School of Fine Arts Professor Nicole Jacquard was living in Melbourne , Australia , two years ago, studying for her doctorate in fine arts, when she learned about the rapid prototyping equipment being used at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility.

An IU alumna who studies how computers can be adapted into the studio arts, Jacquard was intrigued by the technological advances being made at the IUCF, one of Indiana 's largest scientific facilities and a recognized leader in the research and advancement of nuclear physics. Through the development of its rapid prototyping machinery, the IUCF could now create physical versions of virtual 3-D designs modeled on a computer. Naturally, Jacquard began thinking of ways she might apply this technology to her own jewelry and metalsmithing practice.

She found a willing and eager partner in IUCF Director Dr. Paul Sokol, who had been seeking ways to expand access to the facility beyond physics, biology and chemistry to support the full range of intellectual activity at IU. The two researchers have embarked on a project that will explore how the IUCF's technical capabilities can benefit the fine arts. Funded by a grant from IU's New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program, “Stretching Boundaries: Nuclear Physics and Fine Arts” will incorporate Jacquard's computer-aided designs and the IUCF's rapid prototyping machinery to create a body of work that has the same aesthetic sensibility of a fine art object that was created by the human hand.

Special focus will be on the idea of ornamentation used on common utilitarian forms and precious art objects. A color 3-D model printer will produce the objects out of a cornstarch material, and Jacquard plans to exhibit this “containment” series at the School of Fine Arts Gallery this fall and in a number of local and national exhibitions over the next few years.

“For me, this is a way to expand on what I have already been doing,” she says. “I still carry a sketchbook and still do a lot of sketching on the spot, but the model-making process has really switched to the computer. Now I can do several variations of models, whereas if I were using cardboard, wax and paper models, I'd be restricted in what I could do. Now I can spend much more time experimenting.”

Within both the commercial fields and fine arts areas of jewelry-making and metalsmithing, “there's a lot more rapid prototyping going on,” Jacquard adds. “People are using it more and more. Because we deal with precious metals and jewelry, we want to be as accurate as possible. Now we can create a 3-D model of what a piece will look like. Especially when there is a client involved, we can produce a rendering in color and they can have a much better idea of what the product will look like.”

The general artistic community, though, is in the early stages of adapting to the computer, Jacquard says. Most fine arts studios don't have the requisite software and manufacturing equipment. Another problem is the prohibitive cost of having pieces rapid prototyped. “Rapid prototyping is just so expensive right now,” she says. “Just paying for a technician and the material costs can make it very difficult for artists.”

Jacquard hopes “Stretching Boundaries” will further the use of technology in studio arts. She also expects the project to foster critical discussions about the role and transition of the handmade object when new technologies are employed and the notion of mass customization rather than mass production.

While these are issues to be addressed, Jacquard is convinced that computer-aided design and rapid prototyping will play an ever-increasing role in the studio as artists become more experienced with using 3-D software and other design programs. In response to this movement, she has taught a computer-aided design class at IU and is developing a new course at IU in conjunction with the Sculpture Department.

She says that once students become more comfortable creating models on the computer and start to “retrain their brains,” they discover a whole new world of artistic freedom.

“It's just amazing once you learn what you can do with these new technologies,” she adds.