Data into Art: Data Visualization Collaborative Course Between the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) president Walter Massey, a scientist at the head of an art school, has noted that, “[i]n today’s increasingly data-driven world, artists and designers have much to contribute to innovation alongside scientists and engineers.” One of the key undertakings in bringing art and design into the realm of STEM education has been an ongoing collaborative course between SAIC and Northwestern University (NW) on data visualization. Culminating in a student exhibition, the course involves students and faculty from each school creating coherent, visual representations of large data sets. Director of the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Centers for Research and Collaboration Doug Pancoast and dean of Undergraduate Studies Tiffany Holmes will present on the progress of the course, which has been taught twice and will be in the middle of its third iteration at the time of the 2015 AICAD Conference.
Dean of Undergraduate Studies
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Tiffany Holmes is the dean of Undergraduate Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). At SAIC, Holmes leads the Conversation on Art and Science lecture series, the Scientist-in-Residence program, and an evolving data visualization course on campus. Her career as a media artist and educator spans twenty years; her research interests are focused on the potential of art and technology to promote environmental stewardship.
DOUGLAS PANCOAST
Director, Earl and Brenda Shapiro Center for Research and Innovation and Associate Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Douglas Pancoast has worked for firms including Richard Meier and Partners, 1100 Architect, BlackBox Studio at SOM, and agency.com. His current interests include examining how large public data sets (economic, environmental, social, cultural, civic) are a context for creative practice. Recent projects include the Array of Things, for the Chicago Open Data Portal, and WiBlox, for the Chicago Innovation Exchange.
