deviceofmind is Michael Smith-Welch. I am an artist-educator focusing on learning spaces and materials that support creative thinking and iterative learning. I collaborate with people to create expressive devices – anything from a discrete project to a continuous environment, whatever best amplifies our perceptions of the world. I am most interested in materials that exhibit behaviors for inspiring experimentation. I enjoy working and learning with electronics, computation, mechanics, light, sound and a wide variety of building materials. My purpose is to share ideas, technologies, and materials with a diverse range of people in diverse places. I have taught courses and workshops throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In an earlier life I was a middle school science teacher in New York City. I have worked at the cross-section of art, science, and technology in a variety of formal and informal learning environments since 1994.
Recently I developed a series of sensor design workshops at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History; there I also worked on small-scale fabrication for a number of exhibits. Following that, I worked at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on workshop programming at ARTLAB+. My last Smithsonian commission was a large-scale light sculpture for the nascent Arts and Industry building.
I am a founding member of RhizomeDC, a unique art, learning, and DIY culture space in Washington, DC. Most recently I have been developing installations and performances with artist and musician Ami Yamasaki. We build performative installations in various locations and split our time between Japan and the United States.
[email protected] | @deviceofmind
