Harris and Ros Barron Immersive Experience Design Studio

We need your help in raising the necessary funds to dedicate this new and exciting studio on campus in the name of Harris and Ros Barron.

Harris and Ros, as a team, were instrumental in founding the Studio for Interrelated Media at MassArt in 1970 and sending the program on a trajectory of innovation, live event production and immersive theater. Sparked by the creative direction of ZONE, the experimental theater group Harris and Ros invented alongside collaborator Alan Finneran in 1968, SIM continues to evolve.

The Immersive Experience Design Studio will incorporate the newest forms of visual creativity, story-telling, entertainment, research, and problem-solving. Immersive Experience technologies, including all aspects of XR (Extended Reality – virtual, augmented, and mixed reality) will be the highlight of the studio.  MassArt artists will be able to leverage their talents as visual artists, civic activists, and makers. This new studio will be a centralized location where students, faculty and staff from all departments will be able to demonstrate the cutting edge of technology, engage with the latest research and professionals in the field, share knowledge, collaborate on ambitious projects, and showcase their work. MassArt students continue to be shining examples of our mission of preparing artists, designers, and educators from diverse backgrounds to shape communities, economies and cultures for the common good. 

MassArt will be expanding this studio over the years, but SIM is getting things kick-started by dedicating the space in the Barron’s name. We need $50,000.00 to make this happen. These funds will help us purchase AR and VR equipment, software and accessories; enable a make-over of the room;  and ensure we have a shared collaboration space for students, staff and faculty to brainstorm! We have already received several generous seed contributions from wonderful SIM alum and friends.

THANK YOU!

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$50,000Raised $47,096 towards the $50,000 target.$47,096Raised $47,096 towards the $50,000 target.94%
ANY amount will help us reach our goal!

In the ZONE
$10,000.00 and above

Eagle Airtists
$5,000.00 and above

On the Spotters
$1,000.00 and above

Keepers of the Crypt
$500.00 and above

Friends and Loafers
$100.00 and above

Space 46ers  
$50.00 and above

Presenters and Producers
aka Shared Experience Creates Community
$25.00 and above

If you’d like to donate you can do it online – https://massart.edu/giving – and choose Harris and Ros Barron Immersive Experience Design Studio in the drop down menu. Or you can mail a check. Checks can be made out to MassArt Foundation with a note on the check that funds are to be used for the Harris and Ros Barron Immersive Experience Design Studio. 

Please mail to:
Marjorie O’Malley
Executive Director
MassArt Foundation
621 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Additionally, you are always welcome to donate directly to our two scholarships that are dedicated to SIM Students:

  • Micah Danemayer Scholarship
  • Harris Barron Scholarship

For further information, with any questions,  and/or if you would like to volunteer your talents, networks and/or time please email Nita Sturiale (SIM ’90) nsturiale@massart.edu.

SIM alum Amy Cotton teching a show in the projection booth in the Longwood Theater. During her time at MassArt, Cotton was a participant in the ZONE production of Kandinsky’s Yellow Sound at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC.
Amy Cotton (SIM ‘74) teching a show in the projection booth in the Longwood Theater during the Master Magician and Friends performance event in 1973. During her time at MassArt, Cotton was a participant in the ZONE production of Kandinsky’s Yellow Sound at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. Image credit: Photo by Dave Armstrong (SIM ‘73).