DIY Prosthetics
Reading: Art Education
I had been wondering why we were doing our projects about scribble bots, how this was connected to art, what direction we were going in and had started to get an inkling as to what direction we were headed...thinking how those who might not have the ability to create art in traditional ways (such as bed bound patients or people with limited mobility), when one of my fellow students mentioned if I had read the paper by our professor, Aaron Knochel and how art can be used in an extremely meaningful way to help people overcome limitations. I was very impressed by the thought and research involved. And most importantly, how art is not a vanity or something that is put on a shelf but is intimately beneficial to the betterment of people's lives. I was struck at how, if people had the support and ability to see the trajectory of how things can develop, how we might be so much more advanced in design and truly see art as beyond something that is static or some how regressive. A part of me felt like why aren't we seeing more of these connections as to what art can be? Maybe that is a whole different debate. If more people realized the impact of art as stepping stones to advancements to aiding people with disabilities or impairments or in general, bettering people's lives, there would be more value in art itself. Perhaps, if we viewed art inclusively and enriching all subjects, we would have art teachers for every subject and class. I honestly feel there needs to be several art teachers in schools...not one per grade or one per elementary school. The reason behind this is, not only does it provide jobs for teachers, it makes innovation higher, gives meaning to students work on a whole other level. Can you imagine math and art classes? What designs would they come up with? What would they show and really make blossom from collaborating algebra or geometry? Instead of an hour a day, what if a day was donated a week to each collaboration? English and Art? Science and Art? To me, these skills are things we should have been honing all along.
But going back to the journal, I was struck at how students were given free range to explore their interests (such as video games) while given restrictions as well to see how they could refine their concepts. Maybe all art classes should start this way...what problem are we going to solve? How are we going to make our world better? How can we better our neighbors lives and in the process better ourselves? How much more meaningful art would be if we framed art in the context of service rather than purely commercial or from a self-important point of view.
Aaron D. Knochel (2016) DIY Prosthetics: Digital Fabrication and Participatory Culture, Art Education, 69:5, 7-13
