User:Tomburtonwood

User:Tomburtonwood



Bio
Tom Burtonwood is an artist and educator based in the Chicago area. Like many people he discovered 3D printing by way of the laser cutter and quickly became enamored by the alchemy of it all. He is the first Ryan Center Artist-in-Residence at The Art Institute of Chicago. Recent projects include Orihon “the world’s first” 3D printed book, which was featured on The Huffington Post, Boing Boing, The Paris Review and Tech Crunch. His 3D printed art works have been exhibited by the Metropolitan Museum at World Maker Faire in New York; and at the Bruce High Quality Foundation University in New York; Terrain Biennial in Oak Park; Medium Cool Book Fair, Chicago; Fuseworks and Front Room Gallery both in Brooklyn, New York; New Capital in Chicago and the Chicago Cultural Center. Burtonwood has presented his work and demonstrated 3D printing at numerous events and venues including The United States Department of Labor Administration, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Ideas Week, kCura, Pecha Kucha Chicago, 6018 North and Columbia College Chicago. He is a contributor to Make Magazine and his reviews are included in the current Make Magazine Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014. Burtonwood teaches at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. He is currently working on a new 3D printed book project with Chicago cultural historian Tim Samuelson. It will be an architectural reference book of Louis H. Sullivan’s early decorative ornaments.

Teaching Philosophy
My role as a teaching artist is that of a facilitator – helping to guide my students in their journey to acquire the conceptual, personal and technical skills they need to grow and develop as young artists and designers. I try to inspire in all of my students the confidence that anything is possible, that their passions are goals to pursue, and to instill a healthy criticality of received knowledge and ideas.

A strong, supportive community is vital for artists and designers at all levels to achieve success and to forge new ground. In my classroom I try to promote a safe welcoming environment, where students from all backgrounds can feel comfortable exploring their personal narratives through individual working methods, group discussions and project outcomes.

I am heavily invested in the use of instructional technology to create an environment that is responsive to different learning styles. Student access to affordable technology throughout the course of their studies and into their professional careers is vital. To this end I try to promote the use of free and/or open source software and hardware platforms wherever possible.