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Jacob Campbell standing next to his painting

Multidisciplinary studies student honors Endangered Species Act anniversary in capstone project

Jacob Campbell, a fourth-year student majoring in multidisciplinary studies and minoring in environmental inquiry, honored the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in his capstone project, titled “Endangered Species: Captured through Art and Data."

Jacob Campbell, a fourth-year student majoring in multidisciplinary studies and minoring in environmental inquiry, honored the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in his capstone project, titled “Endangered Species: Captured through Art and Data." The exhibition features four data visualizations capturing the rise or fall of species since receiving protection.

Under the leadership of Distinguished Professor of Earth Science Laura Guertin, Campbell conducted research, drew preliminary sketches and painted on canvases using acrylic paint to honor the Endangered Species Act. Guertin assisted him in ensuring his artwork was environmentally accurate in regard to the species’ locations and ecosystem. 

Campbell was inspired to paint canvases as part of his capstone project because of his passion for art.

“I love art. It’s one of my biggest passions, and the aspect of creation really resonates with me,” he said. “My paintings for this project were inspired by another environmental artist named Jill Pelto, who works with watercolor. Since my skills don’t lie in painting with watercolor, I decided to work with acrylic paint.”

Campbell’s process took well over one semester to complete, as the project was finalized at the end of Dec. 2023.  His artwork featured paintings of the staghorn coral, blue whale, California condor and Hine’s emerald dragonfly.

“A lot of work went into creating the paintings for my capstone course,” Campbell said. “I had to make a list of species from the Endangered Species Act I wanted to cover, gather data on the population over time for those species, create a synopsis for each species, and then create the composition for each one.”

He noted that the capstone taught him important life skills, including time management, work efficiency and good research skills.

“When it comes to doing a project that involves painting, you have to block out a certain amount of time to do it. You can’t just commit a half hour to painting; you have to commit about two to three hours per painting session. Finding the time to do that amidst a busy college schedule is so important,” he said, reflecting on what he learned.

Guertin commented on her experience advising and mentoring Campbell this year.

“It has been so rewarding to have played a role in advising and mentoring Jacob during his time at Brandywine,” she said. “Since before he started at Brandywine, he knew that he always had a passion for extreme weather events and art.”

“Students don’t always see the connection between two fields that are always taught separate from one another (science and art), but Jacob reached out to have conversations with me and was willing to learn more about how he could pursue both of his interests and integrate his content knowledge and skill development into some creative and unique work. I'm thrilled that Vairo Library is serving as a spot for Jacob to showcase his work, and hopefully, his unique approach to combining data visualizations with art will inspire students to explore their own interdisciplinary interests.”