Interview with Richard Lowenberg

Posted:	June 7, 2016
Collection:	Digital & Media Art

Richard Lowenberg, Director of the 1st-Mile Institute and the organizer of the New (+Old) Media: Restoration, Preservation, Archiving & Access workshops at the 2016 CURRENTS International New Media Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico talks with the Thoma Foundation about the importance of preserving new media art and fostering discussions about best practices in the field.

The Foundation is pleased to support the 2016 CURRENTS New Media Festival, which runs from June 10 to June 26, 2016. More information at https://currentsnewmedia.org.

THOMA FOUNDATION: Why are the Best Practices for New Media Artists and Best Practices for Cultural Institutions workshops important to the field?

LOWENBERG: Understanding the long-term ‘life’ of traditional and new-form artworks is elementally tied to the collecting, conserving, exhibition, archiving and valuation of our evolving cultural heritage. Determining and applying ‘best practices’ to the ‘life’ of unstable, temporal and new media-tech artworks is a rapidly emerging practice, and is of increasing need and importance to all cultural institutions and to artwork creators. Few but the largest and best-funded institutions, however, have delved into this increasingly urgent arena. To address this need for conversation and training about best practices, 1st-Mile Institute and the 2016 CURRENTS International New Media Festival are bringing leading experts in this field to Santa Fe on June 10-12. There they will host “New (+ Old) Media: Restoration, Preservation, Archiving and Access,” needs-based workshops on applied best practices, with representatives from cultural institutions in the Southwest and with artists.

THOMA FOUNDATION: What do you hope comes out of these two workshops?

LOWENBERG: These special workshops are a vital part of CURRENTS’ programming and they are part of our dedicated commitment to presenting and fostering the best in new media artworks, practices, presentations, education and public access. These workshops will help to ensure the enriching place of these artworks in our contemporary cultural environment. Sign up for the Best Practices for Cultural Institutions on June 11 and Best Practices for New Media Artists on June 12 workshops via the links below:

Best Practices for Cultural Institutions: https://currentsnewmedia.org/events/best-practices-insti/
Best Practices for New Media Artists: https://currentsnewmedia.org/events/best-practices-new-media-artists/

Lowenberg is an artist, ecosystems-designer and tele-community planner. His media, installation and performance works have been presented internationally since 1968. He is the Director of the 1st-Mile Institute and its New Mexico ‘Broadband for All’ Initiative, and the SARC (Scientists/Artists Research Collaborations) “ECOS” program.