MTSU links to STEAM Festival with trio of October activities
An MTSU Art and Science art crawl-related event and two separate October Sky activities are the university’s contributions to the 2018 statewide STEAM Festival starting this Friday, Oct. 12.
The Tennessee STEAM Festival is a celebration of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) across the state. It’s a community festival that will raise awareness and build interest in learning across different ages, neighborhoods and educational levels.
To learn more about the Tennessee STEAM Festival, visit https://www.tnsteam.org. For a list of all events, go online to https://www.tnsteam.org/all-events.
The Murfreesboro-based Discovery Center at Murfree Spring founded the festival.
A community event, the ’Boro Art Crawl with MTSU Science and Art activities will start at 6 p.m. Friday at the Murfreesboro downtown square.
The art crawl will be held in conjunction with the STEAM event and will offer participants the opportunity to visit downtown businesses taking part in the crawl.
These venues will be hosting local art, cuisine, live events and science and art activities hosted by various MTSU departments including art and aerospace.
The ’Boro Art Crawl was founded in 2015 by a group of local artists who wanted to help foster the artistic community in their hometown.
An event for adults, “October Skies at Arrington Vineyard,” will be held starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the vineyard near Triune, Tennessee.
The event is open to the public. Wine will be available for purchase from Arrington Vineyard. Attendees must be 21 and older and the event is limited to 150 adults.
The MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Agriculture and the Department of Art and Design will present a night of art projects, wine tasting and star gazing at the Williamson County vineyard.
MTSU professors John Wallin and Tony Johnston will share their respective expertise in astronomy and wine appreciation.
Experts from these departments will be offering artist-led painting with a twist and branded coaster creations, they will be giving short talks about both the wines and the night sky, and will be providing the opportunity to look through telescopes and investigate the night sky.
At 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, multiple MTSU departments will present “October Sky” at October Sky Family Movie Night at the Science Building’s Liz and Creighton Rhea Atrium. To find parking, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/2018ParkingMap.pdf online.
The movie is free and open to the public. There will be space-themed activities for all ages and concessions available for a small fee.
The movie, showing at 7 p.m., is the classic tale of Homer Hickam. He is an author and a former NASA engineer who, as a teenager in rural West Virginia, collaborated with friends to build small rockets that earned him a trip to the 1960 National Science Fair, bringing home gold and silver medals in propulsion.
Following the movie, the MTSU art department will create STEAM-themed medallions using a metal pour technique.
