Americans for the Arts isn’t the only organization working to transform STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) into STEAM (science, technology, arts, engineering, mathematics). Some top tech companies have been hiring artists-in-residence to assist engineers in design and open the box of ideas and creativity. The artists, hired for a specific period of time and provided a stipend in many cases, offer a creative perspective on the science of engineering and manufacturing technology.

One company that is working to incorporate the arts into the mix is Autodesk, an organization that “makes software for 3-D printers, manufacturing plants, construction sites, and architects.” Based in San Francisco, Autodesk hires 16 artists for a four-month residency program in which the artists have full access to the workshops. Many who apply have background not only in the arts, but in technology as well.

One artist, Scott Kildall, used his creativity to print and construct a 3-D model of cisterns below San Francisco, reflecting the topography of the city with natural curves and boundaries. Another, Laura Davendorf, uses a printer to train humans to perform the tasks that the technology can’t, questioning the role and relationship of humans and machines.

“The ability to imagine is the key challenge,” says John Seely Brown, who for twenty years ran Xerox PARC, the company at which Apple founder Steve Jobs first saw the computer mouse and graphical user interface. Xerox PARC also offers an artist-in-residence program. “We have infinitely powerful tools to build whatever we imagine. As a result, we’re limited by our imagination. Working with artists really opens our imagination,” said Brown.