Destined to be a highlight of 2012 is the TROVE Art Exhibit, which celebrates the transit of Venus experience, past and future.  Artists working in any two-dimensional media are invited to create works that have relevance to the transit of Venus, a celestial phenomenon both with a rich history in the quest to understand our place in the solar system and with a modern role in the hunt for new worlds around distant stars. The 2012 alignment of earth, Venus, and the sun on June 5 is the last transit of Venus in our lifetimes, not occurring again until December 2117.  

TROVE (for TRansit Of VEnus) is a collection of regional attractions that complement this historic astronomical event. The venue for the TROVE Art Exhibit is the mezzanine gallery at The Livery, a microbrewery in the Arts District of Benton Harbor, Michigan.  Enjoy this unique art space while quaffing a hand-crafted Venusian ale.  The exhibit will be open seven days a week from May 6 until June 30, with a special party after sunset on June 5, 2012.  Please join the multiple TROVE celebrations, whether by sharing your vision through the creation of art, or by embracing science and math in action as a supporter of the arts.

Call for Art

Artists are invited to create works related to Venus, the sun, astronomy, exoplanets, transit math, historical expeditions, gods and goddesses, the black drop effect, and other notions with a connection to the solar spectacle.  Please state your intent to participate by April 15, and deliver your artwork to the site on May 5.  Art must be ready to hang and may be sold with no commission. Insurance is the artist's responsibility.  There is a $5.00 entry fee.  Please fill out one entry form for each submission (limit two):

2012T0V-Call-for-Artists.pdf (PDF)
2012T0V-Call-for-Artists.docx  (MS Word)

Dayle Brown, author and illustrator of Skylore from Planet Earth: stories from around the world...VENUS, has generously stepped up to coordinate the TROVE Art Exhibit.  You can contact Dayle Brown at 574-217-8557, or by email at dayledavid @ comcast .net (with no spaces).

Coming Soon: Beer Art

The history, mystique, and promise of the transit of Venus has a parallel storyline with beer.  The brewmaster at The Livery is crafting a special golden ale to commemorate the 2012 transit of Venus.  The Livery distributes kegs mainly in the state of Michigan, and in lieu of beer labels for bottles it seeks artwork for its posters and products, like pint glasses and T-shirts.  Hence, there will soon be a call for art for that design, with entries exhibited at The Livery and online, and with the winning entry honored in beer merchandise.  The call will go out after the brewmaster gives us guidance on the anticipated product brewing in barrels.  The TROVE celebrations on June 5 in Michiana culminate at the special event at the Livery after sunset that day. 

More Transit of Venus Art

Art and storytelling--sometimes two elements in one expression--often move science forward.  For the transit of Venus, multiple art exhibits are scheduled for the Michiana region, near the Michigan-Indiana border, as part of the TROVE celebrations. Look for other art exhibits in the works.

Transit of Venus in Pastel is a collection of artwork from members of the Northern Indiana Pastel Society. Their handiwork will be on display May 1 to June 9, 2012, at the Harris Branch Library, 51446 Elm Road, Granger IN 46530.

For a reflection on centuries of art related to the transit of Venus, see Moved by a Rapid Transit by Chuck Bueter.  In recalling the flurry of activity during the 2004 transit of Venus, which Google's Zeitgeist feature deemed the #1 Popular Event for June 2004, this author writes,
"It was the artwork that invited me to step back, to peer safely at the dotted Sun through the eyes of others, and to marvel at how astronomical phenomena inspire the human spirit."

Thanks in advance to all of the artists who share their passion for art with the same zeal that astronomers have bestowed with words upon the transit of Venus.  We look forward to the fruits of your imagination at the TROVE Art Exhibit.

The Livery
190 5^th Street
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
http://liverybrew.com

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For much more information about the transit of Venus, peruse www.transitofvenus.org.

For an overview of the celestial phenomenon, see the Fall 2011 issue of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) newsletter, The Universe in the Classroom, which features the transit of Venus in Don't Miss the Transit of Venus in 2012: It's Your Last Chance Until 2117. The article recounts historical expeditions and technological gains through the centuries while looking forward to Kepler Mission findings using the transit method.