Texas Art Educators Conference Moody Gardens- Go With STEAM!
I was so honored to be asked to be the keynote speaker at the Texas Art Educators Conference (TAEA) in Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas. My goal was to show others how art can and should be integrated into science, technology engineering, art, and math. Just before the lecture, I added a slide about my lecture at the 150th-anniversary celebration of Lewis and Carroll, where I spoke about my Alice in Wonderland sculpture project to be installed in Evelyn’s Park in 2018. In that lecture, I also talked about STEAM education. STEAM education is based on an educational initiative that focuses on STEM. STEM focuses on encouraging students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. These are areas of focus that needed encouragement because there are many jobs needing to be filled, but it is hard to keep students motivated in these disciplines. STEAM adds the Art element. When at the 2015 Lewis Carroll conference someone came up to me and was very upset that I added the A to STEM. The comment startled me. It was the first time I had ever had to defend the “A”.
My motto developed for TAEA was,
“Defend the “A” and go with STEAM!”
In fact, at the book signing, I signed many of my books with that same quote. It was my motto for TAEA 2017, and I’m carrying it forward.
I absolutely loved the group at TAEA. The excitement and positive comments that I received from so many about how I am incorporating STEAM with the Alice In Wonderland Project was encouraging. We are not done. Stay tuned for the virtual tour, and the educational game created from that virtual or augmented reality.
PLEASE if you like the keynote or attended my workshop and have comments I would appreciate it if you could send them to me along with your title and name. By making these public I can procure further engagements and this helps me to defend your “A.”
CONTACT ME If you have any questions or need information please feel free to contact me. I would love to know how teachers are using STEAM.
www.digitalsculpting.net My website on my book and digital technology
www.creativesculpture.com My fine art website.
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bridgettemongeon
Twitter https://twitter.com/sculptorwriter
Finding Alice Sculpture Page on Facebook
COVETED THIMBLE INVITATION WINNER!
During the conference I took names and offered the Coveted Thimble Invitation- this entitles the receiver to bring a friend to have lunch with me at the sculpture. Congratulations to Shane Skinner the TAEA Winner!
RESOURCES AND NOTES FROM THE KEYNOTE
Many of these are listed in the back of the book.
Many of these resources are found in my book 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling. For those of you who purchased the book at the conference, Thank you. If you have not purchased it at the show you can find it on Amazon. PLEASE- Amazon reviews matter. You don’t have to purchase the book from Amazon to review. I’d greatly appreciate your reviews.
The book has a corresponding website. It can be found at digital sculpting.net
- SymbioticA is the program at the University of Western Australia that combines scientists and artists. The podcast with Oron Catts on the art called Victimless Leather can be listened to on the book’s website.
- Joris Laarman is the artist that created Dragon Bench
- Bruce Beasley is a pioneer using digital technology in fine art.
- Leanor Caraballo created Object Breast Cancer – an artist’s work make a change in how cancer is researched.
- Robert Lazzarini morphed skull and telephone booth. An artist morphs work digital and recreates it using technology.
- Mary Neubauer creates art with code
- Nathalie Mibach weaves data into art
- Bathsheba Grossman Is another pioneer in 3D printing and make math into art.
- Erwin Hauer with the help of Enrique Rosada– Are recreating the deteriating panels of Erwin’s work created in the 50’s using 3D tech.
- Captured Dimensions- Dallas company that does photogrammetry with a booth and captured my granddaughter.
- 123D Catch- Photogrammetry with your phone. Please be aware of the fine print. They will own your 3D model. When searching for their URL i discovered that they have discontinued all of their free software including catch. This article has some other free options, but I have never tried them.
- Saving Mes Aynak A race against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan threatened by a Chinese state-owned copper mine. The video can now be seen on Netflix. 3D scanning subject.
- CyArk– Digitally preserving architectural heritage. They have a varied amount of educational material on scanning and 3D.
- Smithsonian 3D has a variety of educational material on 3D scanning artifacts.
- Olivier Van Herbt – 3D printing in ceramic. There are many free resources on how to build your own 3D printer for ceramic.
- Synappsys Digital Services– CNC ( Computer Numerically Controlled Milling.) See the process in the TAE video above.
