“This course has had a HUGE impact on my sense of self and my education. I have realized how important art is in every field. Engaging in different art processes has helped me try and find ways I can be creative in my own field of study. Since taking this class I have tried to employ more creativity in my life - I now draw and paint whenever I have free time. I have had a growth in my sense of style and how I feel about myself. This course has changed my perspective in so many different ways and might be one of the most influential classes I have taken at CSU (I am about to graduate, so I have taken a LOT of classes).”
- Perfect Intersection Student

“This course has allowed me to think about the world in a different way. I am a STEM major, but I believe the process of making art has helped me better succeed in my other classes. I have learned to pay more attention to the world around me. This class has pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I am all-around better for it.”
- Perfect Intersection Student

Here’s what the Perfect Intersection is all about…

We explore paper-making as a way to illustrate the chemistry of hydrogen bonding.  We discuss quilting as an avenue into culture and identity.  We make artist-quality paint by hand and use that to explore materials science and optics.  We’ll go as far back in time as we can, looking at the intersection of art-making, storytelling, carbon, and the physics of lightfastness. And that ‘s just the beginning.

A man in a tuxedo is looking at the camera with an expression in an indoor setting, with artworks on the wall behind him. An inset image shows a person's face with a playful hat that has pom-poms, and has two photos of the same face with an arrow indicating the concept of a hydrogen bond. The text 'Creativity Energy' is written in stylized black cursive font.

Here are videos that support the project:
https://www.youtube.com/@PerfectIntersection

For more about the strategies on which this project is built, check out:
https://thinkudl.org/episodes/perfect-intersection-with-david-pyle

The Perfect Intersection: Art-making as a Way to Learn (and Do!) Anything!

Three people working with soap making supplies, one woman pouring soap mixture from a bucket into a mold, a man wearing a colorful mouse hat, and another woman holding a tray and measuring hot liquid.

The arts create meaning and context. That’s their job!

This project is a course at Colorado State University. It’s a book (in progress and headed for publication in 2028). It’s a study around how drawing is an activity that supports the development of observational skills and authentic community-building. It’s a way of exploring strategies for ‘playing’ in the intersections across science, math, culture, community, history and more.

“This class has drastically changed my perspective on the world and how education can be presented. I can not even begin to describe how amazing of an opportunity this class has been for me, and how much it has changed my life already. (This) has taught me so much more than just a lecture class, from hydrogen bonds to meeting Temple Grandin, this class has been nothing but remarkable. It has opened up my eyes to the world of art and how it intersects my interests in science and engineering.”
- Perfect Intersection Student