When Art Meets Science

Summary

The website content details the life and work of a fashion designer who parallels Janice Lourie's journey from art into the realm of computer science, emphasizing the synergy between art and science.

Abstract

The article discusses the intertwining of art and science through the personal experiences of the author, who resonates with Janice Lourie's story. Lourie, a trailblazing computer scientist at IBM, began her career as an artist. Similarly, the author, a fashion designer, has always integrated art and science, as evidenced by their thesis "Fashion, An Art and A Science" during their time at Mass College of Art and Design. The author reflects on the acceptance of women in the workforce during the 1960s and contrasts it with contemporary challenges faced by women in professional settings. The narrative weaves through the author's childhood business of designing doll clothes, the influence of their father's engineering work on their 3D design approach, and the transition to using computers for engineering design in fashion. The author also highlights the importance of executing ideas, referencing both Lourie's and their own success in translating artistic concepts into tangible outcomes, and concludes with a call for the continued merging of art and science.

Opinions

The author identifies with Janice Lourie's integration of art and science, suggesting a personal belief in the complementary nature of these disciplines.
There is a sentiment of puzzlement over the current lesser acceptance of women in professional roles despite past progress.
The author values the execution of ideas, as demonstrated by both Lourie's and their own achievements in their respective fields.
The author advocates for a more integrated approach to art and science, believing it leads to better execution of ideas and innovation.
There is an appreciation for the influence of early life experiences and family in shaping one's career and approach to design and problem-solving.
The author expresses admiration for Dr. Mehmet Yildiz's work, which exemplifies the beneficial intersection of diverse fields in science and technology.

Artist Janice Lourie, now 90, became a trailblazing computer scientist at IBM

Article in the Boston Globe, October 9, 2020, by Cate McQuaid

I identify with Janice Lourie in many aspects of her life experiences, although not with her fame. The title of Cate McQuaid’s article, “When art meets science” caught my eye. All my life I have put art and science together. When graduating from Mass College of Art and Design in 1955, majoring in fashion design, my thesis was: “Fashion, An Art and A Science”. At that time and ever since the drive in most fashion people was only as an art.

She is 3 years older than myself and said, “There was no resistance to women’s employment or advancement in those days …It was 1964”. I agree, and had no trouble with being a woman and starting a business that was successful for 20 years. A journalist in the early 1960s asked me what problems I had in being a woman. I replied, “None! Now would you like to hear about my problems in being an entrepreneur?” It is puzzling to me today as women advance more there is less acceptance of them today. Does our advancement scare people?

McQuaid wrote, “Lourie had been a weaver since she was 7, making rugs for her dollhouse on a loom her father built. Now weaving gave her an idea.” I designed and made dolls clothes when young, and by age 14 had developed a business and catalog for selling them in gift stores and fairs.

Pieces from my catalog and my business card in 1947, age 14

My father was a sheet metal engineer of kitchen equipment, and built me a 3-dimensional stand from sheet metal for my Barbie-like dolls to stand on at the gift fairs.

Dad’s 3D sheet metal stepstand — — — — -3D double curvatures of kitchen sink

Dad also inspired me to think about the transformation of 2D into 3D by the 2D sheet metal into the 3D kitchen sink. It was this inspiration that enabled me to to design unique shaping in 3D fashion clothing, and the 2D pattern making to produce the 3D clothing as a teenager, and then into my design and manufacturing business of high fashion clothing.

One of my beautiful 3D shaping with an innovative 2D pattern engineering for production

Janice Lourie took her art of weaving into computer science software. I took my art of fashion sculpture into 2D, 3D, 4D engineering design on computers in a series of engineering design grants from the National Science Foundation.

Photos and diagrams from 1988 Willett, “Apparel/Textile Codification and Image Communication Technology” NSF-SBIR grant award

Lourie said at meetings, explaining to the audience, “I had this idea many years ago. Well, the whole thing is, did you execute it?” Janice Lourie did. And so did I execute my ideas.

Unlike so much separation of art and science today, there needs to be more of art meeting science for the execution of ideas. Dr. Mehmet Yildiz writes informing articles on science and technology in Illumination that show the meeting of many diversities.

Thank you for reading, and I hope there is more evolution of opposing sides in all things to meet and work together.