feature / college-news / interaction-design / alumni
October 14, 2024
By Solvej Schou

Creative Tech 2024 explores the intersection of art, design, technology

The annual event returns with panels and career sessions on AI, sustainable design and career building

In 2024, we all know that creativity and technology are uniquely—and beautifully and complexly—intertwined. But what does that mean for the future of artists and designers?  

Focused on the role of artificial intelligence, the challenges of sustainable design, and new approaches to career building and entrepreneurship, ArtCenter’s fourth annual event Creative Tech—with three days of sessions with industry leaders—is set to empower creatives in their fields and showcase ArtCenter as a leader in powerful conversations on creativity and tech.  

Held on ArtCenter’s Hillside Campus, Creative Tech 2024 will feature the panel “Regulating Innovation: Policy, Privacy and Creator’s Rights” on October 23 and the panel “Purpose Driven Creative Tech” October 29. Both are open to the general public. Careers in Creative Tech sessions on October 29 and 30 are designed for ArtCenter students, with the chance to interact with professionals who are building new possibilities and prioritizing impact and sustainability.

“We're really looking at the underpinnings that influence the role that art and design play with new technology: the who, what, where, when and how do artists and designers actually engage with these new tools,” says Robbie Nock, ArtCenter’s vice president of alumni and industry engagement, and one of the event’s lead organizers.  

Moderated by ArtCenter Dean of Media and Technology Maggie Hendrie, “Regulating Innovation: Policy, Privacy and Creator’s Rights” will dynamically examine AI’s ongoing influence. Panelists Sanford Williams, deputy chief of staff to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel; ArtCenter Trustee Bill Gross, founder and CEO of ProRata.ai and founder and chairman of the leading technology incubator Idealab Studio; and Todd Terrazas, founder of the nonprofit Artificial Intelligence Los Angeles (AI LA), will offer distinct perspectives on generative AI technologies impacting policy, profit and people.  

“We’re radically expanding the conversation to include perspectives outside of art and design, with the inclusion of the FCC’s Stanford Williams,” says Nock. “How does engagement with technology materialize into an outcome that might be an image, a prototype, a new product? This panel tackles foundations of regulation and policy on a broad level and looks to the future. What will AI regulations and challenges be? This helps us better understand critical issues that are coming up in our own education with students, with intellectual property and AI policies. And what's so unique about Pasadena, and L.A., is that we have all these technology, art and design communities and practices, and it's important that they all come together.”

Moderated by ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann (BS 97 Product Design), “Purpose Driven Creative Tech” features alumni leaders that will address the tools and methods that students need to succeed in a world where sustainability is essential for survival.  

Hofmann will be in conversation with panelists Vicki von Holzhausen (BS 95 Transportation Design)—a former car designer and trailblazer in material innovation whose company von Holzhausen began when she decided to make a vegan leather that could rival animal leather—and Jessie Kawata (BFA 11), who studied Product Design at ArtCenter. Kawata, whose former positions include Microsoft’s director of design for sustainability and multiple roles at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a design director, co-founder, environmental advocate, part-time educator, TEDx speaker and space exploration design pioneer.

“While the first panel showcases big picture challenges, this panel showcases leaders within our own community exploring the practice and implementation of creative technology work in the world today,” says Nock. “It's all about real world impact, and how we take what we've learned from the conceptual, critical and theoretical.”

Creative Tech 2024’s Careers in Creative Tech sessions for ArtCenter students will feature Kawata on October 29 and Iain Finch, senior manager of 3D and 2D digital visualization and product creation at Patagonia, on October 30.

Both industry professionals will give a behind-the-scenes view into how creative careers can be thoughtfully designed and how students can channel what they learn at ArtCenter to make a profound difference in the world.  

“Students in education are being confronted with so much information, so many opportunities to learn and so many challenges that it can feel overwhelming,” says Nock. “It’s really our job to clarify for them in a way that's unique to ArtCenter that meets their career aspirations. What is this field? Where can I work in creative technology and sustainability? What is that job title? These sessions are inclusive and accessible and meets students where they are.”  

Register now to attend Creative Tech 2024.