About EMPAC
The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) opened its doors in 2008 and was hailed by the New York Times as a “technological pleasure dome for the mind and senses… dedicated to the marriage of art and science as it has never been done before.”
Founded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, EMPAC offers artists, scholars, researchers, engineers, designers, and audiences opportunities for creative exploration that are available nowhere else under a single roof. EMPAC operates nationally and internationally, attracting creative individuals from around the world and sending new artworks and innovative ideas onto the global stage.
EMPAC’s building is a showcase work of architecture and a unique technological facility that boasts unrivaled presentation and production capabilities for art and science spanning the physical and virtual worlds and the spaces in between.
Residencies
EMPAC accepts applications for both it's Artist and Scholar/Researcher residencey programs on a rolling basis.
Artist in Residence Program
The combination of artist-driven content with new, high-end technology stands at the center of EMPAC’s artistic activities. Artists’ projects will intersect with research in science, engineering and the humanities, challenge and inform each other, and lead to new approaches and insights in all these disciplines. To this end, EMPAC provides an environment that supports the realization of complex works at any stage from inception to completion. Along with a state-of-the-art facility, EMPAC offers residents the support of a staff of experts in audio, video, interactive interfaces, and stage technologies.
Scholar and Researcher in Residence Program
EMPAC is creating an environment of fertile creation, cross-pollination, and intellectual stimulation. Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars and researchers will participate in the formation of an intellectual community in scientific and engineering disciplines that may also engage perceptual and artistic knowledge and practice. EMPAC will be a platform for areas such as augmented and virtual reality, scientific visualization, audification, haptics, human/
