Maddie Wishart is the Academy’s resident digital fabrication lab technician, but she’s also an artist, creative collaborator, and project dreamweaver. Working in the Creator Studio entrenched in equipment like 3D printers and laser cutters, her position involves everything from tool safety monitoring to idea consulting to fine-tuning designs. She’s also a creator herself who works with environmental sociology and nature in mind, currently engrossed in bookmaking and making paper from recycled materials.

In this special staff spotlight, Wishart brings us into her world – a place where the wildest of  imaginations can turn ambitions into tangible realities. When it comes to jobs, many claim that “everyday is different,” but where else can you help produce a functional rocket or an inflatable shoe? Wishart’s role is truly anything but ordinary… and she has the prototypes to prove it. 

Talk about what your position entails and the tools you work with on a regular basis.						

As Digital Fabrication staff, my position involves working with students to assist them in creating their ideas. This ranges from doing safety training to operating high-tech equipment such as the CNC mill to consulting with students on what tools or processes would be best suited for their projects. The tools that I work with on a regular basis vary depending on the projects that are going on. We have a lot of equipment, so I am constantly moving between the wood shop, metal shop, vacuum forming, 3D printing, sewing machines, laser cutting, and the list goes on.				

What drew you to the Academy and what about it inspires you? How does your academic and professional history play into what you do here?				

I was drawn to IYA because of its interdisciplinary approach to academia. I have always been someone with a lot of different interests that can seem disparate, but still intertwine in the bigger picture. Academically, I have a background in fine arts as well as in environmental studies. My art practice has focused around topics of environmental sociology, land development, and climate change. Before joining the IYA team, I had experience working in a printing manufacturing environment so I have some insight into packaging and what manufacturing processes can entail.

Photo: An example of how digital fabrication has been used in Wishart’s  art practice: Ceramic envelopes slip cast from 3D printed forms. Held in a CNC’d wood display case with laser cut windows.

What do you think sets the space you work in apart and what is special about the resources at the Academy?						

The diversity in media that the Creator Studio has all in one space definitely sets us apart. Digital fabrication tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines allow so much creativity to take place in the space by eliminating a lot of lead time in testing out a new design. With a 3D printer, you might realize your design didn’t work, but be able to print a new version within a couple of hours. These prototyping tools allow students to quickly iterate through different versions of their products with fairly low stakes if it doesn’t work on the first try. Once the student has a working prototype, we have more high fidelity tools as well to take their projects to the next level as well.

Talk about some of the projects you’ve seen come to fruition, from success stories to odd endeavors to impactful projects?					

So many of my favorite projects have been ones where the student works through multiple iterations of their designs, starting with a material like cardboard until they end up with an elegant finished project.						

A student wanted to make a slide-on shoe that would inflate and deflate to easily pack away in a purse so you could bring them as a comfortable alternative to heels on a night out. She started with cardboard, moved onto fabric, and tried out different iterations by making vinyl inflatables. It’s still being worked out, but with each version she is getting closer to a completed product.						

Another student last semester worked on their Garage Experience (Gx) project to create a box of personalized games that could be gifted. I loved seeing her designs evolve and work through the aesthetic possibilities of the packaging.					

This past semester we had a student making a simplified food dehydrator that could pack down easily and be used over an open fire instead of electricity. Their idea was a social impact project that would serve communities that may have food insecurities or may not have access to electricity.						

We also have a good number of students working on STEM projects. One of our students working in collaboration with the engineering department has been building a functional rocket. Likewise, we have an alumnus who is working on making mold systems to recycle materials into new forms. They both have used the Creator Studio to create molds and parts for their team using tools like our CNC mills and water waterjet.		

As for helping to facilitate these projects, it really varies as to what the students need. Sometimes I will do a demonstration on how to use a certain machine they haven’t used before, sometimes I am a sounding board to bounce ideas off, and sometimes I am programming and operating the CNC to help fabricate their designs. I want to be able to give them as much agency as possible so they are in charge of making their creative decisions. Generally, advice that I would give is recommendations on what tools to use or what material has the best property for what they are trying to produce.

Photo: The embroidery machine in-progress. Wishart has been able to host a few embroidery workshops in the Creator Studio. 

As far as your personal projects and creative pursuits go, what are you working on and what mediums do you work in? 

For my personal projects lately, I have been focused on bookmaking and recycling materials to create paper. I want to make sure that the projects I am working on are conscientious of my consumer habits by reusing waste. I have also always loved working with textiles and sewing, especially because of the potential to rescue fabric from the waste stream. I spend a lot of time outdoors which continues to serve as inspiration for my creative work.

Photo: Laser cut wood bound into a book using a coptic bound stitch. Wishart hosted a workshop on making this over the summer.

Any funny stories or anecdotes of note that you can share from your time at the Creator Studio?

One funny project made in the Creator Studio was a wearable design to transform shorts into pants so that they would meet our safety requirements to be in the makerspace. If you can imagine fabric cylinders around your calves that hang from your shoulders via overall straps... it’s great. Although it does not quite meet our personal protective equipment requirements for the wood shop or metal shop, it is a great way to maneuver from shorts to pants in LA summer weather!

Photo: Small wooden footstool made in the Creator Studio wood shop.

What’s your favorite thing about this role?

Seeing the diverse use of the space by the students has really brought so much joy to this position. We have students from many different disciplines coming in and finding new ways to use the space that I may have not considered. I have always loved creative problem solving and working in the Creator Studio provides me with the opportunity to do this in a very physical way. Everyday, it really is something different.

How the Academy’s Digital Fabrication Lab Technician Helps Bring Student Visions to Life