Engaging digital makers through interactive virtual art makerspaces: Possibilities and challenges in art education

Recent maker movements have integrated many applications of digital technologies. However, the digital makerspace in virtual environments has not yet been fully addressed. Outside of schools, the sandbox type of Virtual World such as Minecraft and Opensim, is the popular platform for digital makers to experiment, share/exhibit and collaborate on creative ideas and outcomes with art, design and tech skills. In this article, I advocate how virtual environments can serve as additional digital/virtual makerspaces to engage digital-generation makers by presenting the creative work of several groups of secondary and postsecondary students as critical digital makers in formal and informal school settings through my grant projects over ten years. I address the possibilities and challenges and make recommendations for implementing virtual art makerspaces for future contemporary art education.