Montana State art student publishes children’s book in collaboration with university professors

BOZEMAN - Thanks to a collaborative project blending mathematics and art, an undergraduate student at Montana State University fulfilled a longtime dream earlier this semester: publishing her first children's book.

Emma Bergman, a junior studying art at MSU, published "Norm the Narwhal's Quest for Treasure," a collaboration with Brittany Terese Fasy, associate professor in MSU's Gianforte School of Computing, and Jessi Cisewski Kehe, associate professor of statistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Written and illustrated by Bergman, the book tells the story of a toothed Arctic whale named Norm. Readers help Norm pick out objects that fit on his tusk, helping to explain the mathematical idea of a topological hole.

The story idea came to life after Fasy and Kehe received a grant to research topology and wanted to produce a children's book to present the subject in an accessible way. The project aligned perfectly with Bergman's interest in illustrating children's books.

"I had discussed with my painting professor Sara Mast that I had aspirations to become a children's book illustrator," said Bergman. "When Brittany [Fasy] reached out to her looking for a student who would be interested, she recommended me."

Bergman said the creative process of producing the story was her favorite part. She began by coming up with different ideas to illustrate the topic of topology, on which Fasy and Kehe provided feedback. Bergman liked the idea of a narwhal, because "it illustrated the concept of a topological hole visually and in a way that children would intuitively understand, since his tusk must pass completely through an object for it to be considered a hole."

The next step for Bergman involved creating sketches and determining the pacing of the story. She created character sketches and value studies for each illustration using a combination of traditional watercolor and digital techniques. By doing so, she said she was able to generate composition ideas and create the landscape of color that would encompass the story.

"From an illustration standpoint, I was really excited about the color opportunity that comes with an underwater theme," said Bergman. "I wanted to create everything in blues except for the objects with holes, which would be rendered in yellows and oranges. This way it would help children solve the questions as well as allow the book's illustrations to become warmer and brighter as the reader progressed through the book."

Both the writing and illustration required an attentive eye, she said.

"We spent a lot of time fine-tuning text, developing word choices and making sure that everything was mathematically accurate," said Bergman. "It felt very similar to the iterative creative process that I use as an art student."

Bergman, a Great Falls native, said she has been creating art for as long as she can remember. She spent many years focusing on realism and portraiture but has recently found a new interest in abstraction and storytelling.

During her time at MSU, she has applied her interests and skills by teaching art classes to children and teenagers, working as a student employee at the MSU Library with a focus on graphic design, creating an installation in Norm Asbjornson Hall and painting murals for the Benefis Health System pediatric and NICU unit and for C.M. Russell High School, both in Great Falls.

Her most recent project is an in-progress mural in Syracuse, Italy, with the MSU School of Art's study abroad program.

Bergman hopes to become a full-time children's book illustrator and continues to immerse herself in blending creative storytelling with illustration.

"I found a real passion for [children's book illustration] and would love to create more," she said. "I am currently writing and illustrating a new children's book and hope to share it soon. No matter the art form, I hope to create art and stories that people can connect to."