- Shapeways and i.materailise These are two companies that offering 3D printing from files in a variety of materials.. They also list some free software to get one started on creating. ( Check the book for the different software to fix files for 3D Printing. )
- TXRX Makerspace in Houston is offers 3D Printers for Houston schools to purchase with a trade in program if they break.
- Smart Geometrics came in and scanned the sculpture “Move One Place On” to reduce it down. They will be back in the park to scan the entire area to create a virtual or augmented reality. I’m still looking for a gaming company to take that and make it into an educational resource.
- Utah Teapot. This is the tea pot that the Mad Hatter holds. Want to see a video about this famous tea pot and what it has to do with 3D technology?
RESOURCES FROM MY WORKSHOP- Please follow this link
OTHER RESOURCES- Alice In Wonderland
- Free printable of the Wonderland Detective Book. Use this with students to help find the 150 hidden items in the sculpture. I will be creating a series of YouTube videos to help teachers.
- Free printable of dodecahedron and a triangle with Alice in Wonderland images and sayings. Use this in conjunction with the books Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. This also helps to open up a conversation about the math and geometry behind 3D Technology.
FREE OR INEXPENSIVE GEMS HAT ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO PLAY WITH MATH
- Knot Plot Helps to visualize knots http://www.knotplot.com
- Surface Evolver Visualizes minimal surfaces http://www.susqu.edu/brakke/evolver/evolver.html
- TopMod A topological mesh modeler http://www.viz.tamu.edu/faculty/ergun/research/topology
- SeifertView Visualization of Seifert Surfaces http://www.win.tue.nl/~vanwijk/seifertview/
- Excellent tutorials on geometry and computation http://www.christopherwhitelaw.us/?p=567
SOFTWARE
- Blender Free- open source 3D Modeling, animating and much more http://www.blender.org
- Sculptris Free http://pixologic.com/sculptris Hard surface and organic.
- Daz Studio 3D Posing program- Free http://www.daz3d.com
OTHER FUN STUFF
- JWEEL Free browser based jewelry design program https://www.jweel.com/en/
- Learn Code for Art Processing 2 http://processing.org/
- Kids learn to create with code https://www.tynker.com/
- Provides the leading curriculum for K-12 computer science https://code.org/
Supporting Scholarships In The Arts With Alice And Her Friends.
Along with being a Keynote Speaker at the Texas Art Education Conference, Bridgette Mongeon shared some of the 150 hidden things in an Alice InWonderland Tea Party.
The Alice Sculpture Helps To Educate Others
November 2018, sculptor Bridgette Mongeon was the keynote speaker at the Texas Art Educators Conference in Galveston, Texas.
I am thrilled to be chosen as the keynote speaker for the Texas Art Education Association conference to be held November 2017 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.
Throughout my career as an artist and a writer it is just as important to me to share information and create a learning experience through the creation of my art as it is for me to create the art itself. At the 56th annual conference I will be speaking about the educational initiative title STEAM. I’ll share how others have used, Science, Technology, Engineering Art and Math in an interdisciplinary learning experience and how I have done that in my own studio.
I’ll be focusing on not only my own work but the work of others that I have collected in my book, “3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling. ”
Of course the Alice in Wonderland project title “Move One Place On” has the STEAM education in spades. I’ll share some of that as well.
The Unveiling Of a Sculpture, Accolades Of a Great Man And The Appreciate Of A President
Here is the entire dedication and unveiling of the sculpture that I created of John Turner and his dog. Watching this you will learn much about the man and all he has done. I was delighted that presenters read a a letter from George Bush. The letter talks about all that John has done in his life . Laura and George W. Bush thanked many for honoring this man including… “Bridgette Mongeon” (5:29) Thanks President Bush.
______________
Form More information on this press release please contact
Jessica Brown- Assistant
Or Bridgette Mongeon
Bridgette@creativesculpture.com
713-540-3201 c
Havoc- Harvey Halts Happenings
I have been wanting to update the blog for some time now. As many of you know Harvey came through Houston, Texas in late August and caused havoc to the entire coast. Everyone here in Houston was trying desperately to help everyone else out, muck homes, find housing etc.
