Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lecture

Katia Ibarra reported on the first Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lecture, which occurred on campus Monday, Nov. 13. Here’s an abbreviated version of her article. Read the full piece on

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After receiving a $10,000 grant from Power Company of New Mexico (PNM), the College of Arts and Sciences launched a series of Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lectures for the area’s artistic entrepreneurs.

This first lecture was given by Dr. Alice Loy, a co-founder of the non-profit Santa-Fe organization, Creative Startups.

Michael Metcalf, Chair of Expressive Arts, introduced the presentation by asking some of the questions many artists and dreamers ask themselves: “How do I dream and how do I my dream reality? Most importantly, where does the money come in?” The podium was then turned over to Tim Castillo, an associate professor of architecture at the University of New Mexico, who spoke about the possibility of having a permanent Makers Lab in the old Silver City Museum Annex.

Loy discussed Creative Startups’ “pre-accelerator program” to help creative entrepreneurs make their ideas marketable. The U.S. is a tech-driven creative economy, and the number of art-oriented jobs is expected to increase by 22 percent in the next five years, Loy said.

Loy closed with a memorable quote: “If you’re an entrepreneur and you’ve gotten laughed at, they just don’t get it, you haven’t been talking to the right people.”

After the presentation, the audience was invited to interact with gadgets in the mobile maker lab.