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Month: February 2023

Course Spotlight: Augmenting the Gallery, Theory and Practice with Augmented Reality at NYU Berlin

Posted on by Katie L
Pierre Depaz leads the Augmenting the Gallery course

Pierre Depaz leading the Augmenting the Gallery course at NYU Berlin

Combining his background as an educator, artist, and programmer, instructor Pierre Depaz’s NYU Berlin course Augmenting the Gallery makes use of his research on simulation and public organization through technological means to explore the overlap of the digital and the physical in museums.

“We use augmented reality technology to reveal some of the invisible knowledge threads that weave through a museum’s exhibitions, spaces, and publics,” says Depaz. “This allows us to look critically both at a new technology that pervades our devices and centuries-old institutions, sometimes in need of an update.”

Augmenting the Gallery offers students both a theoretical framework for understanding the museum space and the practical application and experience using new technologies like Unity (a game engine used to develop games and simulations) and prototyping tools like Figma and Adobe XD. Ultimately, students learn how to create relevant mobile content within a given exhibition through prototyping, iteration, and integration. More importantly, they are able to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of augmenting technologies within cultural spaces and sensitively implement them using their acquired knowledge. Accessibility is a key theme in the course as students grapple with the question: How much does digital media provide access to knowledge and to whom?

“Berlin is particularly great in terms of the layers of history that are rendered visible across the city. From Prussian empires to refugee waves through the Holocaust and the Cold War, there’s many ways you can look at a particular place and many different stories told by each of these places,” says Depaz. “Additionally, the creative tech scene also exposes the students to cutting-edge new media art and exhibitions.”

Making extensive use of museums and galleries in Berlin, Augmenting the Gallery is a great academic example of how NYU’s global network enhances the student experience. Working closely with these institutions, students gain practical skills they can leverage with future employers while learning that “designing augmented reality is a lot more complex than what commercials promise,” says Depaz. Students also learn “how complex the job of a museum is if they want to uphold their mission.”

By learning to design and deliver immersive experiences that breathe new life into displays, using technology to challenge the more complicated and problematic aspects of exhibitions, and making the hallowed museum space accessible to the widest swath of people possible, students develop the skills they need to help uphold a museum’s mission and break barriers in Berlin and beyond.

Want a taste of Augmenting the Gallery?

Depaz recommends checking out what the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin did with an augmented sound walk of their bird collection. He also cites “The Ignorant Art Museum: Beyond Meaning Making” by Emilie Sitzia as one of the course’s most popular readings. “It’s an article on how museums can help foster knowledge and provide agency back to their audience without keeping the posture of an elite ivory tower, sometimes facilitated by the use of digital technologies,” he says. “The class about how museums engage in education and, more broadly, what is good education is very fruitful—students always report their best learning experiences happening outside of museums (or outside of university, for that matter!).”

Written by Kristin Maffei

Faculty Spotlight: Justin Randolph Thompson

Posted on by Maxine P
Three students of color talking with the Florence Duomo in the distance.

NYU Florence students enjoying the view of the Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo

One marker of success when spending extended time in a new place (especially as a student) is how comprehensively one engages with the local culture. At NYU Florence, students are immersed in Italian and, specifically, Florentine culture through a range of courses and activities. And for over six years, Global Lecturer Justin Randolph Thompson has worked to ensure that experience includes the rich history of Black people in Italy.

In addition to his role as a lecturer at NYU Florence, Thompson, an artist, cultural facilitator, and educator, is the cofounder and director of Black History Month Florence, a multifaceted exploration of Black histories and cultures in the context of Italy. He also works with faculty and students to provide support for study abroad programs, offer internships and workshops, and share a space to connect with Black culture abroad. As a young man living in Italy, Thompson, who has lived between the United States and Italy since 1999, found that his relationship to Blackness was very much shaped by his environment.

Black History Month Florence

The first Black History Month Florence was created in 2016 to inspire much-needed connection—as a way to link Thompson’s projects to institutions in Florence and elevate his message. “Blackness extends into antiquity; there has never been a time in Italian history when there were not Black people here. But the country needed a framework to engage in more expansive conversations about Blackness.” Therefore, Thompson and cofounder Andre Thomas Halyard worked to build a network of like-minded people, artists, and writers to engage people with this history.

