New Media Caucus / CAA Chicago 2014
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 1
Thursday, February 13, 2014
2:30 -5:00 p.m. at The Center for Book and Paper, Columbia College Chicago

3D Printing Panel and Roundtable Discussion
Roundtable chairs: Tom Burtonwood and Rachel Clarke

A massive expansion of 3D printing in the prosumer market has made it possible for artists and designers to use 3D print technologies in their practice. This began with expensive commercial print services where files could be sent out for production — services that expanded due to the availability of a growing variety of printing materials. With the advent of open source 3D printers, such as the RepRap project, the cost of this technology has come down significantly, opening up this sector to makers, hackers, hobbyists and educators. This in turn ignited the explosion of consumer facing brands and systems such as Makerbot, Printrbot and Ultimaker. As the price of printers decreases, many art / technology / new media departments in colleges and Universities have acquired a 3D printer or are planning to purchase one.

This roundtable is an opportunity to explore and discuss the emerging field of 3D printing in the art and technology / studio art context, with particular focus on pedagogy. The concurrent 3D print show, Art2Make at Columbia College’s Center for Book and Paper provides a context for what is possible and how 3D printing is being adopted as a medium.

● What are best practices for 3D printing in the curriculum?
● What are the obstacles to establishing a successful integration of 3D printing into the curriculum?
● What types of machines are available and what do they do?
● What safety concerns are there, what standards should be adopted or followed?

In addition to pedagogical concerns, artists/designers can discuss how they integrate 3D printing into their practice, and how 3D printing has changed their work:

● How does art practice and 3D pedagogy intersect?
● What new practices are emerging from the blurring of distinctions between the virtual realm and the physical one?

Who is the Roundtable for?
The 3D printing roundtable welcomes artists and designers who are conversant with 3D CG and 3D printing, educators who are using 3D printing, artists and educators who are beginning to explore the possibilities of these technologies, AND those who are simply curious about this emerging technology.

Panel and Roundtable Format
Introduction / rapid fire presentations by panelists / questions and group discussion / breakout sessions / conclusions

Call for Questions/topics: Please send topics/questions for the discussion in advance to Rachel Clarke and Tom Burtonwood (rclarke@csus.edu and tburtonwood@gmail.com)

Call for Panelists: if you wish to be considered for a rapid-fire panel presentation (There will be 10 presentations, each 6:40 mins) please send five jpeg images, a 1 paragraph bio, and a 1-2 paragraph description of your 3D print activities to Rachel Clarke and Tom Burtonwood (rclarke@csus.edu and tburtonwood@gmail.com)