Grants:IEG/Consolidate wikiArS to involve art schools

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status: completed

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project:

Consolidate wikiArS to involve art schools

project contact:

dvdenlloc.org

participants:

David Gómez (Dvdgmz)

summary:

wikiArS is an initiative to involve art & design schools in the Wikimedia movement's projects and goals that was launched in 2011. The purpose is to further develop the wikiArS initiative by dedicating more time more regularly during 2013, attending to interested schools, expanding the number of contributors and consolidating the experience.

engagement target:

Commons, Wikipedia, Wikispecies

strategic priority:

Improving Quality, New ways of Participation

total amount requested:

11050 USD

2013 round 1

Project idea

wikiArS is an ongoing initiative where students from art & design schools are creating images to contribute to Wikipedia with the supervision and assistance of Wikimedian tutors and scientific advisors.

The idea of this project is to coordinate volunteers (students, scientific and thematic advisors, teachers, Wikimedian tutors, translators and those collaborating in on-line support tasks), to maintain and update documentation, generate support resources and be able to respond to interested schools as a Wikimedian tutor while no-one else is doing this task. This is a project to consolidate and improve what we've done so far, expand the contributor base and reach conclusions about the different pilot experiences.

Focussing on practicality and availability, this project is aimed at facilitating the collaboration of art & design schools in Catalonia, initially in the Barcelona area, but with the intention of expanding to some schools outside this area during the current year. But since this is a pilot project which can be applied to any site, if other wikiArS initiatives emerge, the intention is to give support to the people behind them.

Project goals

This project is the second phase of wikiArS initiative, and the aim is to consolidate it. In this phase, we are more interested in quality and diversity than quantity. We want to test and improve the ways to produce good quality images with the collaboration of art schools; this will be the basis for growth in future phases.

Our goals for this year:

• Involve several schools, with different art/design specializations.
  • Expected: between 5 and 10 schools from Catalonia.
  • Expected: between 15 and 30 students
• Help the students to produce good-quality images with the three-supervision model of school teacher + Wikimedian tutor + expert advisor
  • Improve the way of defining assignments
  • Produce resources and guidelines for advisors and students
  • We expect to produce between 25 and 50 new valued images
• Besides images, involve schools in producing outreach materials
• Increase the number of scientific and thematic advisors and the subject areas they can cover
• Increase the number of Wikimedian tutors
• Maintain, improve and update information, documentation, and support for wikiArS wiki pages
• Produce a travelling exhibition that can be updated every year

Project plan

Scope:

Scope and activities

• Assignments Definition. In collaboration and contact with the Wikipedia community and potential scientific advisors, foster the definition of assignments and write them on cards to present to schools and students.
  • Review image requests in various Wikipedias with a view to ascertain which ones can be handled by wikiArS
  • Make suggestions for improving mechanisms to request images in order to better detect what illustrations and non-photographic images are needed, especially in the Catalan Wikipedia.
  • Continue to explore opportunities to produce materials for the Bookshelf Project through schools that are teaching design and graphic layout. This is ongoing.

• Contact and coordination with thematic advisors. Find people who can provide scientific and historical advice, as well as advice in various fields of knowledge to produce quality images, guiding students in seeking documentation, making corrections and revising before anything is published on Commons. Make news and make the most of existing contacts with universities and cultural institutions. Explain the project and encourage them to participate, help them prepare assignments or search for people who could advise on assignments that are already defined. Monitor the advisory process on-line and through meetings.
  • Specifically for 2013: continue working with geologists and geophysicists of the University of Barcelona, the CSIC and the adviser for mammal illustrations, multiply efforts to find someone to provide historical advice, and try to find consultants in other areas.

• Contacts with schools. Meetings with management team and those responsible for internships. Meetings with interested teachers to explain the initiative. Signing agreements. Jointly studying the possibilities of collaboration according to the training provided at each school and adapting the assignments.
  • In 2013, seven schools have been contacted. Four are already participating (Llotja, EDRA, Manresa, Vic). The other three have expressed the intention to collaborate, but we have not been able to start yet (Serra i Abella, Pau Gargallo, Escola del Treball). There are also two other schools that may join.
  • In 2013 we are interested in prioritising new pilot experiences (other types of images and subjects, other forms of collaboration in addition to the internship, other art & design specializations in addition to that of illustration to produce Bookshelf material in addition to images for Wikipedia, ...) as well as validating and improving on previous experiences (internships for illustration students, portraits and geological illustrations).

