About
The Art, Research, Technology and Science Laboratory
Mission
The mission of the Arts, Research, Technology and Science Laboratory at the University of New Mexico is to bring together people with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints in order to forge new paths of inquiry and expression across the humanities and sciences. ARTS Lab drives and supports innovative transdisciplinary research relating to new trends and opportunities in media production, gaming, computer graphics and interactive applications.
- • We believe bringing diverse people together creates the greatest wisdom.
- • We strive to draw out the intuitive creativity of the scientist and the analytic skill of the artist through collaborative work.
- • We seek to preserve the unique cultural narratives and regional identities of New Mexico in an increasingly mediated landscape.
Overview
ARTS Lab seeks to support innovation and growth in areas such as film, new media, simulation, telehealth, game technology, image processing, scientific visualization, national security applications, and new markets for content. As a center for both technology and the arts, New Mexico provides a dynamic environment for programs that stimulate growth in creative economies. ARTS Lab finds opportunities to cultivate these assets by utilizing a transdisciplinary approach, encouraging ongoing participation across the University of New Mexico campus as well as building on ties with industry, community, and other educational organizations. We strive to enable community building in digital media in New Mexico and beyond.
Building Connections
A core ARTS Lab goal is to encourage collaborations between the arts and science disciplines. ARTS Lab supports interdisciplinary collaborations involving members from various colleges and departments as well as community and industry participants. Teams are encouraged to produce projects which span the entire process from idea to presentation, whether that be performance, distribution, or marketing.
Partners at UNM
ARTS Lab’s principle partners on the UNM campus include the School of Engineering’s Advanced Graphics Lab (AGL), the Department of Computer Science, the Center for Advanced Research Computing, the College of Fine Arts’ Electronic Arts program, the School of Architecture and Planning and the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program (IFDM). Principle associated faculty include Assistant Professors Claudia X. Valdes, Pradeep Sen and Joe Kniss, Associate Professor Tim Castillo (also director of ARTS Lab), Professor Thomas Caudell, and Professor Emeritus Ed Angel.
On-going Exploration
We aim to be responsive to the evolving local cultures of New Mexico and see the lessons of history and regional context as relevant to a sustainable future. Among our objectives for future collaborations, the ARTS Lab goals are to:
- • Promote the exchange of ideas in areas such as climate change, cultural sustainability, and rural health care between the Southwestern U.S. and other communities around the world.
- • Use new media to support community driven action in building sustainable communities.
- • Support cutting edge research in health, education and science that uses new media as a transformative agent to enact positive social change.
- • Serve as a test bed for new media that contributes to the innovative use of social and immersive media in education.
