impact

When science looks like art

An exhibition at the Reynolds Homestead showcases breathtaking satellite imagery in a collaboration that blends research, creativity, and community engagement.

Rich Mathieson

4 Aug 2025

Four seventh-graders look at large satellite images displayed at the Community Engagement Center — Seventh graders from Trinity Christian School in Ararat, Virginia, examine the “Earth as Art” exhibition at the Reynolds Homestead’s Community Engagement Center. The collection features satellite images from NASA’s Landsat program, transforming scientific data into striking works of art. Photo by Kristin Hylton for Virginia Tech.

Brilliant reds swirl into icy blues, jagged coastlines form bold geometric patterns, and deep rivers carve elegant curves across desert plains. From a distance, the images look like modern art, but up close, they reveal something bigger: Earth, captured from space.

This summer, Virginia Tech’s Reynolds Homestead is hosting “Earth as Art,” an exhibition that transforms satellite imagery into striking large-format prints. The 18 pieces were captured by the Landsat Earth observation program, a joint effort of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that has been imaging the planet for more than 50 years.

“Our work at Reynolds Homestead is about creating access to learning opportunities that might not otherwise reach rural communities,” said Sarah Wray, the homestead’s community engagement, partnerships, and programs manager. “By blending art, science, and technology, this exhibit shows how research can inspire creativity — and how creativity can open doors to science.”

The exhibition was made possible through a universitywide collaboration that includes the College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Cooperative Extension, University Libraries, and VirginiaView. Images were printed and mounted by University Libraries’ exhibit services and curated with input from faculty and staff partners.

John McGee, professor and Extension geospatial specialist, led the effort to bring “Earth as Art” to Patrick County.

“The Landsat mission has been in continuous operation since 1972, providing an incredible archive of images,” McGee said. “What’s exciting is how these scientific tools generate images that are not only valuable for applied research to address local and regional issues — including agriculture, disaster mitigation and response, and forestry — but are also breathtakingly beautiful.

“That beauty sparks curiosity and creates an entry point for learning, especially in STEM-related fields,” he said.

Scott Fralin, exhibit program manager for University Libraries, said the project was a chance to connect the Reynolds Homestead and the Blacksburg campus while engaging the wider community in science through art.

“These images highlight the diversity of Earth’s landscapes and invite visitors to think about ecosystems, technology, and the role of remote sensing in understanding our world,” Fralin said.

False-color Landsat image showing green valleys, magenta ridges, and blue rivers in a folded mountain landscape — At first glance of this image from the exhibition, the New River appears as a whimsical, meandering blue stream. In reality, says John McGee, it has been carving its circuitous path through the Appalachian Mountains for millions of years. The bowl-shaped feature to the west is Burkes Garden, while Claytor Lake appears near the center alongside the purplish hues of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford. McGee generated this image using Landsat 8 data captured on April 22, 2020.

False-color Landsat image of a desert landscape with branching dark-purple river channels against yellow, orange, and red terrain — Deep purple channels hint at an ancient drainage network in Kenya, spreading into vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. The striking colors mask a harsh reality: The dark clusters near the top center are refugee camps. This image was generated by the U.S. Geological Survey from Landsat 8 data acquired on July 15, 2014.

Staff from the Reynolds Homestead, part of Outreach and International Affairs, selected images representing landscapes from every continent — glaciers, deserts, coastlines, and river deltas — including two regional features, the New River Valley and the Virginia-Maryland coast.

They also designed interactive elements such as a large-format floor puzzle and are developing educational materials tied to Virginia and North Carolina learning standards. Nearly 100 students have already explored the exhibition through field trips that combine art activities with science and engineering lessons.

For Rebecca Adcock, executive director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce, the exhibition demonstrates the power of engagement. “This is a great example of how our everyday lives are inspired, influenced, and impacted through art,” she said.

The exhibition is on display in the Reynolds Homestead Community Engagement Center before traveling to other communities.

To schedule a group visit or learn how to bring the exhibit to your community, contact Kristin Hylton at 276-694-7181, Ext. 26, or krhylton@vt.edu.