Computers and fabrication: Revolutionizing the art world — from edutopia.org by Mary Beth Hertz

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Created with a 3D printer at the 2006 Maker Faire

Created with a 3D printer at the 2006 Maker Faire
Photo credit: 42614915@N00 via flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Excerpt:

For those who fear that we, as humans, will stop making art with our hands, one only has to look at the many FabLabs and MakerSpaces (there are even MakerFaires!) around the country and in our schools to see that hands-on creativity is not dying — it’s simply evolving. Young people are still attending art schools, still painting, sculpting and printing, many of them in “traditional” ways.

Picking Up STEAM
So what is the implication for K-12 schools? First and foremost, we need to fund the arts in our schools. We also need consider that some of the artists in our schools and communities may be programmers or makers, not just illustrators and painters. Our art programs should reflect the art that our young people see every day and the tools that they are accustomed to using. As much as I am not a fan of trendy, buzzword acronyms, I would argue that the new trend toward incorporating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) can start the process of rethinking what we consider art and acknowledging the evolving world of digital art and Maker communities.

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Art teaching for a new age — from The Chronicle by Sean T. Buffington

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Art Teaching for a New Age 1

Mágoz for The Chronicle

Excerpt:

In arts education, something profound is happening that will force us to rethink what and how we teach.

Art making has changed radically in recent years. Artists have become increasingly interested in crossing disciplinary boundaries—choreographers use video, sculpture, and text; photographers create “paintings” with repurposed textiles. New technologies enable new kinds of work, like interactive performances with both live and Web-based components. International collaboration has become de rigueur. Art and design pervade the culture—witness popular television programs like Top Design, Ink Master, and—the granddaddy of them all—Project Runway. And policy makers and businesspeople have embraced at least the idea of the so-called creative economy, with cities rushing to establish arts districts, and business schools collaborating with design schools.