Highlights from 2022–23

Herberger Institute Highlights

Narratives of water

In response to Arizona’s unprecedented water challenges, the Narrative Storytelling Initiative at Arizona State University engaged students in conversations about urgent water issues through a series of interlinked courses, including five courses offered within the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts: Music, Nature and Sustainability, Art and Ecology, Introduction to Digital Sound, Introduction to Storytelling and a Narrative and Emerging Media portfolio course. Learn more.

Designing for spring training

A group of ASU students, including digital culture, design and animation students from the School of Arts, Media and Engineer, The Design School and the School of Art, all in the Herberger Institute, created scoreboard graphics for spring training games. Learn more about the project.

Creativity in electronic music

An interactive event at Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum displayed how technology transforms music and included demonstrations from faculty and students in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre’s popular music program and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering’s digital culture program. Learn more about the demonstrations.

Exploring Afghanistan through another lens

Presented by Culture and Access at the Herberger Institute and the Multicultural Communities of Excellence, “Aaghil” was an exhibition that featured a photo collection exploring rare stories of community life in Afghanistan. Read about the exhibition.

Emerge 2022: Eating at the Edges

Herberger Institute students, faculty and staff participated in the ninth edition of the art, science and technology festival Emerge, held at the ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center and the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. Presented by ASU in partnership with Mesa Arts Center and Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology, the 2022 festival explored what it means to eat in a world of increasing environmental extremes. The projects included a 600-foot long table sculpture created by School of Art professor Mary Neubauer and MFA sculpture students. The table spanned the length of the entire festival at the site.

“The Most Beautiful Home … Maybe”

ASU’s new Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in Mesa hosted its first performance with a production of the “The Most Beautiful Home … Maybe.” Created by Mark Valdez and Ashley Sparks, who taught a graduate-level course in community-engaged art-making at ASU in the spring, “The Most Beautiful Home” addressed the housing crisis through an interactive theater performance. While Valdez and sparks were in Arizona, they met with several experts familiar with the housing situation in Mesa, including leaders from nonprofits, the city council, city staff and activists. Jake Pinholster, founding director of the MIX Center and the show’s media designer, said the show was a perfect debut for MIX. Read more.

Narratives of water and Creativity in electronic music photos by Charlie Leight.

Designing for spring training photo courtesy of the ASU Meteor Studio.

Exploring Afghanistan photo by Sabira Madady.

Emerge image courtesy of the Emerge team.

‘The Most Beautiful Home…Maybe” photo by Rich Rayn/Courtesy of Mark-n-Sparks.

2022-23 by the numbers

Total number of students is accurate as of Sept. 6, 2023. All other numbers reflect the 2022-23 academic year. Some numbers and percentages were rounded up.

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