The Eureka Moment: Unveiling Metaphors of Discovery

“One does not photograph something simply for ‘what it is’, but ‘for what else it is.’” – Minor White

This exhibition explores how metaphors—often seen as poetic or artistic—can also be powerful tools for discovery. Far from being just decorative language, metaphors help us see the familiar in unfamiliar ways and open doors to new ways of thinking.

Minor White (1908-1976), a visionary photographer and educator, believed that creativity could transform even the most technical fields. In 1965, he founded the Creative Photography Laboratory at MIT, where he developed a curriculum that encouraged engineers to think imaginatively and explore the artistic dimensions of their work—extending the impact beyond the visual to encompass conceptual and creative realms.

Drawing from the art collection of the National Academy of Sciences, this exhibition invites viewers to consider how visual metaphors can spark insight. These works offer more than aesthetic experience—they are springboards for curiosity, inspiring us to question, reframe, and imagine scientific ideas in a new light. The exhibition features 16 works by artists including Lia Halloran, Jeffrey Kent, Rebecca Rutstein, Adrien Segal, and Mike and Doug Starn.

Image: Mike and Doug Starn, Structure of Thought 15, 2001-2005, MIS and Lysonic inkjet prints on Thai mulberry, Gampi and tissue papers with wax, encaustic, and varnish, 30 x 40 inches. Collection of the National Academy of Sciences.