In a landmark exhibit, IF/THEN has made history with an installation of over 120 statues of women in STEM now open to the public in Dallas, Texas. By leveraging large-format 3D printing technology and our 30 years’ experience in immersive exhibits, Group Delphi helped bring together the most statues of women ever assembled in one location at one time.
The Exhibit
A 2016 study found that the 10 largest U.S. cities publicly displayed fewer than a half-dozen statues of real women. Similarly, we see a lack of female representation in today’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) workforce — less than 30% of STEM professionals are women! In response, IF/THEN – The Exhibit is designed to activate a culture shift among young women to open their eyes to future STEM careers. IF/THEN’s approach is rooted in a simple truth: seeing is believing. When a girl sees a woman successfully pursuing a STEM career, she is more likely to imagine a STEM career for herself. The AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors featured in the exhibit represent contemporary female STEM professionals and are excellent role models. They come from a variety of industries including entertainment, sports, business, and academia. On display at the exhibit, visitors learn the personal and professional stories of each ambassador, stand in an augmented reality “see yourself as a statue” interactive, solve clues in the Ambassador scavenger hunt, and even meet the ambassadors in person as they visit the exhibit.
“Our organization has always believed science is the answer to many of life’s problems. And, now more than ever, it’s important to showcase the women in STEM who are helping make our world a better place,” said Lyda Hill, founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies in a 2019 press release. “IF/THEN’s mission is to empower leading women STEM innovators to inspire the next generation of pioneers so that we can all build a better future.”
With the combination of creativity, powerful role models, and technology, we created IF/THEN – The Exhibit.
The Technology
Once it became clear that we need more women in STEM and more statues of women, it was clear that a high-tech approach should be used to create the exhibit. IF/THEN, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, AAAS, and Amaze Design, came up with a plan to create the largest 3D-printed project of its kind, and Group Delphi was thrilled to produce the statues and exhibits. We called on all AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors to join us for a photoshoot, each posing with their selected props for a full-body 3D scan. Each subject stood in a scanning booth that combined 89 cameras and 25 projectors to generate a lifelike 3D image.
We then leveraged Massivit’s large-format 3D printing technology to produce these detailed, life-sized, statues. The 3D printer works by pairing 3D scans with sophisticated additive manufacturing, leveraging a rapid UV curing gel. This gel is incredibly durable, so the statues don’t need an internal structure, making them lightweight to handle and transport. Once each 3D print was complete, we moved into finishing to perfect every lifelike detail, before applying the signature orange paint color.
Three previews of the exhibit have been featured at the Central Park Zoo, Dallas Love Field, and Northpark Center and we are so excited that the full exhibit has come together. #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit is open at the NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas now.
Source: #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit
Click here to learn more about Large Format 3D printing.
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