creative industries, entertainment, Emerging Technology, Extended Reality, Digital Futures
Amy Glazer
How Can Animated Storytelling be Enhanced by ...

Immersive technology is not new in the slightest, with immersive tricks like ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ and projectors being used for decades. Nor is animation new, with animated shorts dating back to the early 1900s. Animation is a constantly evolving medium that lends well to immersive and Extended Reality (XR), and has been combined with XR to create well-known products, such as Pokémon Go. By combining two growing fields with a strong IP as the baseline, there are exponential growth opportunities for both fields. However, the combination of immersive technology and narrative-led animation continues to fall short of its potential in the entertainment market. Most combinations of animation and immersive technology often end up as avatar creators, video games, or VR experiences. The goal of this research project is to find an approach to combining animation and immersive technology that is marketable, accessible, and creates immersive storytelling.

How Can Animated Storytelling be Enhanced by Immersive Technology
Arts & Technology, Audience Engagement, museums, creative industries
Staff Researcher
Toward a Polyphonic Ecosystem: Mapping Audience ...

This article examines the shifting domain of audience engagement within the arts, tracing a trajectory from ephemeral street painting performances to the high-stakes spectacle of the Super Bowl halftime show and the emergent "postdigital" museum. By synthesizing the institutional critiques of Stephen E. Weil, the "Third Space" theories of Ray Oldenburg, and the "Experience Economy" framework by Pine and Gilmore, the future of cultural meaning lies in the transition from institutional authority to communal "polyphony." Through a series of case studies—including street painting festivals and the "Benito Bowl"—this paper explores how the quality of "presence" and the "Arc of Engagement" serve as the definitive mechanisms for meaning-making in an increasingly mediated, technosocial world.

Toward a Polyphonic Ecosystem: Mapping Audience Engagement from the “Benito Bowl” to the Postdigital Museum
entertainment, creative industries, Arts & Culture
Lehan Xu
From Cultural Diplomacy to Creative Cities: A ...

International theatre festivals have long served as sites of cultural exchange, political expression, and artistic innovation. This article traces their evolution from post–World War II cultural diplomacy to their role in today’s “creative city” economy, examining how festivals reflect shifting geopolitical forces, neoliberal policies, and ongoing tensions between global prestige and local representation.

From Cultural Diplomacy to Creative Cities: A History of International Theatre Festival
Arts & Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technology
Hales Wilson
Byte-Sized Culture: Women in Tech/Arts

This Women's History Month, AMT Lab highlights five groundbreaking women redefining the intersection of arts and technology across disciplines spanning new media, algorithmic theater, performance art, music activism, and artificial intelligence. Each trailblazer has used the tools of her time to challenge who gets to be seen, heard, and represented. Their collective body of work makes clear that the future of art and technology will be shaped, in no small part, by women who refused to wait for a seat at the table.

Byte-Sized Culture: Women in Tech/Arts
Film, entertainment, Marketing
Staff Researcher
The Future of Independent Adult Animation: ...

In Part II, this study builds on the industry context established in Part I by shifting from macro-level analysis to audience-centered insights. While Part I identified independent adult animation as a growing global opportunity shaped by evolving production ecosystems and market conditions, Part II examines how these trends translate into audience behavior and engagement. Drawing on survey data from audiences ages 18–35 and interviews with industry professionals, this section explores what viewers are seeking from independent animated films, the factors that drive discovery and theatrical attendance, and the key elements that contribute to commercial and critical success. In doing so, Part II connects broader industry dynamics to actionable insights that inform strategic decision-making for distributors such as NEON.

The Future of Independent Adult Animation: Opportunities and Strategies for NEON, Part II

Free Tools and New Ideas from the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference (Part I of III)

Free Tools and New Ideas from the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference (Part I of III)

The Nonprofit Technology Conference (#NTC17) met in March in Washington, DC, the headquarters of all nonprofits.  The conference was vast with inspiring keynotes and information-filled panels.  The following is only a sampling of what was available and reveals my passions and interests: Data, Diversity and Communication.