Visual Art

Smithsonian Snags Stout Professor's Artwork

Jeanie Butzler |

Above: The aptly named
 
Above: The aptly named "Jellyfish Burger"
by Dave Beck.

Digital artist Dave Beck, a professor at The School of Art and Design at UW-Stout, now has a piece of art on permanent display at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Jellyfish Burger, an image fit for a menu with its blue, dangling tentacles, a bun, and all of the fixings, was created to send a message to put an end to overfishing. Beck originally submitted the piece to a journal in England. Since that initial entry, the image has also appeared in the journal Science and The New York Times. After receiving an honorable mention for Jellyfish Burger in the National Science Foundation’s International Scientific Visualization Challenge in 2010, Beck was contacted by the Smithsonian about the exhibit. Jellyfish Burger is on display in Sant Ocean Hall, an area of the Smithsonian dedicated to ocean and marine life.