Why STEAM?
One of the current models of American education is called STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. This mixed-media exhibition, connecting ‘high tech’ and ‘high touch’ sensibilities, explores the relationship with STEM and the Arts.
STEM precepts came to the fore in the late 20th Century (initially as SMET), and I first encountered it in the 1990s when I worked in the Education Department of the Portland Museum of Art. I understood the need for it, as the US was demonstrably falling behind in these disciplines compared to other countries with which we compete economically.
STEM seemed somewhat incomplete, however - limited in its scope by disregarding too many other vital connections. Like Art. Creativity arises in every discipline, and it is rarely confined to such strict academic regimens. But STEM was a way to address a need, in a fashion that would allow it to be defined and - equally importantly - funded.
One of the implications of STEM seemed to be that Art would become secondary as an educational and funding priority. Yet, as this exhibition demonstrates, that intersection where the visual arts meet STEM is crucial; in fact, these disciplines often become inseparable as they become intertwined. How we get to that intersection is key. A growing movement has advocated for adding that A for Arts to STEM and, by strategic arrangement, creating STEAM.
By observing how the artists in this exhibition have framed their own relationships with STEM thinking, perhaps we can better frame our own. For some quick insight in a highly readable article, please see: “A Brief History of STEM and STEAM From An Inadvertent Insider,” at scholarship.claremont.edu/stea.... It’s worth a look!
- Wes LaFountain Guest Curator