• Tutoring students. Personally assume the task of tutoring students while there aren't enough Wikimedians as volunteer tutors. Meet students in person and also monitor their work on-line. Teach them to publish and edit wiki projects. Introduce internship cards for new students to viquimedia.cat and update information on student contributions in Commons.
  • Right now I'm the only one tutoring students since some Wikipedians previously involved were not able to continue this year. But there are some people that have shown an interest if we begin to collaborate with schools in certain geographical areas or if we create images about particular topics.
  • For 2013 I aim to prepare material to spread the word about the project that could be a guide for the students involved.

• Support tutors. Encourage others to be Wikimedia tutors, informing them what to do and giving them resources. Prepare sample materials to help with tutoring students and guiding them. Coordinate group of tutors that may be formed, track and collect assessments and incidents.

• Documentation and resources at Commons/Meta/Viquimedia.cat/Viquipèdia.cat. Collect and update information about the initiative: Schools and students participating, contributions done. Write posts, press releases and other spreading material or experiences assessment. Also encourage other participants (teachers, consultants) to write or collaborate together to write.
  • Create or update "Commons Cultural partner" pages for each school. Define and develop or find who can develop a bot to facilitate the creation and updating of these pages. Request for bot approval.
  • Update the "wikiArS" Viquimedia.cat information, coordination and resources page for Catalonia. Update the list of participants, pre-Assignments that are formalized and the list of reference pictures in its child pages. Add resources documentation, and other custom models to their resource page.
  • Update "wikiArS" page in Outreach (in English). Search collaboration to translate into other languages.
  • Reporting to Wikimedia Education Newsletter in Outreach. See our report from December 2012
  • Reporting to the Viquipèdia-ca and Wikipedia-es viallage pumps.
  • Spread to media. Attend interviews and requests for information.

• Image Tracking. Track Commons and Wikipedia life of wikiArS published images. Help categorise or seek help from volunteers to do so. Track - when submitted - nominations for Wikipedia or Commons distinctions. Learning from feedback in voting processes to improve assignments and guidelines that tutors provide for students.

• Travelling exhibition. Launch a travelling exhibition that will be renewed each year to show wikiArS results on previous year. Create a model of panels easy to assemble and transport. The exhibition could go to the schools of art, libraries and other civic centres, it could also accompany other Wikipedia outreach activities like workshops, conferences or edithatons.
  • We have contact with the Catalonia Library Service that offered to move the exhibition in several local libraries.
  • We have already begun designing the panel and are looking for providers to produce it.

• Coordination and collaboration with GLAMwiki. Contact with art schools and potential advisors can be interesting to detect potential opportunities for GLAMwiki collaboration as editing marathons, images or text liberation, etc ... Also the institutions that participate in GLAM activities can help advise on the creation of wikiArS images.
  • Coordination and fluid communication with the Director of GLAM from Amical Viquipèdia and others who participate in GLAM activities in Catalonia to take the most of these opportunities.

• Support to other wikiArS experiences. Wherever possible support and help wikiArS experiences that could take place in other sites.

• Funding. Searching for sponsors and studying ways for funding the project for next years.
  • We've started talks with a crowdfunding platform
  • We've a sketch list of potential sponsors

Tools, technologies, and techniques

• Meetings with schools (teachers, students), potential advisors (universities, cultural institutions, individuals) and potential tutors. The most around Barcelona (I live in a village 20Km near) travelling by train, metro or bus; some ones in other parts of Catalonia, travelling by train or car.
• Print and editing, assignment cards, outreach materials, guidelines and/or samples for teachers, advisors and students
• Wikimedia merchandise and gifts for volunteers like T-Shirts, Welcome to Wikipedia and so; also could be good to have gifts (like sketchbook or drawing tools) as a detail for students.
• Bot to facilitate the creation and update of documentation pages.
• Surveys to receive feedback from people involved
• Exhibition material, heavy cardboard for panels, cutting and printing services

Also some of people involved will work with drawing tools (digital and traditional), scanners, computers, email and, of course, wikis :-)

Budget:

