Category: Archive-2023

This Award was given by ArtSciLab and AHT Dean to Gia Kirk’s “Belonging Again”

Housing alone will not solve homelessness. Belonging Again is an art program that eliminates homelessness through appreciation of talent and career development to create usable object out of plastic and found materials. Those experiencing homeless and participating in Belonging Again Art program may advance to a more developed career focusing in combining art with technology to minimize the technological illiterate rate the homeless population.

About the Winner:

Gia is an AHT student, majoring in Design and Production with a focus in UX Design and a minor in Biology. She describes herself as “a T-shaped Designer, I have deep, specific knowledge in Biology and UX Research, as well as moderate expertise in numerous adjacent fields (strategic and systemic design, animation, 3D modeling, marketing and branding)” and says she is ” passionate about designing for massive change by combining my background in art, design and volunteering. My interdisciplinary knowledge allows me to view problems from a macro level and connect unrelated ideas to create unique solutions.”

Gia founded the NonProfit ‘Belonging Again’, which is an art program designed to eliminate homelessness through talent appreciation and career development. It focuses on homeless artists creating artistic objects from plastic and found materials.

On April 12th, 2023, which marked the lab’s 10th anniversary with the event theme, “Where artists and scientists dance together,” perfectly captured the essence of ArtSciLab’s interdisciplinary approach. The event, which ran from 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm, was filled with various activities and presentations showcasing the lab’s and its members’ achievements. 

The event kicked off a series of presentations by lab members, who shared their research and projects with the audience. The presentations were informative and engaging, and it was fascinating to see the diverse range of topics that ArtSciLab members are exploring. 

In addition to the projects, the Space Exhibition was a fascinating collaboration between UTD’s AIAA (The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and ArtSciLab. It featured a variety of rockets, drones, and space-themed artwork, including some historical items from Dr. Roger Malina’s collection. The exhibition explored the creative process in extreme environments such as space travel. Visitors were encouraged to question what it would be like to create art or design in such conditions. Notably, artist Teja Krasek was featured and will soon send her art to the moon. The Space Exhibition was a great addition to the Deca-Dance event and added a unique and thought-provoking element to the celebration. 

One of the event’s highlights was the treasure hunt, organized to encourage attendees to interact with the lab members’ work. The treasure hunt involved scanning QR codes to provide feedback, and the participants who completed it were eligible for a prize. This was an excellent way to get people involved in the event and showcase the lab members’ work. 

The event concluded with a keynote speech by our esteemed lab director, Dr. Roger Malina. His speech was focused on the lab’s vision and the significance of the 10th milestone anniversary. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between art and science. The graduating lab members were also presented with certificates and recognized for their outstanding contributions. It was a touching moment highlighting the close-knit and supportive community that ArtSciLab has fostered.  

The Deca-Dance celebration honored ArtSciLab’s 10th anniversary and was a spectacular success. The talks and activities at the event provided a window into the interdisciplinary research being done at the lab, which drew an enthusiastic audience.  

By:
1. Misal Shah
2. Alejandro Garcia