Next week marks the start of the Crafting Change Symposium, a month-long virtual event series that will provide a bird’s eye view of how artists, technologists, educators, and makers of all stripes are using creativity to craft change in the classroom and beyond. The symposium is a month-long virtual event series featuring artist talks, presentations, panel discussions, concerts, and more.

TIMARA Technical Director Abby Aresty first conceived of the symposium back in 2019. And in fact, initially, the project was planned as two separate events: one event was planned as a weekend-long symposium exploring themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Arts disciplines. A second ‘micro maker series’ was to investigate artists, designers, and technologists creating hybrid technologies that blend traditional craft and contemporary technologies. 

When Covid hit, both event series were put on hold. “Since I first conceived of this project, it has transformed several times over before reaching its final form which we will all experience together over the course of the next month. And, from that initial spark, the symposium has developed in new exciting ways with the incredible collaboration of Oberlin students and alums including Rachel Gibson, Olivia Lu, Ben Cohen, Sarah Goodstein, Kiera Saltz, and Oli Bentley,” said Aresty.

“TIMARA is known for its incredible capacity for interdisciplinary work and this symposium really tests the limits of what could be called a “related art,” Aresty said. Featuring artists, musicians, computer scientists, curators, STEAM educators, science and art historians, and more, the series is sure to have something for everyone. 

For more on the symposium, visit http://timara.oberlin.edu/craftingchange and subscribe to our email list to stay up to date with the latest event information!