STEAM

STEAM
Science . Technology . Engineering . Art . Math

A new show on view at the EKG exhibition space at the University City Science Center showcases how art can help students learn science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. Breadboard and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership (PAEP) have partnered to pioneer the movement to integrate Art into STEM education. The “STEAM” exhibit, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, highlights projects created in collaboration with PAEP, an artist, a teacher and middle school students in Philadelphia schools. A reception for the exhibition will be held on September 21st from 5-7:30pm at the EKG exhibition space at 3600 Market Street in Philadelphia. The exhibition closes September 30th.

The artwork on display demonstrates the students’ exploration into art and design ideas as critical thinkers, helping lay the foundation of creative problem-solving as they worked together to investigate aspects of climate change, geography, physics and spatial geometry.

Since 2007, artist Benjamin Volta and teacher Jerry Jackson have worked with students to transform the entranceway and hallways of Grover Washington Jr. Middle School into a Museum of Art Integration. The classroom becomes a studio where students experiment with activities that integrate art into the math and science curriculum. These activities lead students to think critically, develop their own creative voice, and work together as a collective. The artwork that they create is an expression of this collaborative method.Benjamin Volta also regularly works with classroom teachers and students from Solis-Cohen and Morton Thomas G Elementary Schools. Click here for Benjamin and Jerry’s full bios

 ”To walk into the classroom and to see how engaged students are in their own learning – taking responsibility not only for themselves but for their fellow classmates was very rewarding,” says Raye Cohen, PAEP’s Director of Education. “We talk a lot about the value of this kind of learning, but we rarely see it occur. However, here it is, happening in our project in our School District of Philadelphia school.”

Multiple Earths

Students from Grover Washington Jr. Middle School took a trip to The National Academy of the Sciences in Washington, DC, this February to listen to Warren M. Washington speak about his work as a climatologist. Dr. Washington’s lifelong passion for observing, tracking and seeking to understand climate change led the students to create work that attempts to make sense of the earth’s possible future when students asked Dr. Washington if it is possible for climatologists to reverse the earth’s warming through technology and creativity, the answers ranged from simple steps to lower emissions to highly technical methods of cooling the earth’s atmosphere. But what really stuck with the students was the notion to respond to crisis with innovation. The students hope that their artwork will function as a visual mantra for climate awareness as well as a catalyst for the collective potential of creative transformation.

Oxygen

Oxygen is a collaborative digital drawing project inspired by climate maps, diagrams of ocean currents, jet streams, and flight paths. The popular idea of planting billions of trees to combat the rise of CO2 led the students to enroot the continents with branching veins. Then through drawing “fantastic paths” they then set out to depict Oxygen as the ultimate sojourner – heroically traveling and circumnavigating the globe.

Universe X Universe

What does the origin of the universe look like? In the spring of 2011 over 200 school children from Solis Cohen Elementary School and Morton Thomas G Elementary School were led to explore multiplication, structural geometry and exponential growth. The colorful and intuitive patterning began as random positioning of colorful circles on the surface of a dodecahedron sculpture (which were laser cut at NextFab Studio and constructed by the students). But what began as random acts of transformation quickly transitioned into constellations of colors that express rhythm, movement, and meaning.

About PAEP:

The Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership (PAEP) promotes learning in and through the arts for students in K-12 schools throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. We accomplish this by working with teachers and teaching artists to design and implement arts integrated programs. We work with school districts, colleges and universities, and arts and cultural organizations throughout the region to encourage excellence in arts-in-education practice and to bring arts-based learning experiences to students who otherwise would have limited access to these opportunities.

The Long Term Residency is a program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that provides opportunities for a teacher and an artist to work together for 60 sessions. The purpose of these projects is to use the arts to improve core academic learning. Visit PAEP  for more information.