out as the most inspiring example of someone whose embrace of art elevated their scientific work, Imara said it would be George Washington Carver. As she writes, Carver was born just before the abolition of slavery and possessed an insatiable appetite for knowledge. He attended Iowa State University, where he studied painting, music, botany, and agriculture; and after graduation, he became the college’s first Black professor. Perhaps known best for his innovations that transformed American agriculture, Carver’s unique life circumstances—including exposure to nature as a child, being formerly enslaved, and his passionate faith—led to “a personality that effortlessly blended art, science, and spirituality.” Imara lets Carver speak for himself by spotlighting this poignant statement from him in the book: “Since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible.” <hr/> Professor Imara will be in conversation about her book with Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Puragra “Raja” GuhaThakurta at 7 p.m. March 12 at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. RSVP on the <a href="https://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/painting-cosmos">Bookshop Santa Cruz website</a>.

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