Rebecca Kamen commissioned to create work for American Philosophical Society exhibition.

Pursuit & Persistence: 300 Years of Women in Science (Online Exhibition)

2023

Pursuit & Persistence: 300 Years of Women in Science explored how women scientists have overcome obstacles to achieve breakthroughs, make places for themselves in science, and help others along the way.

The exhibition invited visitors to meet women whose boundless curiosity impelled them to investigate the mysteries of the universe, from the stars glittering in the night sky down to the inner workings of cells in our bodies and the structures of the atoms that make up all matter.

Dozens of documents, publications, and artifacts from the APS’s extensive collections and private lenders—most never exhibited before—illuminate the groundbreaking scientific research and sometimes bumpy career trajectories of these remarkable women. Throughout the exhibition, contemporary artworks by Rebecca Kamen interpret the scientists’ discoveries in visual form and celebrate their achievements. 

Introduction

Women have been doing science for centuries.

Despite obstacles, they have achieved breakthroughs, made places for themselves in science, and helped others along the way. The collections of the American Philosophical Society hold many stories of women in science. Find out how they contributed to our understanding of the world.

Sections

Women of the Enlightenment

As knowledge expanded, a few talented women made their mark

The Doors Crack Open

Education began to open doors, but options were limited

Striving to Succeed

Science expanded, but roadblocks remained

Art & Science

For this exhibition, the American Philosophical Society commissioned local artist Rebecca Kamen to create visual responses to scientific concepts on view. Throughout this exhibition you will see these responses.

Rebecca Kamen, sculptor and lecturer on the intersections of art and science, seeks ‘the truth’ through observation. Her artwork is informed by wide-ranging research into cosmology, history, philosophy, and by connecting common threads that flow across various scientific fields to capture and re-imagine what the scientists see.

Currently, Kamen is serving as artist in residence in The Computational Neuroscience Initiative and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania.