The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) will prove engineering is an art form this month with the exhibit “The Achievers: The Art of Engineering (Making Stuff that Works).”
“Art and engineering both involve the synthesis of form and function,” event coordinator Tod Rafferty said. “Art is more concerned with form, and engineering with function. But the final projects have to have a form that works; that is were you get that form follows function.”
The Achievers, planned and inspired by co-creators, Rafferty and graphic communication professor Brian Lawler of the book “The Achievers,” exclusively features the inventions of Central Coast residents.
Lawler, who captured and printed many of the event’s photo displays, said bringing the book to life is harder than the pair expected, but the images and stories are worth it.
“We have this treasure trove of images and stories; some which were not included in the book,” Lawler said. “This is the manifestation of that.”
In the Central Coast, achievements in railroads and farming have already been celebrated, Rafferty said. The exhibit will prove to viewers that engineering impacts daily lives, and it has a large local presence.
“Most people don’t know that advanced engineering and construction is done in this county,” Rafferty said. “We want it to be about people who have achieved something, not necessarily famous or widely known people, just regular guys who have built stuff in their backyard.”
There will be anything from car prototype design photos, to all-metal guitars, to remote-controlled airplanes used by the military. All of which exemplify that good engineering is art which results in functionality.
John Waldrop, a mechanical engineering sophomore and Society of Automotive Engineers Team Formula member, said he agreed that engineering is an art.
“Engineering is a funny art that involves a lot of math, but it’s still art,” Waldrop said. “Good engineering just ends up turning into art, and it takes a trained eye to appreciate it.”
Waldrop used the example of looking at a racecar. He said a person can tell it is fast based solely on its aesthetic appeal. If it is an ugly car, it most likely will not be fast, he said.
“(When cars look good), you are looking at the form on the outside, and it’s the same with racecars — the outside will reflect what’s on the inside,” Waldrop said. “It looks beautiful. Everything works the way it’s supposed to, nothing is unnecessary.”
Since the event features local talent, several Cal Poly-made projects will be present.
George Leone, the staff technician of the Research and Development building, known by many as “The Hanger” (because it was once an airplane hanger), said The Achievers will showcase the Cal Poly-made Supermileage Black Widow car, Urban Concept vehicle and Human Powered Vehicle.
Each vehicle, whether its purpose is more functional or performance-oriented, is aesthetically pleasing, and well-made, he said, and it is exciting to see students apply the skills learned in the classroom to “real world problems and come up with solutions.
“It is really going to show the community not only do we learn by doing, but we produce things that are aesthetically pleasing,” Leone said. “There is an art to what we do here, and it’s a learn by doing art.”
The event would not be possible without the inspiration “The Achievers” book provided, though.
The book is a “large, coffee table-style” book thought up by Vic Hickey, who helped design the first humvee. Rafferty said he and Hickey had been trying to meet for years, and when they finally did, Rafferty found himself editing the book concept thought up by Hickey.
Rafferty and Lawler, in conjunction with SLOMA, the Central Coast History Foundation and various other contributors, are bringing the book to life through the exhibit this month.
Craig Vetter will speak at the feature event May 21 about his experience in the motorcycle industry and his experiences designing and racing high-mileage motorcycles. The “world’s fastest Indian” steamliner will also be at this event.
The exhibit will be held at SLOMA May 13 to June 12 with its reception June 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. The feature event will be May 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. SLOMA is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and admission is free.