Total amount requested

Total amount: 7660€ / 10270$

Budget breakdown

Number	Task	Explanation	Cost (EU€ vs USD)
1	Personal remuneration for related tasks	580€/month - 780$/month (including taxes) for partial dedication from March to October excluding August* * In august the schools are closed and I'll spent only some time in online tasks, then I prefer not including this month	4060€ / 5460$
2	Translations	There are people that had collaborate translating but there could be some long texts or text for Bookshelf that is preferred to be translated for hire, for quality and for not abusing from volunteers Some key texts will be written in Catalan and should be translated into English.	1800€ / 2400$
3	Travel spending	Around Catalonia, train or car. About 12 medium-term travels, and most small ones in Barcelona area. This will be provided by Amical Viquipèdia and is not included in the total amount. We prioritize travels by public transport where possible	360€ / 480$
4	Print support materials	Outreach and support materials for students, teachers, advisors and tutors. "Welcome to Wikipedia" book, Commons and wikiArS specific guidelines, sample sheets of referential artworks (for tutors and advisors), ... Series of 50/80 copies, and other of 15/30	400€ / 535$
5	Merchandise for volunteer giveaways	T-shirt's, badges, ... if WMF will provide this directly the cost could be excluded from the IEG	250€ / 335$
6	Gift for students	A final detail for students participating. Something like sketchbook or painting materials We'll try to achieve this free or with important discounts from potential sponsors, but we have planned a partial cost	110€ / 150$
7	Exhibition production	Production of an easy to transport exhibition composed by printed displays (big size A0) and carton lecterns; with text and logos in vinyl stickers. Material, cutting, printing and assembling.	800€ / 1070$
8	Unforeseen	3% for unforeseen and extraordinary expenses	240€ / 320$
Total amount			7660€ / 10270$

Intended impact:

Target audience

• First the users of Wikipedia as a free encyclopedia that will have illustrations to facilitate the comprehension of contents or to complement the written information, specially when the photographs can't accomplish this function or when there are not free images.
• Wikipedians and wikimedians community seeking for valued, good and rigorous educational images for the free content projects.
• Students from art schools that want to do professional artworks for the real world and whom have the generosity to give them to a free project

Fit with strategy

• Filling gaps: obtain missing images in Wikipedia
  • Specifically images to best comprehension of contents, that need expert advisor and illustration skills, difficult to obtain
  • Images difficult to obtain freely
• Improving Quality: with a three part supervision of the image production
• Increasing Participation: with new ways of participation that could enlist new people to get involved
  • Creating images and teaching the creation of images
  • Advising the creation of image about a specific area of knowledge

Sustainability

I expect to...

• bring the project to a more consolidated stage
• produce resources (guides, samples, bot, traveling exhibition) that facilitate the tasks of people involved, specially for tutors and advisors
• leave a range of different pilot experiences, testing the project in various art specialties (illustration, painting, design, ...) and levels (medium, higher) with different kind of involving (internships, final studies project, ...)
• leave a range of different assignments (portraits, didactic illustrations, schemes, infographics, outreach material, ...)
• test and improve the three-supervision model of teacher-tutor-advisor to help producing quality images
• build a network of schools, advisors and tutors well connected to the wikimedian communities

... that could do the project most auto-sustainable with a shared distribution of tasks.

Measures of success

• Schools involved
  • Between 5 and 10 schools from Catalonia
  • Between 15 and 30 students
  • From different art/design specializations (Illustration, Publishing, ...)

• Images
  • Between 25 and 50 new valued images
  • Evaluation of the quality of the images and products obtained
    • Our self evaluation of the quantity. And the ones of them being nominated and/or chosen for Featured, quality or valued image in Commons and Wikipedia's.
    • The use of images in several languages Wikipedia's pages and their suitability to content
    • The reuse and derivative works, adaptation or translations from images and materials produced

• Bookshelf, Guidelines and support materials
  • Between 2 and 5 spreading materials

• Exhibition
  • Exhibition produced
  • Exhibition presented at least in one place
  • A program-calendar of places to go done
  • Feedback from libraries, centers or sites where the exhibition travels

• Advisors and tutors
  • The number of scientific and thematic advisors increased
  • The subject areas that involved advisors can cover increased
  • The number of Wikimedian tutors increased

• Methodology and documentation
  • The Model(s) of successfully strategy(es) to involve Schools and produce valued images documented
  • Between 3 and 6 types of assignments or ways to get involved documented
  • wikiArS wiki pages updated and improved

• wikiArS new nodes
  • Between 2 and 5 persons or groups in places outside Catalonia contacted for starting wikiArS initiatives

