Lead by Media Arts and Technology (MAT) P.h.D. student Yin Yu, "Digital Age: Experiencing Music and Architecture Through STEM" is a pre-college Summer program (SERA) that encourages high school students to blend science and art. The goal, as Yu stated in a 2019 Article of The Bottom Line, is to open up the minds of students to new design and problem solving strategies through interdisciplinary approaches, particularly focusing on areas such as architecture, music, and engineering. 

 

On July 16, 2019, Yu brought her students to the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (AD&AM), where each participant sketched two drawings: One drawing of an art work in the museum, and one perspective view of the gallery itself. 

 

This exercise was intended to develop the student’s close observational skills through drawing and increase their awareness of the architectural and spatial relationship to artworks. Students considered minute details such as natural light, artificial spotlight, and color, as well as larger architectural elements such as the walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture. 

 

Yu observed that she had been “showing many examples of art, architecture, and music to the students during the lectures; however, all of them are image slides or videos. To me, a field study is very important to the students so that they can learn and understand this subject with their own experiences and their own lenses. The museum shows tangible examples in front of the students with art, architecture, and careful design which is exactly what I hope students could learn throughout the course.” 

 

 

Below are a few examples of drawings by students. 

 

Alec Chen, sketch of Jeff Shelton's Collection of Tape Balls, 2005-2018. 

 

Alec Chen, sketch of Chicanismo: The Sanchez Collection interior. 

 

Cionnie Pineda, sketch of Roberto Benavidez's Giraffe with White and Silver Pattern (Bosch Beast No. 1), 2017. 

 

Cionnie Peneda, sketch of Roberto Benavidez: Garden of Earthly Delights gallery interior. 

 

Guthre Leonard, sketch of Roberto Benavidez's Blue Frog (Bosch Beast No. 3), 2017. 

 

 Guthre Leonard, sketch of Muse Project: Mary Heebner and Jeff Shelton gallery interior. 

 

Jared Bautista, sketch of Jeff Shelton's Model for El Jardin, 2007.

 

Jared Bautista, sketch of Common Bonds: Artists and Architects on Community gallery interior. 

 

Vishal Vijay, sketch of Roberto Benavidez's Bosch Double Cherry (Fruit Fascinator No. 1), 2019. 

 

Vishal Vijay, sketch of Chicanismo: The Sanchez Collection gallery interior.