Artistic Engineering: Building Kinetic Sculptures at Bike Engineering Camp
This summer, YWCA Minneapolis challenged Girls Inc. Eureka! participants to engage in artistic engineering by building kinetic sculptures during a unique bike engineering camp. Throughout the camp, 12 participants developed engineering skills while using their creativity to design and build moving sculptures. Each day, they balanced technical bike repair with hands-on, artistic design and problem-solving.
In addition to learning about bikes, they had ample time to ride. Venture Bikes and Coffee graciously donated bikes for each participant for the week and YWCA Minneapolis provided helmets. Eurekans biked from the Midtown YWCA to Venture Bike on the Greenway and back daily. This camp offered a perfect blend of art and engineering, providing a platform for participants to explore the growing field of artistic engineering.
“Bikes seem simple, but they are complicated machines,” — Eureaka! participant Shivani
By weaving together creative design and engineering, this project empowered participants to develop new skills, solve problems and discover their leadership potential.
Artist and YWCA Minneapolis Board Member Kim Ford, founder of Kim Ford Designs, Mechanical Engineer Willis “Bow” Bowman and Venture Bikes and Coffee Owner Anthony Taylor donated their time, expertise and resources to provide this unique STEM learning opportunity.
Pedaling From the Lake to the Road: Bike and Artistic Engineering
The idea of a summer engineering camp stemmed from a similar event last year, "Camp Float,” where 10 Eureka! participants created milk carton floats from 1,000 milk cartons graciously donated by the Kemps Foundation. During that event, Bow and Kim’s STEM lessons on buoyancy, Archimedes Principle and hull shapes were useful as participants transformed the cartons into float boats.
This year, Girls Inc. Program Manager Claire Allen, Kim and Bow wanted to do something on land. They focused on bike engineering to help participants build practical bike skills and engineer bike puppets. Participant Shivani, 17, is a senior at Rogers High School in Rogers, Minnesota. She is interested in studying engineering at the University of Minnesota.
Shivani participated in both camps and noted that the float boats were more straightforward. “You had to consider the weight of your riders, build your boat and decorate them,” Shivani said. “With the bike-building camp, you need more in-depth knowledge of mechanical engineering. You come up with an idea, and then you have to figure out how to put it into action.”
As a senior, Shivani was one of the oldest participants in the camp. Previously, we recognized her as the Youth in Power leadership award recipient at Empower Possible in 2023.
Providing A Safe Space to Fail
At the heart of this camp was the idea that engineering involves trial and error. Kim, Bow and Anthony encouraged participants to fail, iterate and try again in their artistic engineering projects. The challenge: build a kinetic sculpture with at least one moving part using a bike frame as a foundation. Participants chose from five salvaged tandem and three-wheel bikes, various creative materials and power tools, with 33 hours to complete their work.
Shivani’s team created a dragon with two main mechanical elements. First, the back arced up and down as the riders pedaled. The heaving effect made the dragon look like it was breathing like a living being. In addition, the mouth would open and close with a pulley system. Shivani’s team ran a rope through the dragon’s head and attached it to the jaw. Pulling on the rope would open and close the mouth.
Bow shared the engineering mantra, “design, build, test,” and Kim reminded participants to factor in design constraints. She told the Eurekans that if you can’t get your design out the door, you can’t share it with the world. As inspiring as their design was, the door was challenging for Shivani’s team. They had to use zip ties that could be removed and reattached easily to maneuver the dragon. This problem-solving moment was a key example of how artistic engineering demands both creativity and practicality.
“It was neat to see their eyes open up,” Bow said. “We gave them full permission to try, test, mess up and get dirty. We gave them a safe space to monkey with tools they’ve never used.”
A Variety of Artistic Engineering Designs
The kinetic sculptures varied in design and function, all incorporating artistic engineering and mechanical principles. One group worked on a flying dog with flapping wings. Another team made an axolotl, a white and pink sea lizard whose head turned with the bike, while another team made a peacock with flapping wings and a beak that opened and shut.
One thing that stood out to Shivani during the camp was the balance between engineering and art. She leans toward the artistic side and loves the creative process. She came up with the overall design and then built the head and tail from cardboard. Her teammates assisted her with cutting and taping the head and tail, and they made the body structure from PVC hoop rings and red fabric.
A staunch believer in youth development, Kim said, “These Eureka! STEM camps allow the youth to make something they never dreamed of doing. We create original works by harnessing science, art and teamwork with a healthy dose of trial and error. Once you have done that, you have the confidence and interest to try new things.”
Building Leadership Skills in a Small-Group Setting
Shivani was one of the oldest girls at the camp and found herself leading the younger team members. She strove to be encouraging without being bossy. She said the team worked well together because everyone had their own ideas and helped with problem-solving.
“It’s rare to get the opportunity to come up with something entirely on our own,” Shivani said. “Kim and Bow were both very hands-off. They helped with improvements and some of the more challenging aspects. Most of the ideas were left up to us.”