• Qualitative feedback and coverage
  • feedback from students, teachers, internships responsible, advisors and tutors (we will pass surveys)
  • feedback from wikipedians related to our rapports and posts
  • media coverage

Participant(s)

• David Gómez Fontanills User:Dvdgmz. I started promoting wikiArS following the idea from another catalan wikipedian, Pallarés, on the academic year 2011-12. After the success of the first experience the initiative is going on and growing.
  • I'm graduated in Arts for the University of Barcelona, and I've a Master on Knowledge Society by Open University of Catalonia.
  • I'm doing ethnographic research about wikimediasphere for my PhD in Open University of Catalonia
  • From 1996 I'm part of the art team TAG Taller d'Intangibles. See enlloc.net
  • From 2000 I'm external teacher in Multimedia Studies in Open University of Catalonia where in 2010 I conducted an experience of learning editing Wikipedia. Read it here
  • From 2002 I'm working with wikis and from 2006 I'm working also as wiki consultant, building projects with MediaWiki and Semantic MediaWiki for hire. See my SMW community profile
  • From 2004 I've an account in Wikipedia; my contributions are mainly in Catalan and Spanish Wikipedias, and also in Commons.
  • From 2011 I'm member of Amical Viquipèdia and Wikimedia España; collaborating in activities like workshops, meetings, GLAM projects, education ...
  • In 2012 I've participated in WikiSkills project as reviewer.
  • Then I've experience in wiki editing (also creating templates), in education and art, in coordinating people, doing speeches, research, writing, attending media, and small experience on programming. I've also some knowledge about intellectual property rights and open licences.

Other people are involved in wikiArS. These are some of them:

• Schools teachers: Alícia Gallego, Luís Casado, Jaume Ferrer, Àngels Franch, Roser Comas, Mireia Baurier, Cristina Reguant, Marià dinarés.
• Thematic advisors: Daniel García Castellanos (CSIC), Àngels Canals (UB), David Amblàs (UB), Fidel Grandia (UPC), Alistair Ian Spearing (user Leptictidium)
• Media contact: David Parreño Mont (user Davidpar)
• Collaboration in translations: CatGirl (English), Leptictidium (English), Claudi-Capsot (French, Occitan), Elisardojm (Galician), Al Lemos (Portuguese), JMedina (Russian)
• GLAM contact: Àlex Hinojo (user Kippelboy)
• Online support and other kind of collaboration: Roger Fuentes, Pallarès, Pere prlpz, JordiFerrer, MarisaL, Muntsa Roca, Enric Gili

See the updated list of participants.

Discussion

Community Notification:

Please paste a link to where the relevant communities have been notified of this proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions, here.

• Wikimedia Commons:
  • Message to Commons English Village Pump
  • Message to Commons Catalan Village Pump (La Taverna)
  • Message to Commons Spanish Village Pump (Café)
• Wikipedias:
  • Message to Catalan Wikipedia Village Pump (La Taverna)
  • Message to Spanish Wikipedia Village Pump (Café)
  • Message to English Wikipedia Village Pump (Village Pump, Miscellaneous)
  • Message to Galician Wikipedia Village Pump (A Taberna, imaxes)
  • Message to Occitan Wikipedia Village Pump (La tavèrna)
  • Message to French Wikipedia Village Pump (Le Bistro)
  • Message to Portuguese Wikipedia Village Pump (Esplanada/anúncios)
  • Message to Aragonese Wikipedia Village Pump (Tabierna/Noticias)
  • Message to German Wikipedia Village Pump questions page (Fragen zur Wikipedia)
  • Message to Dutch Wikipedia Village Pump (De kroeg)
  • Message to Catalan Wikipedia mailing list (wikica-l)
  • Message to Spanish Wikipedia mailing list (wikies-l)

• Sister projects:
  • Message to Catalan Wikinews Village Pump (La Cantina)
  • Message to Spanish Wikinews Village Pump (Café)
  • Message to Catalan Wikibooks Village Pump (La Taverna)
  • Message to Spanish Wikibooks Village Pump (Café)
  • Message to Wikispecies Village Pump

• Other:
  • Message to Iberocoop Educación mailing list
  • Message to Wikimedia-España open mailing list (Anuncios)
  • Message to Amical Viquipèdia / viquimèdia.cat internal mailing list

Endorsements:

Do you think this project should be selected for an Individual Engagement Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project in the list below. Other feedback, questions or concerns from community members are also highly valued, but please post them on the talk page of this proposal.

