McKenna Lincoln: a Mini Museum focused on women from mythology

Hello, my name is McKenna Lincoln, I am a student assistant at the The University Library Center for Digital Scholarship at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I work in the Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio which provides resources such as 3D printers to facilitate student work.

Her work

Throughout my time working here I have been exploring printing works of art from Scan The World and other available museum works on MyMiniFactory. I have focused on printing classical and Neo-classical depictions of women from mythology.

I am currently working towards my bachelor’s degree in History of Art and Visual Culture with a minor in Classical Studies so this project has allowed me to explore my academic interests in a different way. Through this work I have experimented with bright colours (specifically colours that tend to be associated with femininity such as shades of pink) in hopes of encouraging viewers to think critically about the modern presentation of these ancient statues.

I plan to expand this project for an end goal of presenting the same works in several different ways: a more traditional white print, a painted print to show how the ancient art would have really looked, and the bright modern colored print.

Scan the World vs no touch barriers

I am really intrigued by the Scan The World project and its goals. I have visited a lot of museums and something I always wanted was to be able to reach out and touch the art. Being able to examine the intricate details and actually feel the craftsmanship has changed the way I view some of my favourite works.

Accessibility is a large hurdle for many people who want to explore visual creations, especially when visiting museums in person is not an option. Learning about this project has opened my eyes to the different ways that art can be appreciated using digital innovation.

Choosing the sculptures for the project

When I first began the project I was looking for sculptures that I recognized or that spoke to me in the moment. Once I had a better idea of what I wanted to do, I specifically searched for women from mythology. There are many scans of sculptures depicting Venus but I wanted to look for lesser known figures as well. I would also check the time period and artist as well as do some research on the work. From there I considered the shape and complexity of the scan to see if I could print it using the materials available to me. Although there are several scans that I am still working on printing, I have learned a lot about how to print these types of objects successfully.

The Mini Museum

In this project I originally set out to make a “Mini Museum” to demonstrate the capabilities of 3D printing scanned sculptures. I have always had a passion for art and wanted to create sculptures that were accessible to people.

There is so much beautiful art in the world but it is not feasible for many people to go and see that art in person. By creating small versions of some of my favourite sculptures, I hoped to give people the opportunity to look at art that they would not otherwise be able to access. The small hand-held prints also allow people to pick them up and examine them closely, something that I always wished I could do at museums.

From there the project really came into its own. I decided to focus on classical and Neo-classical depictions of women in mythology. By printing these sculptures in bright and traditionally feminine-coded colours, I hope that viewers will think critically about the modern presentations of these women. Mythological women from ancient Greece and Rome were products of the heavily patriarchal society, but that does not mean that we cannot create new narratives to see these figures as empowering.

This “Mini Museum” will be on display to the public in the University of California, Santa Cruz library, in our Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio, where I hope it will inspire others to explore their passion for art using 3D printing.

What is your favourite Scan the World’s object?

My favourite object from STW would be Crouching Venus. I love the complexity of the pose and I was shocked at how well I was able to print it in a limited amount of time.