Virginia Tech, Amazon, and Alexandria Partner to Foster Creative Collaboration
Emily Fielder sees fruit in a new light these days, thanks to a collaboration between academics, industry professionals, and policymakers in the Washington, D.C., area. Fielder, a learning experience designer at Amazon, has participated in monthly workshops created through a partnership between Amazon, Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), and the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria.
These gatherings aim to facilitate a knowledge exchange between academia and the workforce. Each workshop features a presentation on an art-related technique or technology by a Virginia Tech faculty member, followed by hands-on experimentation for the participants.
Fielder attended the workshop “Transforming Food Waste into Vibrant Watercolors.” She said it was both nostalgic and eye-opening.
“Having scholars and researchers from different disciplines connect things I may have never connected on my own and hearing about new research done at a university is a great way to spark creativity within my work,”
Fielder said.
The topics of the sessions range from using artificial intelligence for writing, to exploring the dynamics of projection mapping, emphasizing contributions from both presenters and attendees in experimentation and discussion.
“Innovation happens when creativity and technology collide,” said Ben Knapp, executive director of ICAT. “Built upon ICAT-supported creative scholarship, this workshop is an opportunity for these collisions to happen within Amazon — a new paradigm for university-industry collaboration.”
The workshops, held at the Expressions Lab at Amazon’s HQ2, bring Amazon employees together for a day of creative exploration. The next day, the same session is offered to the public at Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory Art Center.
According to a statement from Amazon:
“Amazon is proud to support programs like Expressions at HQ2 and ICAT which highlight the intersection of innovation, education, and the arts. This partnership is more than just an academic-industry collaboration. It’s a strategic investment in the future.”
Hosting the workshops in two locations provides opportunities for artists and lifelong learners throughout the community to participate. This initiative also supports efforts to strengthen local talent pipelines and innovation hubs in the D.C. area.
“Our goal is to inspire people to think more creatively, embrace technology and see art as a tool for problem-solving, not just as an aesthetic practice,” said Brett Johnson, curator of artistic advancement of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts. “It’s about opening up the playing field and giving people hands-on experiences that change how they think, operate, and innovate.”
A Partnership Forms
In 2022, Johnson and David Baker, assistant vice president and chief of staff for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, discussed how to integrate art into Virginia Tech’s new building in Alexandria. They saw an opportunity to collaborate with industry partners. Baker connected Johnson with Knapp, which led to a collaboration between ICAT and the City of Alexandria for exhibitions and performances.
Concurrently, Amazon launched Amazon Expressions at HQ2, led by Alexander Rudd, the program’s delivery manager. “Early on, it became clear that people at Amazon were interested in technology-driven artistic practices,” Rudd said. Originally a weekly artistic exploration series, Amazon Expressions expanded in August 2024 to include Virginia Tech and Alexandria’s Office of the Arts.
Next Steps
Committed to its mission of creating a two-way flow of knowledge, Amazon Expressions is not only inspiring attendees, but it is also fueling curiosity among the workshop leaders.
For Eric Lyon, a music professor who led the Spatial Audio workshop, the real value of this collaboration lies in its experimental nature. He believes it could reshape the knowledge stream between academia, industry, and society on a much larger scale.
“I love being able to connect with different groups of learners than we get inside of academia,” Lyon said. “In a place like Amazon, there is a diverse pool of very smart people, with a particular way of thinking. That range of people engaging is a great challenge for me to see what I have to offer.”
Four workshops led by Virginia Tech faculty have already taken place, with topics including:
- Artificial Intelligence and Writing, led by Matthew Vollmer, professor of creative writing
- Projection Mapping, led by David Franusich, multimedia designer
- Spatial Audio, led by Lyon
- Transforming Food Waste into Vibrant Watercolors, led by Yoon Choi, professor of design
This week, the fifth installment of this ongoing collaboration will explore the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics inherent in hip-hop culture. Craig Arthur, associate professor of transdisciplinary studies, will lead the workshop.
Contact: Lindsey Haugh
