From the Nominator

"Art met environmental science in a spring 2022 course that asked the questions: What does it mean to always be watching? Do animals deserve the right of privacy? Does art have to be beautiful? 

With "The Visible Wild" video, the Lewis Center documented how Princeton visual arts students in an interdisciplinary arts and environmental science course asked these questions and took a new approach to art-making. The goals were to highlight an academic intersection of science and visual art, the philosophy of art-making in the Program in Visual Arts, and the universally valued skill to be an acute observer. 

Video production included conducting interviews, filming B-roll, weeding through hours of footage from trail cameras, and documenting the final class exhibition. The final piece tells a compelling story of cross-disciplinary investigation for students interested in environmental science and visual art, and provides rare and inspiring glimpses of the "invisible wild" around the Princeton campus. 

The Lewis Center shared the video in a news story on the departmental website, social media, and through a monthly e-newsletter, all of which received excellent audience engagement with campus and external audiences. The story reached thousands of viewers after the main university news website also picked up the video and shared it with a global audience. Prospective students who watch the video can see the possibilities of combining their varied scholarly interests at Princeton, and any viewer can take inspiration from the class' example of making art with nontraditional and unexpected materials."

From the Judges

The judges were thoroughly captivated by the unique approach to showcasing an academic course through the delightful combination of trail cameras and baby foxes. The clever and engaging concept resulted in a solid return on investment, capturing the attention and interest of readers.