{"id":1430,"date":"2026-04-17T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/?p=1430"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:39:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:39:28","slug":"bridging-art-and-conservation-from-digital-design-to-diverse-disclosures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/2026\/04\/bridging-art-and-conservation-from-digital-design-to-diverse-disclosures\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging Art and Conservation: From Digital Design to Diverse Disclosures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"946\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-1.png\" alt=\"An image of Katy Tanis smiling and holding her colorful board book titled &quot;Love in the Wild,&quot; which features two lions with their manes forming a heart.\" class=\"wp-image-1431\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.520912547528517;width:715px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-1.png 946w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-1-300x197.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-1-768x505.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 946px) 100vw, 946px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Katy Tanis, AIP alumna and illustrator, celebrates the release of <em>Love in the Wild<\/em>, a board book exploring the diversity of animal relationships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>How can a background in fashion and computer science lead to a career as a leading conservation illustrator? In this episode, <strong>Kevin Matteson<\/strong> sits down with <strong>Katy Tanis<\/strong>, an alumna of the <strong>Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP)<\/strong> and the creative force behind the <em>Love in the Wild<\/em> children\u2019s book series. Katy shares her journey of &#8220;sneaking&#8221; into art departments, her crusade against ecological &#8220;fake news&#8221; in children\u2019s media, and how she uses vibrant, fashion-forward aesthetics to make &#8220;unlovable&#8221; species like nudibranchs, vampire bats, and genets impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ce155fab wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oA6Pabg2_co?si=4pqW9xB-G7gwXfv_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"68\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/youtube-image-removebg-preview-300x68.png\" alt=\"Listen on Youtube\" class=\"wp-image-432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/youtube-image-removebg-preview-300x68.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/youtube-image-removebg-preview-1024x233.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/youtube-image-removebg-preview-768x175.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/youtube-image-removebg-preview.png 1047w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-lions-mane-and-the-rainbow-tail-with-katy-tanis\/id1866616919?i=1000762009619\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"71\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/apple-podcast-1-300x71.png\" alt=\"Listen on Apple Podcast\" class=\"wp-image-435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/apple-podcast-1-300x71.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/apple-podcast-1-768x182.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/apple-podcast-1.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/4cVL43m09qoNKZLo8R2ac5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"73\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/Spotify-300x73.png\" alt=\"List on Spotify\" class=\"wp-image-437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/Spotify-300x73.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/Spotify-768x186.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/01\/Spotify.png 1015w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Accuracy Gap&#8221; in Media:<\/strong> Katy highlights a significant lack of ecological literacy in children&#8217;s products\u2014from putting penguins in Scandinavia to calling chimpanzees &#8220;monkeys.&#8221; She argues that if we don&#8217;t accurately represent where animals live and how they behave, we undermine future conservation efforts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Power of Stylized Science:<\/strong> You don&#8217;t need a dry, botanical sketch to be accurate. Katy uses her fashion background to create vibrant, &#8220;trendy&#8221; art that serves as an entry point for kids (and adults) to learn about niche biodiversity, such as the LGBTQ+ behaviors observed across the animal kingdom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diversity as a Hook:<\/strong> By showcasing the &#8220;rainbow&#8221; within animal families\u2014like the many colors of bees or frogs\u2014artists can break the &#8220;quintessential animal&#8221; mold and introduce the public to the 98% of species that usually get ignored by big publishers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Katy Tanis smiles from behind her open book, &quot;Love Under the Sea.&quot; The page spread shows several brightly colored sea slugs (nudibranchs) with the text &quot;living life with extra flair.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-1432\" style=\"width:729px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-2.png 1179w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Living life with extra flair&#8221;: Katy shows off the vibrant nudibranch spreads in <em>Love Under the Sea<\/em>, highlighting species that rarely get the spotlight in children\u2019s literature.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The &#8220;Hidden Gem&#8221; Teaser<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever wonder how lemurs actually ended up on Madagascar? Katy shares a sneak peek into her &#8220;informational fiction&#8221; project that explores the wild evolution of scientific thought\u2014from the realistic &#8220;rafting&#8221; theories to a long-debated (and quite literal) sunken continent. It\u2019s a fascinating look at how science isn&#8217;t just a collection of facts, but a changing story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-3.png\" alt=\"A book page illustration featuring a line of various mammals with ringed tails, including a red panda and a raccoon. Their tail rings are colored in rainbow gradients, and the text above reads &quot;love is love wherever it's found.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-1433\" style=\"width:572px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-3.png 720w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/files\/2026\/04\/Tanis-3-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Accuracy meets artistry. This viral spread features ring-tailed species like genets and lemurs, using rainbow motifs to connect biological diversity with the message that &#8220;love is love.&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><strong><em>Listen to the episode on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/project-dragonfly\/id1866616919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2N62uyldLzQnNQpxFJaETm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=85UrXLEoOR0&amp;list=PLGw8EM9GvgXEIZIg5VCqU4HPExwydxBhd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube<\/a>,<strong><em><strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>or on your favorite podcast platform.<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Check out the full list of podcasts on our <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/dragonfly-conversations\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"464\">Dragonfly Conversations<\/a><\/strong> <strong>page<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can a background in fashion and computer science lead to a career as a leading conservation illustrator? In this episode, Kevin Matteson sits down [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9425,"featured_media":1433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[24,33,36,34],"class_list":["post-1430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dragonfly-conversations","tag-alumni-spotlight","tag-art-science","tag-informal-science-education","tag-k-12-education"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1430"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430\/revisions\/1447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}