Knowing how important it was to focus on the immediate needs of the community the Zenteno family decided to postpone the major fund raiser for Norma so that the city of Houston could focus their attention on recovery. As soon as we have a confirmed date for the fundraiser we will be sure to post it here. As far as I know, it is being rescheduled for early 2018.
Studio damage and safety of Norma.
I’m happy to report that my studio and Norma are safe. We had some roof damage in the back storage area, and a new roofer came and replaced the roof, but Norma is doing very well.
Harvey- Elation, Remorse, Numb
Today, after dealing with days of Harvey and surviving, then driving the dirt laden freeways down to the George R. Brown Convention Center to see what needed to be done, and then traveling side streets to the grocery store that is just yards away from the bayou that is no longer a threat and within its banks, I sat in my van and wept.
I wept for my elation for being safe. Though there are still those in other parts of Houston, who are being rescued. I wept for seeing all I saw today and how so many people were helping so many other people. I wept in gratitude; I wept from what might be exhaustion. I wept because I survived and that I lost nothing and so many others have and will. I wept because I’m taking my wine and my shrimp home and sitting in my house and eating and drinking that tonight. I wept because I will bring bags of freezer items home that I will place them in my freezer after I take out the many blocks of ice I made before the storm. I wept as I remembered the dazed look on the women still in her pj’s who just got to the GRB and kept saying, “My ceiling caved in, my ceiling caved in, it is all gone.” as her very mature ten-year-old son held her one 1/2-year-old. I directed her to the blankets and clothing, took her name in case I can find a place for her to go. Maybe I wept for her.
Is this survivors remorse? I don’t think it is technically survivors remorse, as that definition means I feel guilty for being alive. I don’t feel guilty for being alive; My heart is overflowing with gratitude.
I feel like I’m in a fog, kind of like I did when my mom died, and I would look at people differently. I would look at someone and think, you could have died, we could have died. You have your home; you are in a grocery store buying food from shelves, and not waiting in life at a rescue center. These are such opposites my brain can’t adjust; it can’t take it all in. I’m watching strangers greet each other with things like, “Is your home livable?” and “Did you lose everything?” There is not one person in this city who has not either lost their home or had a close friend or family member who has lost their home. Most will recover, some homes are a total loss. Most people are smiling- if they are not still in shock.
“Is your home livable?”
Our city and individuals are wounded. We are all in a daze and shock, and it is not over. I can’t believe I came home to turn on the news and hear about missiles and to learn we are now waiting for a chemical plant to blow up in Crosby, Texas. Yes, it will blow up, it is just a matter of time, and they have no idea what that will do to our air quality. I can’t comprehend this. Maybe I will have to leave my home. I may have survived the rain, winds, and flood, but not a chemical explosion with compromised air. Survival continues, don’t let your guard down yet. Maybe I’ll save the wine and celebrate another night.
Harvey- Local If You Want To Help By…..
LOCALS – IF YOU WANT TO HELP BY-1. Taking people into your home. 2. Helping shuttle people from a point in GO/OF to their families elsewhere.
If this post moves you let me know. I’m ready to try this.I’m headed down to the GRB to see. ( I did not remember that I had to put all of the brackets in my van before I could shuttle people. Neighbor men loaded the seats. I can probably take 10 people at a time.
I have one child seat. Thank you guys.) I have no idea what I am doing. Plan is, go PRAY. Talk to people and ask God to show me who needs a place or transport to a family member. I’ll post on neighborhood forum to see who wants to take in this family temporarily or for a while. Maybe the family can shower, have a good meal and then you can make arrangements to get them to their extended families once roads clear. If you are willing to do this please post on this post on MY facebook page. Please also let me know how many rooms and if you would prefer people with children, no children or even pets. I can’t always find my posts I post in OF or GO forums. If this grows I may need someone to help me organize a digital version of this. I have no idea how to monitor this. I want our Guests to be safe. Everyone doing this must know we do this at our own risk. I trust in divine guidance. I am planning on taking at least 5 people into my home. Others who can’t take people in and are willing to help provide hot meals and groceries for the homes that do this would be appreciated. If there is anyone from my church Bill Laucher that needs placement or has room let me know.