“In 1926 historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Month because there was a need to tell a more complete story about the United States. And 90 years later, there was a need to tell a more complete story about Italy,” Thompson explains. This year’s celebration, which began on February 1, has expanded to include about 50 events, and its network now stretches across Italy and beyond. “It’s a huge cultural moment,” Thompson says. “Every single time we’re able to pull this together thanks to a range of partners, it is an incredible demonstration of what’s possible.”

The Recovery Plan

Now that Thompson’s work has grown, Black History Month Florence is but one piece of a much more comprehensive puzzle. The Recovery Plan, which developed from the success of Black History Month Florence, is a Black cultural center that examines the history and contemporary legacy of Blackness in a global context. The center hosts a range of exhibitions, performances, lectures, seminars, workshops, and residencies designed to reflect upon Italy as a historic site for cultural exchange.

The Recovery Plan collaborates with organizations and institutions throughout and beyond Italy, supporting young Black Italian artists. The center also nourishes an archive and library for the study of Afrodescendent cultures while helping to provide training and support to its partners.

“This is the work that really needs to happen in order to safeguard layers of history that have been consistently excluded,” Thompson says. “These absences impact all of society.”

The Work Together Is the Reward

Thompson has exhibited and performed at institutions all over the world, including the Contemporary at Blue Star art institution in San Antonio, Texas; Villa Romana in Florence, Italy; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, New York; and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain. He has also won a number of awards, including a 2022 Creative Capital Award, a 2020 Italian Council Research Fellowship, and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Competition award.

These awards have given Thompson the freedom to experiment and push the boundaries of his work, beginning projects and bringing on new partners even if he doesn’t know the outcome from the start. As an educator, he follows a similar philosophy: “My teaching—and the way I live my life—is about developing a relationship where we can question everything and exchange what it is that we do know,” he says. “Together, we create a more complete picture. Every one of us can contribute such important things to this world.”

Written by Sarah Bender

NYU Students Live and Learn Abroad Thanks to Global Awards

Posted on by Katie L

A young woman standing in a glittering urban center looking up.For many students at NYU, a global education isn’t just an option, it’s a given. Gaining international experience provides students with a springboard to hone language skills, pursue advanced research, and build a global network. Many of NYU’s aspiring overseas scholars apply to available scholarships and fellowships to make their dreams of going abroad a reality. Competitive awards provide singular opportunities to explore the world and continue one of the many values seeded at NYU—being a global citizen. It is a lifelong educational pursuit, and students and alumni have a full office—the Office of Global Awards (OGA)—at NYU dedicated to helping them determine the best fit for them and prepare competitive application materials. So, following the recent announcement that NYU is one of the top producers of Fulbright US students, we’re celebrating the scholars who embody the NYU ethos of a campus without walls on the global stage.

Fulbright Program

OGA runs NYU’s internal Fulbright advising and endorsement process, offering students and alumni support, from workshops and modules to accountability and community, throughout the process. Last year, 25 NYU students and alumni were awarded Fulbright grants to research, study, or teach abroad. Fulbright scholars were in countries as diverse as Brazil, Estonia, Indonesia, Jamaica, South Africa, Spain, and Sri Lanka. For this year’s Fulbright process, 67 NYU students are currently semifinalists, and results will be announced later this semester.

Rhodes Scholarship

Perhaps one of the most well-known scholarships, the Rhodes Scholarship grants students the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford as a fully funded and full-time postgraduate student. Gustė Gurčinaitė, an NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2023 student, is currently majoring in Political Science with minors in Environmental Studies and Legal Studies. As a 2023 Rhodes Scholar, Gustė intends to pursue an MPhil in Environmental Change and Management.

Critical Language Scholarship

The US Department of State classifies certain languages as “critical languages.” That is, languages essential to national security and economic success. The Critical Language Scholarship Program, sponsored by the US Department of State, takes US students abroad for eight to 10 weeks for an intensive study and immersive cultural experience. Two undergraduate NYU students received the award in 2022. Christina Lee, an NYU College of Arts and Science East Asian Studies and Journalism double major, studied Chinese in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Luna Belle Vassão, a Global Liberal Studies major with a concentration in politics, rights, and development studied Japanese in Okayama, Japan.

