"The Explorers" Art Exhibit at Lamont

"The Explorers" on view at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY, during the October 2022 Open House.

A dream exhibition for a PhD-artist! Among awesome Earth science demonstrations, visitors to the annual 2022 Open House at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) could view "The Explorers", a collection of 5 of my artworks embodying my visions for science, space, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation. This was the first time my illustrations and paintings came together in a single exhibition, with work spanning my artistic career from 2018 to 2022. In these artworks, I have centered Asian female faces in space exploration settings, creating the representation and future I want to see in space exploration.

Over a thousand visitors streamed through to admire and feel inspired, partly because it was part of the scavenger hunt where you had to write the name of your favorite piece.

Caroline Juang, at the time a PhD student, stands by her "The Explorers" art exhibit.

Thank you to my friends who gave me lovely flowers as a congratulations for my exhibit, my fellow PhD friends and professors for all the support (thanks Casey for the first photo!), the visitors who stopped by, to Miriam Cinquegrana and the LDEO Open House planning committee for putting on the exhibit, and to fellow PhD Candidate Alexis Earl for writing the article about me that captured the institution's attention! And to my parents for supporting my science-art path all this time.

Within the collection, many were drawn to the digital illustration "You Are Thriving" (2020), which depicts a lone astronaut stranded in deep waters on a distant planet. Despite her circumstances, she smiles and looks upwards, finding optimism and confidence by grounding herself mentally and physically, portrayed by the terrarium of succulent plants within her astronaut helmet. The terrarium succulents remind her of Earth (her home) and help her survive by transforming her carbon dioxide exhalations back into oxygen for her to breathe. Even in this sea of uncertainty, she continues to thrive. Quarantined at home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst a rejection from an important PhD fellowship, I channeled my feelings into this work in a search for positivity.

"You Are Thriving", 2020, Digital painting

"The Explorers" series was later displayed again in a yearlong exhibition during 2024-2025 in the Lamont Café for many scientists in the community to see. One of the best things about my time as a PhD student at LDEO was the supportive, friendly, and brilliant community who was interested in engaging in both my art and my science.

Scientists at LDEO line up to view the art and get a sandwich at the opening reception of Caroline Juang's exhibit on May 1, 2024.

Caroline Juang, at the time a 6th year PhD Candidate, stands in front of her artwork in fall 2024.

The entire series can be viewed on its own page, The Explorers.