A close up of some cyanoprint artworks, on paper cones made to resemble teepees.From July 24 to 26, 2024, Montana State University partnered with Stone Child College to host an original Quantum Sunprint Workshop.The event, designed to create dialogue about quantum science in Montana, broughttogether quantum physicists, Indigenous artists, botanists and students from MSU and SCC for three days to learnabout quantum science and its place in Montana’s human and natural environment.

The workshop revolved around cyanotype printing, an artform wherein items are laid on top of a material coated witha solution of iron salts that turnblue when exposed to the sun. Objects are laid on top of the solution, which prevents the solution from setting and leaves a crisp imprint onthe surface. As Montana’s emerging quantum industry ties mainly to the fields of optics and photonics, cyanotype’s focus on light allowed physicists and artists to meet halfway and discuss each other's areas of expertise.  

To start the workshop, botanists from the Montana Native Plant Society led participants on a short hike to collect botanical specimens to use in their art for the workshop while discussing the many species they passed. 

The workshop gathers around a deer hide, everyone helping to coat the material in cyanotype ink.

All of the participants thenspent the next days learning about cyanotype printing, native plants, native perspectives on science and place, and quantum physics. They split their time between the art workshop and tours of MSU physics laboratories. 

The participants shared lunch and dinner throughout the workshop, leading to prolonged, informal conversationson everyone's expertise and facilitating fascinating conversations. 

The workshop culminated in a public exhibit of the art created during the workshop, which included cyanotype prints made of maps of Montana, a tanned deer hide, and paper teepees. A short talk at the opening and posters on the walls of the exhibition detailed thequantum context of the art. 

The workshop was designed and led by Bruce Barnhart of the MSU School of Art and supported by the MSU Applied Quantum CORE, MSU Science Math Resource Center, and IMOD, the Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand at the University of Washington.

Deer hide with cyanotype ink curing in the sunlight with botanicles and artworks overlaid on top of it.