Archive for November 3rd, 2012

h1

STEM into STEAM: What’s in it for the Arts?

November 3, 2012

Another view

Thank you to Ann Thompson who has contributed this blog post on her recent experience and knowledge on STEM/STEAM.

While many are broadcasting the merits of attaching art to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum thrust, turning STEM into STEAM, art teachers often remain wary. They wonder, “Will this compromise my art content?” and “Does this put art learning at the service of other disciplines?” “Don’t we struggle to have art acknowledged as an important, stand alone, component to a complete education?” These concerns should be taken into consideration but I believe there is also an opportunity for both artists and STEM teachers to collaborate across disciplines to their mutual benefit.

I recently returned from a wonderful conference sponsored by several arts organizations in New Hampshire that included a panel discussion on STEM into STEAM. Panelists included:

  • Dr. Foad Afshar, Psy.D.,EdM,BAis a member of the Faculty of Psychology and Art Education at the NH.Institute of Art, Manchester, N.H.
  • Mark MacLean, MBE, CAGS, Assistant Superintendent of the Kearsarge Regional School District
  • Kirsten Reynolds, BFA, Video Art,Syracuse University, MFA, Studio Art, Maine College of Art www.kirstenreynolds.com
  • Dr. Elizabeth F. Smith, BA, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College
  • Spencer Topel, BM, MM Assistant Professor & Technical Director in the Department of Music, Dartmouth College
  • Moderator, Nancy Serrell, BS,MA Director of Science & Technology Outreach for Dartmouth College, Senior Consultant for Dartmouth’s Toxic Metals Research Program

The discussion posed several essential questions:

  • Can the Arts deepen the process & meaning of STEM subjects?
  • Does Art pose a question in the way that science does? Is there a difference in the sort of creativity used by a scientist and an artists’ creative practice?
  • What art skills and practices are relevant to STEM?

The consensus was that there are many parallels between art and science and that the arts can “collaborate, integrate & enhance” STEM learning. Artists need observational and analytical skills and patience to the same degree that scientists do. Creative juxtapositions can lead to new discoveries in both disciplines and “failures” often reveal new possibilities. Of course the pragmatic relationship to STEM for artists would be to discover new revenue streams for supporting the arts. STEM is very much on the table at the moment and as one educator put it,”If you aren’t on the table, you might be on the menu.”

Personally I believe artists have much to gain from associating with the STEM topics. We have always looked to nature and the physical world for inspiration and routinely transform materials. There has always been a degree of science in art as well as math and engineering, particularly in 3Dimensional art forms. Eco Art has become an established field and many Institutions are offering Art/Science Research Fellowships including the Smithsonian Museum. Read about their Fellows recent projects here: http://stevenmontgomery.net/individualtext.php?sectionId=4&textId=11&title=2012%20Smithsonian%20Artist%20Research%20Fellowship

For more information on STEM into STEAM:

Ann Thompson

Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, VPA | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »