Staff Member's Art Exhibition Recognized for 'Contributing to the Fabric of the State'

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The College of Computing has won a 2023 Georgia Association of Museums (GAM) award thanks to the work of staff member Birney Robert.

The award honors Extension of Self: What it Means to be Human in a Digital World, an exhibit curated by Robert, who works as an events coordinator for the College. The award recognizes special projects that "demonstrate scholarship and originality contributing to the cultural fabric of the state," according to the GAM website.

The exhibit was on display in the Georgia Tech Library from August to October last year and featured six interactive digital art installations, including one by Assistant Professor Ashutosh Dhekne of the School of Computer Science. Each installation considered ways in which technology has become integrated into our lives, with a special focus on accessibility. The exhibit had nearly 1,000 visitors, including eight classes of Georgia Tech students brought by their instructors.

“I think art can be another avenue for making knowledge at a top-tier research university,” Robert said. “I know I learned a lot.”

In the process of curating the exhibit and other related programming, Birney Robert worked with Robert “Trey” Quinn, president of the GT Able Alliance, which is a student group dedicated to improving disability inclusion on campus. She also consulted with the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation. Full Radius Dance, a local dance troupe that includes and challenges people of all abilities, performed at the opening.

[RELATED: Staff Member Using Art and Microsoft Grant to Improve STEM Accessibility]

Robert will curate another art exhibit in the coming year, this one on climate and the environment. She believes these interactive digital arts experiences are good for the Institute as a whole.

“Georgia’s economy is developing so fast in arts and entertainment,” she said, “and this gives us connections in that sector.” Robert is a member of the Institute’s Visual Arts Working Group, an initiative under the Institute’s Arts@Tech Institute Strategic Plan.

The exhibit was funded by a $40,000 Georgia Tech/Microsoft Accessibility Research Seed Grant through the Center for 21st Century Universities