Marshall Scholarship

By studying in the United Kingdom, Marshall scholars gain a unique understanding and lasting appreciation of everything the country has to offer. The two-year graduate school scholarship supports academically gifted and personally talented US students while they study in the UK. This award helps support storyteller and activist Callie Holley, Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2022, in her pursuit of an MA in Black Studies at Birmingham City University. Callie was one of four finalists from NYU considered for the scholarship in 2022 and the fourth NYU recipient to receive the scholarship in the past three years.

George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance, the Mitchell Scholarship introduces and connects accomplished, community-minded students to the island of Ireland. Each year, up to 12 Mitchell Scholars are chosen to conduct postgraduate study abroad in the discipline of their choice at any institution in Ireland or Northern Ireland. In 2021 Marilu Duque, Tandon School of Engineering Class of 2019, was selected from a pool of over 450 students. At Technological University Dublin, Marilu studied Criminology with a focus on cybercrime.

Schwarzman Scholars

As China’s role as a global power grows and becomes more complex, it’s increasingly important that the next generation of leaders understands this country of nearly 1.5 billion people. Schwarzman Scholars attend Tsinghua University in Beijing, where they complete a one-year master’s degree in Global Affairs. Throughout the year, they deepen their appreciation of Chinese culture and commerce through lectures, mentorship, language instruction, and travel. NYU students from across schools and majors have won the highly selective award. In 2022 four NYU students were named Schwarzman Scholars; in 2023 that number increased to six.

Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship

The Gilman Scholarship program provides study abroad scholarships to US undergraduate students who currently receive a Federal Pell Grant as part of their tuition. Over the last two years, 48 NYU students received the Gilman Scholarship to support their study abroad experience. While awards typically average up to $5,000, students who apply to the Critical Need Language Award can receive additional funding. Critical languages as of 2023 include Arabic, Bangla, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish.

The NYU Washington, DC, Music Club: Where There’s No Judgment

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

An NYU Liberal Studies student describes the value a new music club brings to NYU Washington, DC, students

Written by Saylee Nemade, Liberal Studies (LS), Class of 2026

On a spectacular fall Sunday, the NYU Washington, DC, Chamber Music Collective gathered downtown at the Church of the Epiphany to watch Mina Smith, LS Class of 2026, perform with the DC Concert Orchestra Society (DCCOS) in a program full of classical pieces by composers ranging from Mozart to Holmès. Mina began playing the violin when she was 6 years old. Since then, music has been an integral part of her life. During her time at NYU, she wanted to keep it a focal point. So she auditioned for DCCOS, where she says she’s enjoyed interacting with new people of all ages in a musical environment.

Interior of the Church of the Epiphany. Stained glass windows and people sitting in pews.

The DC Concert Orchestra Society performing at the Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington, DC

Mina is also a founding member of the NYU Washington, DC, Chamber Music Collective, a student-run club for music lovers of all kinds that launched in fall 2022. Her Sunday concert was one of several events and gatherings the club has organized with support from faculty adviser and violinist Dr. Sydney Boyd. Every Friday, the club holds ShowcaseHour, an open mic, for any NYU Washington, DC, student to share their musical talents. Under Boyd’s direction, the club has also attended events around the DC area (like Mina’s concert) as well as solo performances and guest lectures with pianists such as Dr. Yvonne Chen. There’s a diverse set of talents within the club. Students play myriad instruments from the violin, piano, and guitar to the xiao (a vertical end-blown flute) and the melodica. In turn, the club’s activities involve a variety of genres, styles, and musical affinities. For example, one week ShowcaseHour became KaraokeHour. Students also have plans to invite a variety of musical guests to share their own musical journeys. In everything it does, the club focuses on inclusion and community: no criticism, just applause for a shared passion.

Two masked students pose for the camera in the Church of the Epiphany

Saylee Nemade (left) and a friend attend the DC Concert Orchestra Society’s performance at the Church of the Epiphany

When I chose NYU Washington, DC, as my LS First Year Study Away site, I was elated to have the opportunity to join the Chamber Music Collective. It is a very open, nonjudgmental club. As a musician and dancer myself, music plays an influential part in my life. I have been dancing since I was 3, and I’ve been singing, writing, and composing since I was 8. In addition, I have played a variety of instruments since a young age and continue to play and compose on the piano. As the Chamber Music Collective’s administrative secretary, I enjoy proposing and organizing new events. I love watching and listening to the club members’ varied talents because each person is unique. We’re all from diverse backgrounds, and that brings new perspectives to the club.