Linking Science and The Arts

For over 50 years, the Chapman Cultural Center has supported Spartanburg’s arts and cultural organizations – from theater, dance, music and literature to media and crafts. It is a hub for Spartanburg’s arts and culture community, maintaining the facility which many professional arts organizations call home and providing financial support to ensure their success.

Milliken & Company has supported this work since 1987, witnessing the evolution of the Arts Council to the Chapman Cultural Center as it is today. Since 2013, Milliken and the Chapman Cultural Center have partnered to host a day of the Muse STEAM Institute at the Roger Milliken Center. The daylong event features a panel discussion with Milliken associates about the relationship between the arts and the sciences and a tour of the Milliken Innovation Gallery.

“Milliken is full of curious people who want to answer questions and solve problems,” Sharon Free, Milliken chemist and Spartanburg Community Band flutist, said. “It’s important to think critically and ask questions. Growing up, I had teachers that encouraged this.”

For Free, making beautiful music is her creative outlet outside of Milliken. Similarly, Milliken scientist Darin Dotson is a vocalist for the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble.

“As a student, I always asked ‘why,’” Dotson said. “We want students to question the world around them in creative ways.”

“The best teachers are those that can explain how things work. That skill has helped me to grow at Milliken,” Maria Zazzara, Milliken microbiology lab specialist and flutist, said. “I used to think I had to choose between science and music. I didn’t think I could do both.”

The Muse STEAM Institute is a professional development opportunity funded through a grant to Chapman Cultural Center from the S. C. Department of Education that offers graduate credit in the latest STEAM and art integration techniques. The institute establishes the arts as an essential part of education by exposing teachers to various art forms and encouraging them to adopt the arts as part of their teaching toolkits. 

“It’s rewarding to see how inspired the teachers are after Muse,” Ava Hughes, education director at Chapman and organizer of the Institute, said. “All the feedback we receive is positive, and many of the teachers who attend find ways to incorporate what they learn in their classrooms.”

Hughes says that Milliken provides a no-brainer link between the arts and sciences. While many of Milliken’s products rely on chemistry and microbiology, they also rely on thoughtful – and artistic – design.

“Innovation requires creativity, and art is a part of the creative process,” Hughes said.

Hughes received glowing reviews of the daylong visit from past cohorts…

• “Listening to chemists, physicists, and biologists discuss the impact of the arts and their teachers inspired me.”
• “I loved learning about the expansive reach Milliken & Company has throughout the world! The panel was surprisingly artistic.”
• “I liked learning about how the arts play into the scientific community. I liked meeting people who love their job and contribute to the world in a very significant way. This day was just amazing!”

“Milliken has been such a great sponsor over the years,” Hughes said. “Every year, we are so inspired by Milliken’s history of innovation.”