Examining science and art collaborations through a social psychology lens reveals the need for third spaces

SciArt is an evolving field that seeks to bring together art and science.Numerous SciArt spaces and initiatives exist, bridging the gap between the two andfostering interdisciplinary collaborations. However, personal and interpersonal obstacleshave been identified for both artists and scientists within the context of SciArtcollaborations and environments. Here, we first introduce key concepts about SciArt andthen leverage theories from social psychology in the study of group dynamics, includingsocial and group identity, group norms, and minority dissent and influence, to examineartist-scientist collaborations and their challenges. Drawing on social psychologyframeworks, our goal is to inform and encourage the creation of “Third Spaces” thatidentify common ground between practitioners, foster balanced interactions, build sharedgroup identity and new group dynamics, and ultimately move beyond discipline-specificidentities and institutionalized environments.