• As a Spanish national and administrator in commons I fully support this proposal. The long protection period granted by the Spanish laws and the infamous URAA makes it really difficult to get proper images of 20th century persons. --Ecemaml (talk) 11:54, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
• I know a bit the project of the past year and I have to say that the results were very interesting, we achieved very important material for the wikis and I suppose that for the students that participated it had to be a very interesting activity. Therefore I support this proposal. Greetings, --Elisardojm (talk) 14:08, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
• I have collaborated with the candidate on this wikiArS project during the last years, both as a wikipedian and as a professor in the academia. The effort and tenacity of User:dvdgmz has impressed me since I first met him on a local WP meeting in 2008. I have no doubt that the aims of the project will extraordinarily benefit from a sponsorship supporting his dedication to approaching Wikipedia to the Art schools and to the Academia in general. Gaianauta (talk) 19:11, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
• As a Catalan wikipedian, I support wikiArS initiative because it's a world-pioneer project to achieve images and infographics to illustrate articles that haven't got any photo due to the strict copyright laws. --Davidpar (talk) 21:00, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
• I'm a Brazilian citizen, but I have contributed regularly to the Viquipèdia. The project wikiArS has proved successful, and its continuity is important, particularly because it is a viable alternative to fair use. - Al Lemos (talk) 23:21, 17 February 2013 (UTC)
• My full suport to you, David, for your big work in Viquipèdia and WikiArS, looking for engagement and compromise of all kind of institutions.--Galazan (talk) 19:35, 18 February 2013 (UTC)
• (Aragonese) Doy o mío refirme a la proposa de l'usuario, dende a an:Biquipedia, --Manuel Trujillo Berges (talk) 12:36, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• I think that it's a experience with a great succes last year and a grant like this will improve it. Many projects could take profit from it and it could be a source of new users. --Millars (talk) 18:47, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• Yo apoyo totalmente esta iniciativa, las artes necesitan soporte y este es un buen comienzo. David ya ha realizado un gran trabajo. Laura Fiorucci (talk) 18:51, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• I haven't been directly involved, however I have talked to the proposer several times and I think he is really compromised with the whole project. Best luck--Arnaugir (talk) 19:02, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• In order to enhance quality, we definitely need professional help to improve graphics i a lot of domains. I cooperate since a couple of years with commons with photos and sometimes tried to make graphic schemes when pictures weren't clear, but this was dilettante work. We need better, this project could help a lot.Flamenc (talk) 20:12, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• I think that we here we have a reasonable and well prepared proposal. The investment is worth it. --Poco a poco (talk) 20:50, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• My full support to this *very* interesting proposal. Thanks, --Lucien leGrey (m · es) 21:09, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• All my support for this proposal!!!--El Pantera (talk) 22:13, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
• If somebody has the right skill set to do this work it is David. Go for it! --Hispalois (talk) 07:17, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• I fully support this proposal, for its convenience and the good last year's results. It's not only a "happy idea" but the logical continuation for years of work. Rondador (talk) 09:01, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• Great proposal, already begun, that needs our support to grow. fully support--Mafoso (talk) 09:55, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• Apruebo y apoyo totalmente la propuesta y agradezco el trabajo de la gestión. Lourdes Cardenal (talk) 14:32, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• Apruebo y doy soporte a la propuesta.--MarisaLR (talk) 15:13, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• Fully support. --Pallares (talk) 18:15, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
• Fully support. Concern visual artists and ilustrators is essential to improve educational content in Commons. --Tsaorin (talk) 14:42, 21 February 2013 (UTC)
• I want to express my complete support to this initiative. I think that creating new informative, high-quality illustrations for Wikipedia articles is an excellent opportunity to make them more appealing and useful for a broad audience.--GlimmerPhoenix (talk) 10:16, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
• I think is a great project that need to have all our support, luck--Josepnogue (talk) 11:28, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
• I met David Gómez a couple of years ago in a research event. I think he is totally qualified to carry on with this interesting project which mixes engagement, education and art students. With his Fine arts background and long teaching career I think he can do a great job. Good luck! --Marcmiquel (talk) 19:29, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
• The project is very interesting, and it has good possibilities of articulating efforts in both fields of education and design.--Lpagola (talk) 15:09, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
• Community member: add your name and rationale here.