Event | Navigating the Creative Technology Scene in New York and Beyond Panel in Mandarin
Learn how to tackle challenges and spot opportunities in the cross-disciplinary sector.
As technologies advance, more artists are exploring cross-disciplinary creation and bringing cutting-edge innovation into their practices and projects, while cultural and higher education institutions and corporations are actively supporting new ways of storytelling via multiple platforms and resources. As a Mandarin-speaking creator, what kinds of challenges are you facing and what opportunities are you finding? What resources are cultural institutions, academics, and private sectors offering that individual artists and art professionals can utilize?
With support of the Cultural Immigrant Initiative funding from Council Member Stephen Levin, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) will conduct a panel discussion in Mandarin on navigating the creative technology scene in New York and beyond on Saturday, May 5, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Lair East SoHo space.
Title: Navigating the Creative Technology Scene in New York and Beyond Panel in Mandarin
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2018
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Lair East, 424 Broadway #602, New York, NY 10013
Cost: Free; RSVP required
The panel will be moderated by Judy Cai, Senior Program Officer, NYFA Learning. Mr. Changyong Huang, the president of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, will deliver the opening keynote. Participants will also have the opportunity to network during the event. The panelists are:
- Xin Liu, Van Lier Fellow at Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)
- Mengtong Guan, Executive and Creative Director, Ping Pong Productions
- Hsiang Chin Moe, Artist, Curator, and Educator at School of Visual Arts (SVA) MFA Computer Arts
- Michael Zhu, CEO & Co-Founder, Lair East
Panelists’ Bios
Xin Liu
Xin Liu was born in 1991 in Xinjiang, and is an artist and engineer. Mixing scientific research with personal narratives, she creates transformative, participatory experiences and bodily objects to actively participate in the paradigm shift between technological advances and humanity. Her goal is to reconfigure the tools of technology, not for exploitation but for the recovery of human feelings, affects, and emotions.
Xin has shown her work internationally at events and venues including Ars Electronica (2017), Boston Museum of Fine Art (20162017), Sundance Film Festival (2017), The Walker Art Center (2017), OCAT Shanghai (2015), Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum (2017), Eyebeam (2015), International Symposium on Electronic Art (201320162017), and Music Tech Festival Berlin (2016). As a researcher, Xin has worked in institutions including Microsoft Research NYC, Microsoft Research Asia, Google ATAP, TASML, and presented her research at international conferences including UIST, UbiComp, TEI, DIS, and Augmented Human.
Xin was awarded a Van Lier Fellowship at Museum of Arts and Design in 2018. She also works as an Art Curator in the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative.
Mengtong Guan
Mengtong Guan was born in Beijing and received her Bachelor’s degrees in English and Fine Arts from Peking University. She was a regular contributor to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts magazine 2009-2012, concertmaster of Peking University Symphony Orchestra, and music instructor for Dean D’art, an arts education initiative that works with underserved children in Beijing suburbs, to build their self-confidence through theater and music.
Mengtong received a M.A. degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She worked at Lincoln Center Festival in New York City as an intern and festival’s Assistant Company Manager. In 2014, Mengtong was hired as the Production Assistant for Mark Morris Dance Group’s China tour, and has since worked with Ping Pong in China and USA.
Mengtong was selected to participate in the “Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Gwangju 2015” by European Festival Association and was a Fellow of “Emerging Leaders of New York Arts” from 2016-17.
Hsiang Chin Moe
Hsiang Chin Moe is an educator, curator, and artist with 10 years of experience in higher-education, production, technology, and management. As Director of Operations at the School of Visual Arts MFA Computer Arts department, she oversees the academic operations, including curriculum development, recruitment of staff, faculty, visiting artists, guest lecturers, and students. She also leads global industry outreach to raise the department’s profile. She has worked in the industry for several years in both animation and live-action filmmaking, and has exhibited, performed, presented, lectured, and participated in panels in the United States and abroad, including Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, and Sweden. Hsiang is a member of College Art Association, SIGGRAPH ACM Community, and Women in Animation. Hsiang is the Associate Director of the New York Digital Salon and has also worked as an independent documentary filmmaker in New York City. She graduated with a Master of Fine Art degree in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts after she received her Bachelor of Art degree from Temple University with concentration in video editing, multimedia, and photography.
Michael Zhu
Michael Zhu is CEO and Co-founder of Lair East, which is the first “Tech & Culture” themed collaborative co-working space and global entrepreneur community on the East Coast. In addition to his work at Lair East, he is managing director of Huayuan International (USA) Investment Inc., a company that bridges culture and tech in the U.S. and China. He is an experienced social impact entrepreneur and investor who works with start-ups in the cultural industry in both the U.S. and China to build a powerful ecosystem for bridging and advancing effective business communications for China-U.S. cultural projects. Zhu also initiated the first cross-border corporate innovation accelerator program on the East Coast, which was developed with Harvard I-Lab, NYC Innovation Collectives, ERA, and NUMA to help U.S.-based startups expand into Asia. Zhu holds an M.S. in Investment Management from Pace University. He serves on the board of Huayuan Art, is an advisor at both the NYC Chinese Entrepreneur Organization and Throwing Fruit Inc, and is an innovation advisor at Wenzhou University New York Accelerator. He is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at business, technology, and culture conferences including those at Harvard University, Peking University, US-China Innovation Conference, and HPAIR Conference.
Moderator’s Bio
Judy Cai is the Senior Program Officer of NYFA Learning at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). She facilitates various professional development programs at NYFA, such as entrepreneurial boot camps and the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, to better serve individual artists. With a strong interest in arts and cultural exchange, Cai also manages a number of NYFA’s China programs, and outreach to local Asian artist communities. Since 2013, she has led four intense professional training programs for Chinese art administrators and curators in the United States. She is also the Chief Representative in the United States for the Shanghai Interactive Festival of Theatre (SHIFT), the only festival focused on interactive theatre and arts and technology in Mainland China.
Prior to this position, Cai was the Outreach Coordinator at the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts. A strong advocate of global arts exchange and with extensive experiences in international communications, Cai has also worked at Christie’s, Dance/USA and Shanghai International Arts Festival.Cai has a M.A. degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University, a B.S. degree in Culture and Arts Management, and a Bachelor of Law degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
This program is presented by NYFA Learning, which includes professional development for artists and arts administrators. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs, and the free Con Edison IAP Newsletter, which features upcoming opportunities and events of particular interest to immigrant artists.
The space is supported by Lair East, which bridges the East and the West through tech and culture, by providing workspace and support services for entrepreneurs, helping them succeed with their cross-border network and expertise.
This workshop is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council. NYFA is grateful to Council Member Stephen Levin for his support.
Image: Lily & Honglei (Fellows in Interdisciplinary Arts ‘15), China Pavilion: Crystal Coffin, 2011
