College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead and ARTS Lab Director Ed Angel were among those who pitched the first spades of earth at the Sony Pictures Imageworks groundbreaking at Mesa del Sol recently. The new facility will house a 100,000 square-foot digital production facility at Albuquerque Studios.
Photo (l. to r.): UNM ARTS Lab Director Ed Angel, CEO Pacifica Ventures/Albuquerque Studios Hal Katersky, Mayor Martin Chavez, Gov. Bill Richardson, Sony Pictures Imageworks President Tim Sarnoff, Albuquerque Studios Chief Operating Officer Nick Smerigan and UNM College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead prepare to break ground on the Sony Pictures Imageworks digital animation production facility.
Other participants in the groundbreaking included Governor Bill Richardson, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, Sony Pictures Imageworks President Tim Sarnoff, CEO Pacifica Ventures/Albuquerque Studios Hal Katersky, Forest City Covington N.M., L.L.C. President Michael Daly and Albuquerque Studios Chief Operating Officer Nick Smerigan.
In his remarks, Mead praised the governor’s support of the burgeoning film industry in New Mexico. As part of that initiative, UNM is launching the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program. With degree tracks initially offered in the College of Fine Arts, School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences, the program will complement a specialized major with generalized knowledge of the creative, technical and business skills necessary to practice digital media.
UNM recently became the 10th member of the Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence program, or IPAX, through which Imageworks educates faculty and structures curricula at the country’s leading academic institutions in an effort to develop future talent who will contribute to the overall growth of the visual effects and animation industries.
IPAX provides guest lectures and workshops by Imageworks artists, fellowships, student scholarships and internships, and curriculum development support. UNM’s approach addresses the growing need for cross-disciplinary collaboration in media industries and was a key factor in its selection as an IPAX member.
The program also recently received a $750,000 endowment from Forest City Covington to establish the Mesa del Sol Endowed Professorship in Film and Digital Media.
Mead said that plans are underway to build a showcase facility near the Imageworks site to further develop UNM’s partnerships with visual effects industry leaders at Mesa del Sol.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu