Cyanotype on Naan, © James Asava

For the Art + Science Competition entitled States of Change, we asked to see photography that examines art and science through transition, transformation, and instability. Change may be gradual or abrupt, visible or difficult to perceive, ranging from emotional shifts to environmental conditions. We invited artists to consider how photography can reveal states of change—where boundaries are not fixed and conditions are continually shifting.

James Asava’s series Molded by Family is comprised of cyanotypes of family photographs printed on organic matter that will decay and fade away, exactly like memories, and eventually, like nearly all family heirlooms. Asava’s documentation of his work’s deterioration is akin to scientists observing mold in petri dishes, revealing that rigorous observation is often lacking in our personal and family life. Without intense observation and reflection, it is hard to know what to evaluate.

Cyanotype on Naan, © James Asava

“Molded by Family” explores the shifting dynamics of familial relationships and the notable impact family has on an individual’s growth within their community. This series shows how we change through these connections, as the photographs themselves change over time. By printing on ephemeral materials, the photographs are intentionally designed to change, deteriorate, and eventually fade, vividly capturing the passage of time. Experiencing life in a large biracial family often brings forth feelings of disappearance, especially when siblings leave home, leading to a sense of isolation. This work utilizes cyanotype prints of archival family photos to convey these complex emotions. While photography has traditionally served as a method of documentation, this piece redefines the photograph as an adaptable medium, emphasizing families’ journeys as they evolve into distinct individuals.
Experiencing life in a large biracial family often brings forth feelings of disappearance, especially as siblings leave home, leading to a sense of isolation. In this work, I utilize cyanotype prints of archival family photos to convey these complex emotions. While photography has traditionally served as a method of documentation, I intend to redefine the photograph as an adaptable medium, emphasizing our family’s journey as we evolve into distinct individuals.

Cyanotype on Naan, © James Asava

Cyanotype on flour, © James Asava

Cyanotype on flour, © James Asava

Currently, James Asava is a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, concentrating in interdisciplinary arts. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Michigan University, specializing in photography and ceramics. His work has been featured both nationally and internationally, including throughout the United States, Japan, and China. His work reflects his biracial identity while generating discussions about societal and political issues, including gun reform, mental health, intimacy, and the challenges of Americanization. Rooted in a desire to connect with his Indian heritage, Asava uses tangible objects to explore these themes through photography and ceramics, including cyanotypes and other alternative processes.

Instagram: @asava99

Cyanotype on white bread, © James Asava

About the Jurors:

Linda Alterwitz is an independent interdisciplinary artist with a focus on photography. For over two decades, her work has combined art and science exploring the unseen systems that shape our world and the relationships between humanity, technology, and the natural environment to encourage dialogue around choice, trust, and collective experience. Using a high-resolution thermal camera and other digital and analogue techniques, she visualizes phenomena beyond ordinary perception.

She has exhibited widely in traditional exhibition and site-specific installations at institutions including FORMAT25, Derby, UK; Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA – part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide Getty Initiative; New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM, among others.

Alterwitz’s work is held in permanent collections including the Institute for Art + Environment, Reno, NV;  Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ; Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA; Hilliard Museum of Art, Lafayette, LA; Nelson Atkins Special Collections Library, Kansas City, MO; Santa Barbara Museum of Art Fearing Library, Santa Barbara, CA; Rochester Institute of Technology, Wallace Library, Rochester, NY, among others.

Recent awards include Nevada Arts Council Fellowship for Visual Arts 2025 and 2014, Individual Artist Grant from Healthy Communities Coalition 2023, NV, Individual Artist Grant 2020, Montana Arts Council, among others.

Instagram: @lindaalterwitz

Ben Hickey is the Executive Director for the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts in Buffalo, New York. Previously he was curator of exhibitions and Emily Cyr Bridges Endowed Professor of Art at the Hilliard Art Museum on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. With over one hundred exhibition credits, artists he has exhibited include Brian Kelly of the Marais Press, Letitia Huckaby, L. Kasimu Harris, Robert C. Tannen, Richard Landry, Pat Phillips, Sonya Clark, Hasan Elahi, Dawoud Bey, and James Surls.

Hickey’s most recent writing can be found in Beili Liu: Mend, a monograph published by the Art League Houston in celebration of Liu’s 2024 Texas Artist of the Year Award. Other essayists include Bridget Bray, Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, Eddie Chambers, Katie Pfohl, and Kay Whitney.

In 2023 Hickey received a Samuel H. Kress Foundation Travel Grant to co-present research related to Marais Press on-campus collaborations at the 51st Annual Art Libraries Society of North America in Mexico City. Earlier in his career, he presented Reshaping Our Programming: The Artist in Residence Program at the New York Historical Society in conjunction with an Association of Art Museum Curators annual conference. He has also served as a panelist or consultant for Villa Albertine, the Joan Mitchell Center, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, PhotoNOLA, and the San Antonio Art League.

Earlier in his career, Hickey held positions at the Masur Museum of Art, California Museum of Photography, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, and the Arts Council of Buffalo & Erie County. He is an active member of the Association of Art Museum Curators, having served as a trustee from 2015 to 2020. He earned his master’s in art history from the University of California Riverside and his bachelor’s in history from Canisius University.

Instagram: @_normal_ben_