We Are Stardust: A Conversation with Anna Von Mertens and Jennifer Roberts

Join artist Anna Von Mertens and art historian Jennifer Roberts as the two explore the extraordinary in the ordinary. Their conversation will paint a portrait of the trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (1868 – 1921) and include the book project published this September by the MIT Press, which emerged from their shared interest in Leavitt’s remarkable story. Anna Von Mertens will review the methodologies behind Leavitt’s work and the significance of her foundational discovery that enabled the measurement of largescale astronomical distance for the first time, launching modern cosmology. Von Mertens and Roberts will discuss the artworks they made in response to Leavitt’s legacy, including photographs by Roberts using a macro lens to bring forward the material richness of the astronomical glass plate photographs Leavitt studied, and drawings of starlight captured in emulsion by Von Mertens based on some of those glass plates.

Learn from Von Mertens and Roberts as the two reveal their collaborative process, the power of attention in observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning.

This program is part of the Trustees Crafting Nature series. The Crafting Nature series connects the public with artists and art historians to explore the natural world and craft, offering an intimate connection to incredibly accomplished makers and insight into the process of their creativity