Andrea Polli Co-Founder and Creative Director
John Donalds Co-Founder and Technical Director
Madeline Bolding STEAM NM Americorps/VISTA and Program Coordinator
Amy Pilling, Biocultura Americorps VISTA and STEAM Program Designer
Biocultura combines public art, architecture and networked media to create interventions, events, objects, publications, multi- functional built spaces and other artworks focused on social transformation.
Andrea Polli is a Professor of Art & Ecology with appointments in Fine Arts and Engineering. She is The Mesa Del Sol Endowed Chair of Digital Media, and Director of The Social Media Workgroup and STEAM New Mexico supported by Americorps/VISTA at the University of New Mexico. Polli has worked with the NASA/Goddard Climate Research Group and the National Center for Atmospheric Research and her projects have been funded by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The National Science Foundation (NSF), The Compton Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and Fulbright. She spent seven weeks in Antarctica on an NSF residency project, and the resulting book is Far Field: Digital Culture, Climate Change and the Poles .
Technical design collaborator John Donalds' work combines media and architectural theory and practice. He holds an MArch degree from Syracuse University and led the design of high-end networked photography and video laboratory spaces at Oberlin College. In 2010, he was project manager for a series of portals for DestinyUSA, the largest Leed Gold Certified commercial building in the US at the time.
After completing her PhD in genetics, Madeline Bolding wanted to focus on science outreach. Biocultura allows her to explore creative aspects of science that are not typically taught in a formal lab setting. With AmeriCorps/VISTA, she hopes to increase community involvement in not only Biocultura, but in STEAM programs across New Mexico.
Amy Pilling is a permaculture designer, educator and artist working with biological organisms and processes. Through Americorps VISTA, she is currently building Life Arts Laboratory (LAL) with Biocultura and UNM. LAL is a mobile bio-lab built in a 5' x 8' trailer for use by artists, citizen scientists and students for STEAM-inspired artwork, scientific inquiry and education.
Biocultura is connected to: The University of New Mexico STEAM NM/Americorps/VISTA Program, The Waag Society and the UCLA Art|Sci Center and Lab
Biocultura thanks The Compton Foundation and The Climate Change Leadership Institute (CCLI ),