Wiki Workshop for Educators

This past Wednesday I did a workshop at the University of Pittsburgh for educators in southwestern Pennsylvania for the Building Bridges Through Project Art Smart. Here is the wiki link: http://buildingbridgesartsmart.wikispaces.com/

15 Minutes Gallery in 120 Minutes

Last night I visited the opening of the 2009 Annual Art + Technology Exhibition and The BurghBot Project at the 15 Minutes Gallery . The show featured more than fifty works in various media by Pittsburgh regional artists. These kinds of synergistic exhibits that involve art using technology as a way to express contemporary themes are very refreshing. The exhibition will open at the 15 Minutes Gallery on June 18, 2009 and run through September 1, 2009.

I was most intrigued by an artist, Elizabeth Perry, who wore a jacket that had LEDs, a AA battery and conductive thread and fabric sewn into it. It lit up when she pressed on the interactive fabric. I was compelled to talk with her and discovered that she is both a writer and new media artist. On a blog site she started in 2002, she maintains a daily online sketchbook. After researching her work I also discovered she is a fellow at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University and founding editor of the Pittsburgh Signs Project, an online public art project documenting the visual landscape of Western Pennsylvania. She also works at The Ellis School, in Pittsburgh, PA, where she helps teachers integrate technology into a PK-12 curriculum.

The exhibit also featured work from the BurghBot Project. This work showcased the work of the robotic artwork of ten East coast artists (Aurelia Friedman, Andrew Hosmer, Anneka Herre, Chin-Chiang Tseng, Elizabeth Perry, Jessica Jade Jacob, Keary Rosen, Laura Tabakman, Sandy Kessler Kaminski and Wes Huang) exploring the intersections of art and technology. Each artist had created an interactive, artistic adaptation of CREATE Lab's robotic frameworks.

Also interesting was a presentation by T. Foley on designing ringtones. I particularly enjoyed learning how the students at Dilworth have also been involved in this project creating musical ringtones.

Wiki Work Space

I have finally started a professional wiki work space. It is a work in progress:
http://camillenischal.wikispaces.com/

Also working on one for a wiki workshop I will be doing next week at the Building Bridges: Project ArtSmart Project session:
http://buildingbridgesartsmart.wikispaces.com/

Website Launch

After exploring Dreamweaver and iWeb I launched my first website:

http://it-duq.homeftp.org/IT2/Nischal/About_Me.html

Twitter Sites for Artists & Art Educators

http://naeaelementarydivision.ning.com/group/artteachersontwitter
http://twittgroups.com/join/arted20
http://twittgroups.com/group/arted20
http://mashable.com/2009/02/23/twitter-artists/

Art Education Tweets

Recently walking through Duquesne University's College Hall I noticed something on one of the bulletin boards:

"Follow the History Department on Twitter."

I have been experimenting with Twitter as I tweet information to the students in the Mercyhurst Art Ed. program. It is great to have a tool that allows me to tweet info. about alumni and current students, requirements, and other things relevant to students.

It is interesting to watch groups and individuals "following" our program like a group called, "Erie Jobs" and random artists that don't seem to have any affiliation with the program at all. I remember reading an article somewhere about how Americans have more free time than ever before. I find myself thinking about how strange it is that people are using that ample free time to follow people and groups they really don't know. Are people really that interested in following a program that they have never had direct contact with? What is the rationale?

Well maybe you are one of those people? If you are, you may be interested in following us too:

http://twitter.com/MercyArtEd

Aesthetic Experience and Interactive Technology Environments

As I work on my presentation for GDIT 703 sorting slides I came across Nick Sousanis, a comic artist who re-presents legends in the field of art education such as Maxine Greene and Judy Burton:

http://spinweaveandcut.blogspot.com/

Traveling on The Digital Media Superhighway

There I am. Riding in what my former inner city high school students would call a "hoopde." I never fully realized the significance of this image until now. Packing my bags and driving back and forth from Erie to Pittsburgh as well as from Pittsburgh to Erie twice a week (to work, go to grad. classes and to be with family and friends). Driving down the road (the metaphor of my life right now) as I navigate between the diverse worlds of being a mother, artist, a student and a teacher... As I contemplate what this means in my weekly commute of two hour reflection each direction, I realize that I am learning how each of my identities feeds and informs the other. I am now excited to be navigating between the worlds of technology and the arts and I am working on a paper that involves exploring aesthetic education in interactive technology environments including virtual worlds. I was thinking of a conversation I had with Mara yesterday about us inviting guests to our Aesthetic Technologist podcasts. She had suggested we invite Dr. Maxine Greene which is very exciting to think about. I think it would be interesting to think about the role of art, aesthetic education and imagination in virtual worlds (and Second Life) and perhaps talk to Dr. Greene about what this means. I will get back in my hoopde and drive a bit more thinking about how to make that happen. Anyone out there have any thoughts?