GC Insights: Integrating Art and Geoscience through STEAM: Public Perceptions and Learning at a Cultural Festival

Abstract. GeoArte, an art-integrated geoscience initiative developed within the STEAM framework, was presented at the International Festival of Living Arts (FIAVL, Loja, Ecuador, 2025) and evaluated through a post-experience survey of 30 non-specialist visitors using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Physical geological specimens were the single most cited attraction (86.7 %), yet a comparable majority (83.3 %) rated artistic mediation as strongly facilitating their understanding of geological concepts, with high agreement also recorded for heritage learning and art–geology recognition. Given the exploratory design and absence of pre-test measures, these results are interpreted as preliminary evidence that authentic specimens and artistic representation operate as complementary rather than competing channels of engagement, supporting the applicability of STEAM methodologies in community-based geoscience outreach and geoconservation.