Exploring the Intersection of Craft and Knowledge
The Making and Knowing Project
Delve into the transformative journey of historical reconstruction and experiential learning, bridging the gap between past and present through hands-on exploration.
Unveiling the Past Through Craft
The Making and Knowing Project is an innovative educational initiative that combines historical research with practical experimentation. By reconstructing 16th-century artisanal techniques, the project aims to deepen understanding of historical practices and their relevance today. This approach not only enriches historical knowledge but also enhances pedagogical methods, offering students a unique, immersive learning experience that connects academic inquiry with tangible skills.
Key Components of the Project
Hands-On Workshops
Interactive sessions where participants recreated historical artifacts, fostering a deeper understanding of historical craftsmanship.
Collaborative Research
Global scholars and artisans collaborated to explore the nuances of historical techniques and their modern-day applications.
Digital Resources
Created a comprehensive digital archive of research findings, instructional videos, and detailed project documentation.
Project Evolution Timeline
The Making and Knowing Project has been a journey of discovery and innovation, tracing the intersection of historical craftsmanship and modern technology.
'15
Project Inception
The Making and Knowing Project was initiated to explore the intersection of art and science through historical reconstruction.
'17
First Workshop Series
Launched a series of hands-on workshops, engaging participants in the reconstruction of historical recipes and techniques.
'19
Digital Archive Launch
Unveiled a comprehensive digital archive, providing open access to reconstructed historical texts and methodologies.
'22
Global Collaboration
Expanded the project’s reach by collaborating with international institutions, enhancing the cross-cultural exchange of knowledge.
Contributions
I originally joined the Making and Knowing Project as part of ENGL84031/HISTGU4031/
Team Contribution to the Final Digital Edition Launch
Explore our design proposal document, a pivotal resource in the successful launch of the final digital edition.
Meet Our Dedicated Team
The Making and Knowing Team
Dr. Pamela H. Smith
Project Director
Professor Pamela H. Smith founded the Making and Knowing Project at Columbia University in 2014. She is Seth Low Professor of History at Columbia University and Founding Director of the Center for Science and Society at Columbia. At Columbia, she teaches history of early modern Europe and the history of science. She is the author of The Business of Alchemy: Science and Culture in the Holy Roman Empire (Princeton 1994; 1995 Pfizer Prize), and The Body of the Artisan: Art and Experience in the Scientific Revolution (Chicago 2004; 2005 Leo Gershoy Prize). Her work on alchemy, artisans, and the making of vernacular and scientific knowledge has been supported by fellowships at the Wissenschafts-Kolleg, as a Guggenheim Fellow, a Getty Scholar, a Samuel Kress Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts in Washington, DC, and by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. Her current research focuses on attitudes to nature in early modern Europe and the Scientific Revolution, with particular attention to craft knowledge and historical techniques.
Contact: ps2270@columbia.edu
Naomi Rosenkranz
Associate Director
Naomi Rosenkranz is the Associate Director of the Center for Science and Society and its research cluster, the Making and Knowing Project. She oversees the development and administration of the Center and its research clusters, Scholars, grant programs, activities, and events. For the Making and Knowing Project, she serves as the main administrative liaison between the various research, editorial, and digital activities of the Project staff, collaborators, and participants. She supports the historical reconstruction research, oversees the Project’s chemical laboratory, and maintains the digital collaboration systems. She studied physics at Barnard College (class of 2015), concentrating her research experiences in materials science and engineering (including synthesis and characterization of superconductors and photoconductive properties of organic nanorods). In 2014-15, she served as the inaugural Science Resident in Conservation with Columbia’s Ancient Ink Lab, identifying and characterizing ancient carbon-based inks. She continued her investigation of inks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, working with the departments of Scientific Research and Paper Conservation to examine medieval iron-tannate black inks through recipe reconstructions and spectral analysis of museum objects.
Contact: njr2128@columbia.edu
What Collaborators Say
“Participating in The Making and Knowing Project was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of historical practices.”
S. Goldstein
Graduate Researcher
“The project’s innovative approach to blending history and technology is truly inspiring. It has opened new avenues for research and collaboration.”
L.E. Hand
Graduate Researcher
“BnF Ms. Fr. 640 offers a unique glimpse […] Most period sources, such as guild regulations, court documents, commissions, and inventories, provide only hints about the materials, techniques, cultural experience, and tacit knowledge that clearly once existed. A more vivid picture emerges from Ms. Fr. 640, which is discussed in this [resource] alongside surviving objects.”
Jonathan Tavares
Associate Curator of Arms, Armor and European Decorative Arts before 1700, Art Institute of Chicago
