A national workshop series hosted by UCLA to connect technological innovation, culture and creativity

The Office of Innovation, Culture, and Creativity Projects at UCLA, with support from the National Science Foundation’s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, will fund a series of regional interdisciplinary workshops beginning this summer that will bring together artists, institutions, and individuals working in the creative and technology sectors to advance research and innovation at the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology.

The year-long UCLA hub project, which launched in January with a $1.3 million investment from the NSF, will support seven workshops in California, Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New York and Washington. Participants include indigenous scholars and artists, scientists, nonprofit groups, museum curators, storytellers, urban planners, entertainment and performance professionals, designers, musicians, animators, artificial intelligence and augmented reality developers and more. The workshops were selected by a panel following a call for proposals earlier this year.

“These workshops will generate new networks and connections and help participants in different locations across the country think broadly about new types of innovation and R&D support,” said Jeff Burke, professor and associate dean for research and technology at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the project’s principal investigator. “The lessons learned from these regional meetings will inform our national meeting in December on how to better connect research and innovation in the technology and creative sectors.”

Jennifer Jacobs, assistant professor of media arts and technology and computer science at UCLA Santa Barbara, is co-principal investigator on the project. UCLA collaborators include Lauren Lee McCarthy, professor of media arts in the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture; Chris Johanson, chair of digital humanities and associate professor of classics; and Gregory Pottie, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. The panel review and subaward process were supported by the UCLA Office of Research and Creative Activities. The UCLA DataX Initiative is providing additional support for the Los Angeles-based effort.

In December 2024, UCLA will host a national conference that will bring together leaders and workshop participants, as well as representatives from government, industry, and the nonprofit sector.

The main goals of the Innovation, Culture and Creativity project are to examine the role of regional culture in strengthening innovation ecosystems, support the sustainable competitiveness of the U.S. creative sector, and develop new strategies to expand and diversify the country’s STEM workforce.

Regional workshop topics, locations and dates include:

• Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Creative Computational Media: Building a Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem in the Pacific
  University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Kapolei, Hawaii; August 12-13
• Inclusive Innovation: Engaging Creative Technologists in Advanced Technology Tool Research and Initiatives
  TEC Leimert, Los Angeles, California; August 17-18
• Integrating Arts and Culture with Critical Materials and Biological Products in Kansas City
  KC Digital Drive, Kansas City, Mo.; September 12-13
• Design Justice: Using Design Justice Principles to Shift Power in Social Technology Development in Detroit
  Design Justice Network, Detroit, Michigan; September 12-13
• Dreaming of Ethical Black AI Ecosystems Through Black Joy #BlackTechFutures Research Institute, Washington, DC, September 13-14
• Indigenous Pathways to Planning for a Sustainable Future
  Creative Startups, Albuquerque, NM, September 13-14
• Developing Dramaturgical Strategies for AI and XR with the New York Performing Arts Scene
  Manhattan Community College, Brooklyn, New York, September 28-29

For more information on all the projects and participants, visit icc.ucla.edu/workshops.