In addition to assisting students, faculty, and staff in the Department of Art at Florida State University create projects, I get the opportunity to research and engage with the Florida State arts community. Near the end of last year, I received a call from the CEO of the Florida Cultural Alliance, Jennifer Jones, who was interested in finding a source to produce a series of customized 3D printed trophies for Florida State legislators who have advocated for the arts. After speaking with Jennifer and the Department of Art about the project, we decided to manufacture the customized 3D printed trophies through the Digital Media Fab Lab as a gift for the FCA.
To create the trophies, we positioned and 3D scanned drawing dolls in postures that represented the characteristics of the legislators. After we collected the 3D data, we refined the scans, designed customized bases, and created prototypes. Once we achieved a satisfying 3D print, we sanded and painted the surfaces to complete the trophies. The finished trophies were awarded to the Florida State Legislators on Wednesday, January 26th during the Advocacy for the Arts rally at the Florida State Capital Building.
For details about the fabrication process visit the Florida State University, Department of Art Lab’s blog. To read the official Florida State University press release visit the College of Fine Art’s Community Collaboration news. To learn more about the Florida Cultural Alliance visit their website.