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Data Artist Nathalie Miebach Joins School as Inaugural Artist-in-Residence
Later this month, the University of Virginia School of Data Science will welcome internationally recognized artist and data storyteller Nathalie Miebach as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Miebach, known for transforming scientific weather data into woven sculptures and musical compositions, will be in residence Oct. 20–24, 2025, engaging students, faculty, and the community in a week of workshops, lectures, and presentations, and an exhibition.
Data as Storytelling
Miebach’s work sits at the intersection of art, science, and storytelling. Using basket weaving techniques, she translates data from sources such as weather patterns, climate models, and ocean tides into intricate three-dimensional structures. Many of her pieces also include musical scores that allow data to be heard as well as seen, offering new ways to interpret and connect with complex information.
Her residency at UVA represents a first for the School of Data Science, which launched the program to highlight the power of creativity and the arts in advancing data science and storytelling.
“This residency underscores our commitment to exploring data science as a human-centered discipline—one that thrives at the boundaries of science, technology, and art,” said Phil Bourne, founding dean of the School of Data Science.
Residency Highlights
Over the course of her residency, Miebach will lead a series of events designed to invite the UVA community into her creative process:
• Oct. 21 – Student Workshop: “Weaving Data Into Story”
A hands-on, three-hour workshop where students will use basket weaving techniques to transform personal datasets into narrative objects. The workshop emphasizes play, risk-taking, and discovery in shaping new forms of data-driven storytelling.
• Oct. 23 – Evening Program: “Data, Story, and Sound”
An artist presentation and live musical performance, followed by a Q&A session and a public exhibition and reception at the Capital One Hub. Open to the public.
• Classroom Visits and Conversations
Throughout the week, Miebach will meet with undergraduate and graduate students, guest lecture to classes on data communication, and connect with faculty across disciplines to discuss the role of art in science and education.
Data, Storytelling, and Community
Miebach’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Museum of Science (Boston) and the Peabody Essex Museum. She has delivered a popular TED Talk, and her practice has been featured in publications ranging from Smithsonian Magazine to The New York Times.
Her time at UVA is part of a broader initiative by the School of Data Science to embrace creative approaches to data interpretation and public engagement.
Emma Candelier, chair of the Art & Artifacts Committee, noted that Miebach’s residency reflects the committee’s mission to highlight the powerful partnership between art and data. “Her work beautifully demonstrates how data can become something tactile, surprising, and deeply human.” As part of the Thursday evening program, Candelier, a cellist, will join a string quartet to perform one of Miebach’s data-driven musical scores, demonstrating how data can be experienced not only visually but also through sound.
A School Without Walls
The residency reflects the School of Data Science’s ethos as a “School Without Walls,” fostering collaborations that cross boundaries of discipline and method. By inviting an artist whose work makes data both visible and audible, the School highlights how the arts can open new doors to understanding, empathy, and discovery.
This year, they are also launching the second Data Is Art Competition and collecting submissions through Jan. 18. The theme is “Truth,” inviting participants to explore what does truth look like in data. A panel of jurors will select a group of finalists whose pieces will be displayed in the School’s public gallery space. The competition culminates in a spring awards ceremony and reception.
For more on Nathalie Miebach’s work, visit nathaliemiebach.com.