Gallery Reception + Artist Talk with Jess Holz

Jess Holz creates artworks which give the viewer a peek into invisible worlds, as well as a chance to reflect on the influence of scientific visual culture on our collective imagination. She has just received an MFA in Art+Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; previously she  worked in several labs, gaining valuable technical experience with a number of microscopic imaging techniques. The discrepancy between what can be perceived by eye and what is imaged has fostered her fascination with perceptual systems along with the optical properties of materials. Jess actively exploits this in photography and installation. Holz is a Brighton-based multimedia artist and member of Artisans Asylum.

Peter Girguis is a Professor at Harvard University and Co-Director of the Harvard Microbial Sciences Initiative. He studies the biochemical adaptations of marine microbes and animals, and their role in shaping in marine biogeochemical cycles. He also develops novel “open-access” instruments such as underwater mass spectrometers and microbial samplers, with the goal of enabling a breadth of stakeholders to have access to such tools.

He received his B.Sc. from UCLA and his Ph.D. from the UC Santa Barbara. He was a Packard Postdoctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. He joined Harvard University in 2005. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer for the NSF RIDGE2000 initiative, a Merck Co. Innovative Research Awardee, chair of the National Deep Submergence Science Committee. He has authored or co-authored over 150 publications. His honors include the 2007 and 2011 Lindbergh Foundation Award for Science & Sustainability, the 2018 Lowell Thomas Award for groundbreaking advances in Marine Technology, the 2020 Petra Shattuck Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the 2024 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Science and Exploration.