ARTSLab welcomed light installation artist Elaine Buckholtz for a special talk as part of the Gale Memorial Lecture Series. Buckholtz’s practice operates in the space between installation, architecture, and landscape, with a focus on public revelation, physical and metaphorical transformation, and the technologically sublime.
On Thursday April 3, 2025, ARTSLab welcomed artist Elaine Buckholtz as part of the annual Gale Memorial Lecture Series. Buckholtz’s works transform environments and sites into quiet spectacles, inducing wonder by activating architectural forms and spaces with moving light, sculptural elements, and sound. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and currently serves as a professor in The Studio for Interrelated Media at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
During her talk, Buckholtz shared early works as well as recent inspirations, installations, and experimentations with light. She brought several of her light-viewing inventions for the audience to experience firsthand, including wearable glasses with custom prism lenses and handheld lens refractors. These interactive objects invited participants to see light in entirely new ways, highlighting her ongoing interest in play and sensory transformation.
The Gale Memorial Lecture Series was established in memory of Dr. David Gale and his wife Sylvia whose generosity made the series possible. Since the establishment of the David and Sylvia Gale Endowment in 1993, the Visiting Artist Lecture Series has thrived, and many students have benefitted from the scholarship. Lectures are free and open to the public.
Join organizers Madrone Matishak and Sarah Bennett Davidson for an overview of the New Mexico Dance Hackathon, an initiative bringing together dance and new media artists to experiment and create innovative work across performance, installation, and film. This info session offers a look at past projects, insights into the creative process, and details on how to apply for this year’s program, culminating in final presentations at UNM ARTSLab this July.
ARTSLab is excited to continue its partnership with Unity in Spring 2026 with two free webinars and two free 10-hour courses, open to anyone in the state of New Mexico.
ARTSLab was recently featured in two articles highlighting its work at the intersection of art, technology, and innovation, including student-led projects and a NASA-funded VR initiative.