SciArt Magazine - All Issues | Page 14

A: No. Just like I came to the body and anatomy through my art practice, I taught myself how to sew and eventually, how to embroider, for my art. I never learned how to thread a needle or sew a button growing up, let alone do embroidery. We did have a sewing machine in our house, but it was an antique that didn’t work — in fact,  it was our coffee table.  educate or demonstrate.  Q: Being an artist based in New York is amazing, but never easy. What is your day job, does it relate to your practice at all? Q: Your work dances around the line between scientific illustration and art, what are your thoughts about that? A: I work for a nonprofit dedicated to improving public space in NYC called Design Trust for Public Space. My perspective as an artist and a visual thinker is beneficial in my job, but no, my job does not relate to the art world or to my art practice.  A: I am inspired by anatomical illustration certainly, but I disagree with the characterization of my work as illustration. The purpose and function of making art is very different from a textbook illustration meant to A: First, to make something beautiful and second, to make the invisible visible. Q: What would you say your goal as an artist is, making work centered around anatomy and biology? organum auditus (2007). 30”h x 35”w x 5”d. Fabric, embroidery, cotton stuffing & pencil on canvas. Visit her website at www.megancanning.com. 14 SciArt in America August 2013