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Emory researchers fuse science and art for JUSTICE
Justice exhibit graphic

The JUSTICE exhibition at Science Gallery Atlanta examines the relationships between individuals and the systems that impact their lives. The exhibition and related events will be held March 30–Sept. 30.

Emory researchers have teamed with artists to transform their expertise into creative exhibits for JUSTICE, this year’s Science Gallery Atlanta exhibition set to open on Saturday, April 1.

The grand opening Community Day and the ongoing JUSTICE exhibition will feature the work of several Emory researchers. JUSTICE examines the relationships between individuals and the systems that impact their lives, inviting researchers, artists and audiences to contemplate and reimagine some of the current big ideas in society that have local and global impact.

One example is Eli Chlan’s “(H)our Glass” exhibit, a project designed to uplift the voices of transgender people by highlighting the clinical and societal experiences of transmasculine individuals when starting hormone replacement therapy.

“(H)our Glass” leverages interactive video, oral storytelling and a hall of mirrors to illustrate the ways in which clinical experiences for transgender individuals are often convoluted and overwhelming, particularly when pursuing hormone replacement therapy.

“Transgender people are uniquely affected by limited resources of time, training and accessibility that define our flawed health care system,” says Chlan, a Laney Graduate School PhD student in neuroscience. “JUSTICE is a unique opportunity to reflect on how to lift up transgender people as we transition in a volatile society.”

The struggle against the racist and gendered uses of genetic sciences will also feature in the JUSTICE exhibition, as the Emory School of Medicine’s Kate Garber and Emily Allen present their work “Breaking Out of Boxes.” By exploring how ideas genetic variations are used for racist ends and health care symbols reinforce gender normativity, this exhibit illuminates the ways genetic information can instead foster equality.

“We want to show how genetic science is often misused by being cast in arguments that seek to reinforce oppressive, retrograde ideas about groups of people,” says Garber. “But, more importantly, we want to show that’s not inherent to genetic science and shine a light on how it’s a field well-suited to cultivate a more just society.”

These and other exhibits will be on display when Science Gallery Atlanta opens its doors for Community Day on April 1. Community Day marks the grand opening of the JUSTICE exhibition to the Emory and greater Atlanta community and will provide an opportunity for all participants to connect with Emory researchers, local community organizations and others with a passion for justice.

“It’s really about adding everyone’s voice to the JUSTICE community,” says Floyd Hall, interim director of Science Gallery Atlanta. “The idea is not only to see the way Eli, Kate, Emily and others have expressed their pursuit of justice, but to form connections that can continue beyond Community Day and the duration of the JUSTICE exhibition.”   

JUSTICE is on display March 30­–Sept. 30. Other justice-related events and programming will be held throughout the exhibition season.


About Science Gallery Atlanta

Through multidisciplinary collaborations between visual, performance, and media arts and fields ranging from public health, biology, theology, physics, sociology, economics and beyond, Science Gallery Atlanta at Emory University seeks to explore universal themes that impact our communities right here in Atlanta and, through our work, inform global discourse.


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