Artifex
The STEAM-focused,
non-academic,
achievement-based Award.
How did Artifex get created?
Creativity and Education
It has been well documented in a myriad of ways that the mass standardization of testing has made its way into education. This has not only led to a "teach toward the test" mentality but has led to a deficit in creativity in education. Yet, as teachers are making designated efforts to include creativity, they are finding a clear distinction in higher-level thinking and problem-solving capabilities for those students over others.
The 4th Industrial Revolution and STEM v.s. STEAM
With STEM Education being based on the 3rd industrial revolution; yet being created before the very first iPhone, STEM needed an overhaul. By adding the Arts to STEM, you go beyond making and designing purposefully. Creating things in a way that is simple to understand, yet clear and creative is the exact reason Art is the "A" in the STEAM acronym.
What is the Artifex Award?
A STEAM Achievement Award
In order to meet the need for both recognition in STEAM and a STEAM Curriculum, the Artifex Award was designed around a STEAM Curriculum with an emphasis on a portfolio project. The Award can be awarded along three distinct ways to demonstrate learning within STEAM; Innovation, Service, and Legacy. Innovation is the goal to create a STEAM Project, Service is giving assistance to the community through STEAM, and Legacy is making a lasting impact that others can use to learn.
Artifex Symbol
The symbol of Artifex, as depicted on the left, represents those ideologies. The outer diamond represents a fractal shard, which is the mathematical understanding of infinite complexity from a logical limit. Contained within the fractal is the iconography of the atom. This is not only to reflect the understanding of science to earn the award but to serve as a reminder to always ask good questions and look beyond what the eye can see. The last symbol is the calligraphy nib launching through the atom. This is to not only go above and beyond the bounds of science, but to do so in a way that is well communicated, artistic, and forges new trails.
What is "Artifex" ?
Artifice
Artifice, as determined by the Latin translation and etymology, is the word used to describe craftsmen and workmanship. It is the idea that those individuals make something from nothing.
Artifact
Their creations, noted through latin etymology, are Artifacts. Arte references the use of art while factum denotes creation.
This fusion between “the making and procuring of art” and the “workmanship of an individual” is where the word Artifex both arises and rests in Latin. The word Artifex is the hybridization of Art, Creation, and Innovation both as an action and as a person.