Problem-Solving Through Artistic Engineering
In addition to learning technical engineering skills, the camp illustrated how artistic engineering skills can help you overcome problems. “Even if you don’t learn the technical art of engineering, it’s a great method of problem-solving,” Bow said. “It’s got to work before it’s pretty.”
The team working on the flying dog bike had a problem with their wings. Instead of flapping while the pedals pumped, the wings just flopped down. It was a teaching moment, and Bow illustrated how to test by pulling on a string and asking if it does what you intended.
Eliminating Racism in Biking
Kim knew Anthony would be a great partner for the camp because few people are as in tune with the level of diversity in biking as Anthony Taylor. He started biking in the 80s and noticed a lack of diversity. He has committed substantial time and energy to biking around the country and connecting Black biking clubs. Anthony owns and operates Venture Bike and Coffee on the Greenway in Minneapolis. The store opened last fall and aims to be a community bike shop. Anthony said the store and YWCA Minneapolis are natural community partners because of the Y’s focus on personal well-being and improving access to services for marginalized communities.
“At Venture Bikes, we’re building a community that bikes,” Anthony said. “We want to help people find their footing. We want to create a positive emotional experience and a place to ask questions.”
To build that community, Venture holds community rides like Slow Roll, which meets once a week and stays together as a group. Anthony designs a route that emphasizes bike infrastructure. Over time, the group builds up to longer rides. After each ride, they gather for a meal with food designed to aid recovery.
In addition to helping build engineering skills, Anthony hoped to impress that riding bikes is a personal action Eurekans can do to combat climate change.
“The Twin Cities are a perfect environment for biking,” Anthony said. “You can bike part way, then catch a train to wherever you need to go.”
Building Mechanical Engineering Skills at Venture Bike
Anthony and his son Aten-Wa, 19, provided a progressive learning approach to bikes. They started with fundamentals before teaching more in-depth skills like how to take a tire off, change a flat and replace a brake. Their goal was to build on previous lessons and provide time to reflect.
“Bikes seem simple, but they are complicated machines,” Shivani said. “I think it’s interesting that Venture Bikes sells refurbished bikes for a lot cheaper than other bike shops. They may be older, but they work perfectly fine.”
For Anthony, the STEM focus is essential because it helps participants understand how the world around them works. Additionally, by learning how to use new tools and master new skills, the participants learn something about themselves and their capabilities. “Thanks to their time at Venture Bike, I believe participants respected bikes more,” Bow said. “They had a better idea of what a bike could do and how it could help them.”
Teaching skills at the bike shop was rewarding for Aten-Wa. “It’s exciting to see a group not currently in the space find community,” Aten-Wa said. “Engineering builds on itself, and it’s exciting to help others build those skills.”
Bow also noted that the time at the bike shop built another valuable skill for participants: self-reliance. If they ride bikes and get a flat tire or the chain comes off, they have the skills to get home.
The Role of Girls, Inc. In Youth Empowerment
YWCA Minneapolis is the only Minnesota-based affiliate of the national organization Girls Inc. Through this affiliation, YWCA offers a research-based curriculum delivered by trained professionals to equip participants to:
Achieve academically
Lead healthy and physically active lives
Manage money
Navigate media messages
Discover an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
This programming helps participants traverse complex gender, economic and social barriers to find success. Shivani originally learned about Eureka! when a program intern worked with her mother at Project for Pride in Living.
Volunteering with YWCA Minneapolis
This camp would not have been possible without outstanding volunteers like Kim, Bow and Anthony. Kim serves on YWCA Minneapolis Board because she is passionate about the mission. A former fitness member at Uptown for 20 years, Kim became more involved in the organization by volunteering at the YWCA Minneapolis Women’s Triathlon and participating in It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race™ sessions. Kim said, “The Midtown YWCA is a beehive of intergenerational activity, from early childcare to Girls Inc. to Strong Fast Fit to fitness and pickleball. It is all happening at Midtown. I encourage you to come and join the community and be part of the magic.”
Bow makes a tremendous effort to share his expertise with the community. With a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University, he has extensive volunteer experience with Leonardo's Basement and The Works. “My father was a chemical engineer, and he taught me our skills are an incredible gift,” Bow said. “He said it took about four generations to get to where we are. You have an obligation to give this gift back.”
Beyond the technical skills learned at Venture Bike, Anthony hopes the experience positively impacted the Eurekans’ mental health. He noted that we’ve spent a lifetime learning we’re not athletes and that motion creates emotion. “Body image is targeted disproportionately to women, with a focus on the aesthetic. It’s bad for well-being,” Anthony said. “Biking helps reframe your body image. People outdoors tend to have a better body image because they focus on the body’s ability to do work.”
The Future of Artistic Engineering: Building the Next Generation of Leaders
This summer camp exemplifies YWCA Minneapolis’ commitment to empowering youth through STEM programs. By combining artistic engineering with practical mechanical skills, the camp gave participants a unique opportunity to explore their creativity and leadership potential.
At YWCA Minneapolis, we believe in providing opportunities for youth to grow through hands-on experiences like this. You can help us achieve our mission by volunteering for our programs or donating to help us continue offering programs like Eureka! and fostering the next generation of leaders.