New Mexico State University's Art Department received a state grant recently which will enable the department to enhance its programming. KRWG's Susan Morée spoke with Bree Lamb, who is associate professor of photography, Carissa Samaniego, assistant professor of sculpture and gradate student Abigail Tuttle about what the grant will provide. This is a transcript of their conversation.
Susan Morée:
What you're hearing is a large format printer that can print a high quality photo up to 44 inches wide. This is just one of the tools that will be available to the public starting in the fall at New Mexico State University's Art Department. The Art Department got a grant from the state's Creative Industries Division for $62,500. The state announced the grants last month and NMSU's Art Department is the only organization in southern New Mexico to receive this annual grant this year. The money will allow the art department to expand on the various programs already available to the public and expand the university's art department's outreach to the community. I spoke with Bree Lamb, assistant professor of photography at the New Mexico State University Art Department, about what the grant will mean to the public.
Bree Lamb:
And this will give us an opportunity to do more specific training on these digital fabrication tools. We've been in touch with the lovely people at Arrowhead to help this also be more of like a business incubation model for students and the public. There's really all sorts of opportunities for creative experimentation and we're hoping that these workshops will really engage the public.
Susan Morée:
I also spoke with Carissa Samaniego, assistant professor of sculpture at the NMSU Art Department. Samaniego told me that the art department competed with over 100 applicants for this grant. Being able to offer tools like the large format photo printer to the public with a small fee to offset the cost of ink will serve a need Lamb and Samaniego said the art department has been wrestling with for years, which is how to make their cutting edge equipment available to the public. Carissa, can you tell me, a person who's coming in, what can they expect in the fall?
Carissa Samaniego:
You can either come in and just utilize the space during open lab hours, which will be staffed and get access to the equipment that we have, which includes 3D printers, water jet cutters, the router. We've got photo printers and a digital embroidery machine, amongst other pieces of equipment. So you can either just access that equipment or you can join one of our workshops.
Susan Morée:
I also spoke with Abigail Tuttle, a graduate student in the NMSU Art Department. Tuttle demonstrated the department's laser cutter, which is a large machine that she said has many sculptural and jewelry applications. Tuttle demonstrated the laser cutter, cutting thick paper when I visited. She said it cuts and it engraves. And this will be available next fall for the public workshops?
Abigail Tuttle:
Yes.
Susan Morée:
Okay. For KRWG Public Media, this is Susan Morée.
