VCU news

Today, the White House hosts its first-ever Maker Faire (#NationOfMakers) for students, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens who are using new tools and techniques to launch businesses, learn vital skills and fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing.

In response to President Obama’s call to empower students and entrepreneurs, Virginia Commonwealth University joined about 150 institutions in pledging to be “University Partners in Making.” The pledge includes steps such as investing in Makerspaces that are accessible to students across campus; expanding access to university shared facilities and scientific instrumentation to Makers; and supporting research, education and service-learning that is relevant to Making.

"Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to fostering a generation of Makers,” said John Wiencek, Ph.D., interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are proud to support the Maker Faire platform with programs already in development across the university that invest in Makerspaces, support Maker education and invest in regional efforts."

It should surprise no one that VCU — home of the da Vinci Center, CurrentLab and Creative Disruption Lab, among other innovative programs — already has a strong position within this movement.

“Maker culture is important to the arts because it connects 21st century practices of making in ways that are materially agnostic, blurring the lines of the sciences and art,” said Ryan Patton, Ph.D., assistant professor of art education who oversees VCU School of the Arts’ NEA-funded CurrentLab. “VCU is an environment that encourages breaking boundaries and polydisciplinary approaches.”

CurrentLab is a research initiative devoted to the development of digital arts education. Other recent universitywide initiatives include the development of The Depot, an innovative multidisciplinary facility with the potential to serve as a core laboratory; the Arts and Health Fellows Program, developed to create collaborations across arts, design and health care; the Advanced Media Production Technology interdisciplinary program, focusing on the craft of creating multiplatform content; and plans for the Innovative Media Studio, a VCU Libraries' project that will provide equipment, Makerspace, technology and experts.

"It is exciting for VCU and VCUarts to be part of the ‘University Partners in Making,’” said Joe Seipel, dean of the School of the Arts. “This burgeoning national movement is contributing to the culture of entrepreneurship and invention that is increasingly defining VCU's unique position as a leader in translational research and creative scholarship."

In addition to the White House Maker Faire, June 18 is a national Day of Making for communities across America to share and celebrate their involvement in the movement.

For more information on Making, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/13/5-questions-making-and-white-house-maker-faire

 

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