I WONT HAVE MY COMPUTER. I will be posting the needs as I find them from a tiny phone. so seeing posts here is the key. I’m going to try and pin this post to the top of my feed and make it global. If I have a family for you, perhaps you can text me on my phone. I DO NOT HAVE PRIVATE MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK ON MY PHONE DO NOT PM me I won’t get it. I will not be able to see PM’s
MEANWHILE list your availability below: Is it a home, shuttle to others, can cook meals for families and provide groceries for host homes, and pray. Thanks.
THOSE OUT OF STATE-As we place families and see their needs I’ll let you know so perhaps you can help sponsor that family.
Harvey – Update And An Idea
Update and an idea.
I am very thankful that I have stayed dry during this storm. So many have not. I have a bit of survivors remorse. Everyone wants to help everywhere and I, like others, am trying to figure out where I can be of most use, and still not compromise my recovery from bronchitis.
One thing i am good at is organization, communication, creative ideas and bringing people together so I am trying to figure out how to use those talents in a small way to help with recovery.
Streets within my area are passable. Some highways are opening up. There are two things that are on my heart. The relocation of individuals in the GRB or NRG is not something that the City of Houston can handle on their own. There are just too many people.Two days ago I posted on neighborhood forums I have neighbors who have said they would open their homes and I have three bedrooms vacant here. I have warned everyone they do this at their own liability. I can only pray that God leads me to the right people.
I know family and friends- for some this action may sound like a dangerous thing to do, but I can’t just leave my rooms vacant when I watch mom and babies sitting on floors in the GRB. There are not enough showers there. As always there are a mix of people and some have expressed their concerns that their kids see such things. My thought is to try and get help to put my van seats in,( ANYONE NEARBY THAT CAN HELP?) I’ll go down there, and see what I can see and if this will work. Yesterday I posted on Sherry Williams KHOU facebook page. She interviewed my about the Alice project. I thought since she is at the George R Brown, she might be able to give some advice or suggestion in making this work. But I’m sure they are very busy. Maybe with prayer and direction I can find some people who can either be relocated to something more comfortable in our homes in Garden Oaks – Houston Oak Forest Homeowners Association or create a shuttle service with volunteers that might possibly be able to reunite these people with loved ones who are high and dry. What that looks like in my head is- I meet someone they say they have reports that their family in wherever is fine. They have no car, clothes or resources to get there. I can either take them or shuttle them to a place where individual volunteers can relocate them. This works in my head. If you are a praying person, please pray that the path before me be opened up. Meanwhile, I think I need to drop off my wet dry shop vac and fans to someone who might need them in the hood.
Also, if you have any insights or suggestion or want to volunteer in anyway with this crazy plan let me know. I may also need some another car seat or little baby carrier seat, be sure it is marked with your name and phone number so I can get it back to you. I have one child’s seat now. If we create a shuttle system then others may need it as well.
Harvey- WHY WE DIDNT EVACUATE – THIS WAS NO ONES FAULT!
Please don’t judge the people and authorities of Texas and Houston. I am in this, and I have great respect for their actions. There are reasons for their choices. Reasons that many people, not living in the south, will ever understand.
I have heard people say, Why didn’t they evacuate? First, let me explain. Hurricanes are unpredictable. There is no way to tell which way they will go. Many factors made this bad.
1. STALED STORM Pressure from the north and west held Harvey over Texas. Houston was on the dirty side or the east side of the storm. This means rain, wind, tornadoes and a ton of things just like we experienced.
2. HARVEY WANTS TO MAKE ANOTHER ENTRANCE Harvey is pushing back out into the gulf and walking. He is literally, walking and not moving. He is pushing up moisture from the Gulf like a mean big brother on the beach testing our patience. We are still on the dirty side. More rain. If he comes to our East, we will be in much better shape. At this writing, he is not. No one is talking about the possibility that Harvey, as a storm in the Gulf. It could push water back up the bay and into already flooded areas. That is what hurricanes do; they push water up into areas along the coast. I’m sure no one wants to look at that scenario. We have so much to consider at hand.
3. OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
First, note that Houston is only 80 feet above sea level. Low altitude is why my head spins when I go almost anywhere. Houston area consists of a series of creeks and bayous reservoirs and lakes that hold back water and help water to flow. Some are released when at capacity. When working properly, these do work. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes people flood. Down river, people flood. I don’t know how they can live in such areas knowing this can happen, but they do. Some Houston streets flood during heavy rain and we all have it drilled into our heads “Turn around Don’t Drown.” We watch that. I know how easy it is to misjudge water. I was out the other night and could not see a thing. It was terrifying. Being born in Buffalo, NY, I have lived in snowstorms. You can put snow somewhere. You can’t do much with water. It runs, it erodes, and it can destroy very fast.
Everything flows from north and west of Houston through Houston or around in the case of some creeks, to Galveston Bay. I recently posted a map and a post about the bayous. The amount of rain Houston has had can not be blamed on anyone. We usually receive around 49.77 inches of rain in Houston a year. A little known tropical storm called Alison in 2001 might compare. It happened three months before 9/11, and we were forgotten down here. It was just a tropical storm, but once again, it brought a lot of rain rather quickly. According to wiki “The six-day rainfall in Houston amounted to 38.6 inches (980 mm). The deluge of rainfall flooded 95,000 automobiles and 73,000 houses throughout Harris County. Tropical Storm Allison destroyed 2,744 homes, leaving 30,000 homeless with residential damages totaling to $1.76 billion (2001 USD, $2.29 billion 2012 USD).” As I said, Harvey’s rainfall will exceed that, in just a few days. The stats will exceed that. The service core of engineers has never experienced this. No one has. They are calling it a once in an 800-year flood. What the heck does that mean?
The only thing I can frown at is whoever is responsible in the City of Houston who continues to allow so many new buildings in Houston with less green space. New buildings leave less room for water to be absorbed. I would love to rant about the city preventing new construction or demanding green space, but there is no reason to look at this now. For right now, a large amount of water has to get to the bay. It has to go somewhere.
4. EVACUATION
We have learned from the many storms that there is a way to evacuate. The process is that the lower lying areas or those that are first in harm’s way must be the priority. If everyone from Houston got on the freeways and evacuated, then those in real trouble could not get out. An example was the horrific Hurrican Rita evacuation in 2005. Rita was just weeks after Katrina. And Rita was going to be stronger than Katrina. We were all a little shell shocked down here. During Hurricane Rita, people panicked and according to Wiki “An estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people fled before Rita’s landfall, making it one of the largest evacuations in United States’ history.”
I was here. I stayed. Here is what happened. It was wall to wall cars. No one could move. It was hot, and gas ran out in the cars on the road. No one could get gas in to help the stranded. I fielded phone calls from friends who were caught in traffic for hours. Many finally turned around, but that was impossible because the city then opened the southbound to go north. It was excruciatingly hot and dangerous. I see the reports say that 90-118 people died even before the storm. A bus of elderly started on fire, and all were killed. These same roads and feeder roads that people traveled on are now under water in this storm. Evacuation of so many people is impossible. And, remember no one could understand how the other factors would play in this storm. The weather men do an excellent job of predicting, but they can’t be sure. People prepared the best they could. Some did bug out.
Some people are new to the Houston area and don’t realize how sensitive things can be or how drastic they can be. People also become complacent. There are people here who are in their 20 and 30’s who can’t say or know what it is like to go through this as an adult. They can’t say, well I remember Rita, or Ike, Carla or Allison.
I have lived in this house for 35 years. I have been through Alicia, in 83, Allison in 2001, Rita in 2005, Ike 2008, and Harvey in 2017. I have never seen this. Though Allison was similar, as far as flooding, Harvey will put Allison to shame.
As of this writing, it is not over. Some things can happen that can make this even worse. These would be; more rain, high winds or structure failures anywhere along the water areas. If something blocks the waters, then things back up upstream. Plus the ground is so saturated; this is the time that trees uproot. I mentioned the water that could be pushed up the bay if Harvey hangs around. I can’t even think of that.
I’m proud of how those in authority handled and are handling things, and I’m here. I can tell you now, after living through Allison, Houston has a long row to hoe, and at this writing, until mean big brother Harvey decides to quit picking on us and go away, we won’t know how bad things will be. We will recover because Houston is stronger than Harvey, but one thing is sure, in my book, this is no one’s fault.