Bates receives $500,000 grant to fund major arts and technology project

There currently exists a vibrant culture of creative colleagueship at Bates College where collaboration and innovative teaching prepare students for the future. Leading this charge is the Bates Arts Collaborative (BAC), a committee of artists, faculty, staff, and students whose purpose is to elevate the arts on campus and in our community while advocating for the importance of experiencing and bringing the arts into our daily lives. In collaboration with the greater college, and with funding from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, BAC is thrilled to launch IMPACT 21st (Innovation, Media, Process, Arts, Collaboration and Technology for the 21st Century) to promote new approaches to teaching and learning in the arts, support Bates faculty, students, and staff in collaborative endeavors, and build on Bates’ commitment to the transformative integration of technology and the arts.

GOALS

Through IMPACT 21st we will:

Create an Immersive Media Studio in Coram Hall that will serve as a center for creative arts and technology. A rotation of visiting artists will exhibit and/or perform their state-of-the-art works for the community while also engaging with students (opening Fall ‘23);
Provide faculty, staff, and students opportunities to integrate technology into the arts curriculum through workshops/trainings and artist residency programs;
Develop courses in the arts that incorporate the latest technologies and foster interdisciplinary collaboration;
Build upon and partner with existing emerging technology structures and curriculum at Bates that supports energy efficiency; and
Offer small innovation grants for students and faculty.