Three 3D printing visionaries have agreed to curate a landmark art show at the Landing Gallery in Rockland, Maine.  Ping Fu, Joshua Harker and Asher Nahmias will judge entries based upon creativity, aesthetic beauty and good application of 3D printing to the design.

Bits to Its is dedicated to the use of new 3D printing technology to create art.  While other media can be incorporated in the full piece, 3D printing must be used for at least 75% of the design. The title of the show is borrowed from Dr. Neil Gershenfeld, the Director of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, whose work in digital fabrication led to the creation of the FabLab concept.

Bruce Busko, owner of the Landing Gallery, admits he was not sure what to make of the idea of a 3D printed art show when approached by the Maine FabLab.  “I wasn’t aware how much interest there is right now in 3D printing.  But we sent out the Call for Entries and within 24 hours had requests for submission forms from all over the US and the world.  There are some pretty cool, innovative ideas being proposed and we’re inspired by the scope of the show.”

Most interesting has been the response from artists who have traditionally worked in 2D, such as painters. Questions from artists new to 3D printing led Mr. Busko to enlist the help of the Micro FabLab in the Washington, D.C. area.  President and CEO Mike Adelstein says: “I quickly saw Bits to Its as a way to engage artists in a new medium.  We’re offering to 3D print entries at cost of materials for anyone who doesn’t have their own 3D printer.  We have a 3D Systems Corporation ProJet 3000 for high resolution and a Cube for color, so we should be able to handle most designs.”

GeoMagic founder and CEO Ping Fu is an obvious choice to judge the show.  She is moving to the new position of Chief Strategy Officer for 3D Systems Corporation, pending the sale of her software company to the 3D printer manufacturer, and is regarded as an innovator in the industry.  Her story of escaping the tortures of Mao’s China to lead an innovation success story is an inspiration to us all.

In accepting, Ms. Fu remarked, “I’d be happy to participate as a judge! It sounds like a very interesting event!”

An art show certainly needs artists in the curator mix and two in particular have expertise combining art and 3D printing technology. American Joshua Harker’s 2011 Kickstarter Campaign “Crania Anatomica Filigre: Me to You”
holds the record for most funding in the sculpture category, raising over $77,000 from almost 1,000 backers.  The piece is a more complex version of 2011 award winner.  He is a self-described artist, sculptor, scribbler, digital adventurer, imagination architect, and troublemaker.

Asher Nahmias, better known as the 3D printing artist Dizingof based in Tel Aviv, Israel, has gained renown especially for his Math Art.  The photo you see in this article is a 3D simulation of a Reaction-diffusion math pattern intersected with a scanned head.  Perhaps designs based on mathematical equations are the ultimate intersection of art and technology.

The show will open with a public reception on Friday May 3, 2013 from 5 – 8 p.m. preceded by a private fundraising reception on Saturday April 27, and a week of educational activities coordinated by the Maine FabLab, a part of the MIT FabLab network, hosted by the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine.  All art will be available for sale.

Digital submissions to be considered for the exhibition are due March 15.  This link provides more information, as well as instructions for entry forms.

The Maine Coast has been an artist colony for over 100 years.  The Farnsworth Museum across the street from the Landing Gallery in Rockland has strong ties to the Wyeth family of artists who were considered innovators in painting.  It seems fitting that the tradition of pushing art’s creative envelope continues by utilizing a true 21^st century technological advance!