What do oxygen, seltzer water, and the rubber eraser all have in common?

     … They were all discovered by chemist Joseph Priestley!  250 years ago Joseph Priestley would walk into his laboratory and heat mercuric oxide through concentrated lenses and sunlight. The result of heating this material produced oxygen.  Priestley was the first known person to discover this element. Mr. Priestley’s home and laboratory have been transformed into a museum and recognized as an International Historic landmark and works with the American Chemics Society and Penn State University. I am excited to announce that I will have a solo exhibit at the museum this August. 

  The exhibit at the Joseph Priestley House visually illustrates several of his previously unillustrated experiments, including ones that were successful and those that contributed to his success. Beginning with his first experiments at age eleven, which involved observing the behavior of spiders in a jar. The exhibit traces Priestley’s journey to his discovery of dephlogisticated air, known today as oxygen. The inspiration for the art employs my 'pseudo-medical illustration' style, developed from transforming 18th-century lithography into a contemporary drawing technique.

     The solo exhibit will be held in the Joseph Priestley Museum on August 2nd, 2024, the 250th anniversary of his discovery, and will be on view until November 15th, 2024, with an exception for a few select pieces to be on permanent display.

For visiting information, please check the museum website: Joseph Priestley Museum