From STEM to STEAM; a user's view

 Since the beginning of recorded history, art and science have been intrinsically linked.  Arts and cultural evolution synchronize with the advancement of scientific discovery and innovation.  Without one the other languishes.

The movements of the sun, moon, and stars were tracked in ancient monuments adorned with glyphs, pictographs, and carvings.

In the great engineering marvels from antiquity – in Africa and Mesopotamia;  Europe and Asia; and spread across the globe –  science and art are inseparable…  in fortifications, agora, aqueducts, pyramids, temples, and monuments.

In Europe’s Renaissance western civilization’s greatest artists were also revered as history’s most esteemed and prolific scientists – Leon Battista Alberti (1402 – 72); Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519), Michelangelo (1475 – 1564); Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528); etc.

Even today, micro and macro worlds are explored and informed through artistic colorization…  just witness the marvels of the universe revealed through the Hubble Telescope; or the intricacies of DNA explored thorough scanning probe microscopy.

From my own experience, I was trained as an architect.  So my undergraduate education included physics, advanced mathematics, and engineering.  Yet, my undergraduate degree was in art history, a Bachelor of Arts which encompassed both cultural history and artistic expression.  Similarly, the arch of my career has often bridged this contemporary chasm between art and science – industrial arts; documentary filmmaking; museum exhibit design.

So why has STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) become so ingrained in the contemporary education lexicon, when STEAM education (including the “A” for Arts) has been demonstrated as such a key component in workforce development?

For instance, in recent years, I have witnessed the likes of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) rocket scientists  -- yes, literally rocket scientists -- using Worcester Art Museum (WAM) Old Masters collections to teach mathematics, physics, and astronomy.  I have interviewed seasoned med school professors at UMass Memorial Medical Center who proclaim the virtues of a course required of first year medical students which uses artworks to hone the powers of observation, description, analysis and interpretation over the marvels of medical science testing.  I’ve participated in professional forums with practicing Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) pediatric and geriatric physicians extoling the merits of arts therapy in their prescriptive practices.  Or conversely, I’ve curated exhibitions of artists who gain inspiration from scientific microscopic or telescopic imagery at AVA Gallery and Art Center and juried student artwork in an exhibition on the theme “What the Moon Means to Me” for the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. 

Historically, our policy makers often look to data to establish and evaluate societal initiatives, particularly in education and workforce development -- often relying on simplistic metrics such as standardized test scores or Return on Investment (ROI).

However, the tide is turning.  Many educators are now advocating for alternate measures of educational aptitude and workforce readiness.  HR professionals for 21st century enterprises are prioritizing creative problem-solving and ingenuity over rote learning.  Savvy business investors are beginning to consider SROI (Social Return on Investment) to measure and evaluate not merely financial impact but also the effect on environment and sustainability; health and wellness; livability and cultural vibrancy.

Arts play a key role in all these forward-looking endeavors.  How can we not talk about STEAM education in this dialogue?