Collaborative STEAM Art is an initiative developed at the School of Engineering in Vitoria-Gasteiz, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), that integrates art, science, and technology through participatory creative processes in the common areas of the educational building. Knowledge is built collectively, and art acts as a driving force connecting the university, the school, and society.

- Origin and Research Framework

The project began within the UPV/EHU research team (IT1195-19 and GIU19/010) through the projects “STEAM Education in Schools” and “Creating Shared Knowledge at the University: Maker Spaces to Promote STEAM Education.” It also has the support of the Vice-Rectorate of the Álava Campus (through the annual University Projection Grants) and the Directorate of the School of Engineering in Vitoria-Gasteiz, consolidating a line of inquiry that links research, educational innovation, and collaborative artistic creation.

- Spaces and Participants

The interventions have taken place in multiple spaces throughout the School: computer labs, meeting rooms, offices, hallways, the main hall, stairwells, windows, the garden, and walls, transforming everyday spaces into stages for shared creation.

Students, faculty, PTGAS (Technical Support Groups), choir members, family, and friends have participated, forming a diverse community that learns and creates together.

- Techniques and Materials

The works incorporate a variety of techniques, including mural painting, adhesive vinyl, sublimation tiles, wood, cords, and tapes, among other materials. This diversity allows for experimentation with opaque and transparent surfaces, two-dimensional formats, and three-dimensional structures, expanding the expressive possibilities within the STEAM approach.

- Identity and Titles of the Works

The titles follow a common structure: they indicate the medium used (Wall Drawing, Glass Drawing, Ceramic Drawing, 3D Structure, Wall Tape, etc.), the year of creation, and the name of a city somewhere in the world—six letters and representative of all continents. This is how projects like Monaco, Lucerne, Athens, Havana, Dallas, Ankara, Sydney, Boston, Osaka, Oxford, Bremen, Lisbon, Venice, Prague, Warsaw, Calais, Taipei, Malaga, Naples, Merida, Berlin, Luanda, Bergen, Goyang, Darwin and Nassau came about.

- Expansion to other spaces and places

The project has transcended the boundaries of the School and extended to other educational and social environments. On the Álava Campus, interventions have been carried out in the University Pavilion and the Las Nieves Library. Likewise, a project has been developed at the Faculty of Education in Bilbao and in two public spaces in Bilbao: the Unamuno Institute and the Maker Gunea - Basurto.

- Distribution within the School Building

At the School of Engineering in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the artworks are distributed across all floors of the building: Floor 2, Floor 1, Ground Floor, and Basement 1, creating an artistic journey that complements daily academic life. This comprehensive presence transforms the building into a continuous creative space, where each level houses interventions that engage with their spatial and functional context.