About the Project

This mural is rich with meaning, representing the intersection of art, science, and technology. Embedded QR codes link viewers to additional content curated by the University of Wisconsin, extending the mural’s storytelling beyond the painted surface.

The imagery features both historical scientists and anonymous figures, illustrating the wide spectrum of discovery by Wisconsin scientists — from the celebrated to the underrepresented and those yet to be recognized. The landscape, inspired by Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, is filled with patterns that symbolize diverse scientific fields, achievements, and themes.

This collaborative design was led by Sharon Tang, a UW scientist in training. Together, we conducted interviews with current UW scientists and explored the work of numerous accomplished researchers and educators the University wished to highlight. Sharon played a key role in translating complex scientific ideas into a cohesive visual narrative that is both informative and inspiring.

To complete the piece, we collaborated with artist Yvette Pino, who helped screen print the QR codes directly onto the hand-painted mural panels — blending technology and craftsmanship in a truly interdisciplinary work.