13.1 Two Takeaways from Section IV Readings

1. Blikstein Reading - In the Blikstein reading, the author presents a very fascinating idea that he terms "the democratization of skillsets." Of this he states: "Every  few  decades  or  centuries,  a  new  set  of  skills  and  intellectual  activities  become  crucial  for  work,  conviviality, and citizenship—often democratizing tasks and skills previously only accessible to experts. " Here, he is offering a very simplistic classification for a phenomena that I'd always observed without fully comprehending the gravity. His assertion here is undoubtedly true, for when skills or activities are in demand, they do indeed become nearly essential for every aspect of our day-to-day life. One example I can think of (which he lightly addressed in his discussion of the computer programming of the seventies) is the advent of modern technology, namely the internet and social media landscape. Simply within the span of my own lifetime, computers have evolved from e-mail-centric, AOL instant messaging boxes, to entire virtual landscapes, and proficiency in navigating these landscapes has certainly been democratized. Most jobs require some sort of base competency with digital operation systems, whether it be the basic proficiency in Microsoft Office Programs, or full-blown experience with computer coding. It is just very easy to see how quickly our society can weave certain skills or activities into the threads of our daily lives, if they hold potential value.
2. Dieter and Lovink Reading - In thesis #3, the authors note that the maker is still an outsider within academic contexts, and I have to agree. The maker is at an odd crossroads between the arts and the sciences, and most conventional spheres of academia don't really have a space for makers to fully delve into the type of work where innovation can thrive. Here at TC, we do a great job with the Thingspace Studio, but one might be hard-pressed to find such an expensive, state-of-the-art facility that is literally dedicated to makers elsewhere. Personally, NMNF represents the full extent of my own maker education, as I've never been able to engage in maker spaces throughout grade school or undergraduate. Considering the vast importance of making, which I've come to understand through this class, a greater effort should be expended toward bringing makers into the inner circle of academia, and this "outsider" problem is one that must be addressed. 

The role that making, tinkering, and electronics can bring to an art classroom: Making, tinkering, and electronics are great ways to spark students creative sensibilities in untapped ways that transcend the traditional molds of art education, while also bringing a certain extent of problem-solving to the arts. For example, when making our closed circuits for Assignment 13.2, Jackie and I were completely unfamiliar with how a circuit worked, so we simply had to experiment with the batteries and copper strips until our LED light lit up. All we had was the diagrams we were given, and the necessary materials to make it work, but everything past this point fell to our own ingenuity. Such an experience of simply "figuring it out" is uncommon in the arts, but I believe it is a necessary element of artmaking that can extend to other forms and materials.