On the ground and in the air!
Along the Rio and on the streets of Taos, all the way to the mountains of Telluride, you’ll find UNM-Taos’ Digital Media Arts team packing state of the art Canon cameras and equipment, as they shoot the surrounding landscape and the people in it!
This intrepid group of future minded peeps, are charting new territory up here in Maverick Country, spurred on in part by the inspired and inspiring core of educators in this growing department at UNM.
When I spoke to the department Chair, Peter Walker recently, he was heading to Mexico for a well deserved break before school started up again. Last summer he headed for the Andes. Clearly this love of travel and adventure has rubbed off on his teaching style, and informs the way the students learn and perceive the changing world around them.
In the year I’ve been featuring this program here on taoStyle, I’ve seen it evolve and grow far beyond its early origins.
From producing video footage for the Taos Land Trust’s Rio Fernando Park, to the ongoing production in the works of a documentary about the Rio Grande, the team of students in the UNM-Taos DMA Program have shown us by the example of their extraordinary and innovative work, how valuable this course has been for their (and our) future.
Digital Media Arts is the way of the future; it permeates and informs our daily lives.
Colin Hubbard who already had various degrees and has had careers in different fields, and came to the program later in age than most.
“I was seeking a platform to enter a new arena quite late in life,” he says, “and it needed to be capable of equaling my past endeavors, financially and creatively.”
“The UNM – Taos DMA program provided a wonderful course for me.” He continues. “My interest in digital media because of my photography and advertising background was well fulfilled. I feel like I have had 2 years to immerse myself into something that complimented my longing for a career in creativity. I may not have known at the start what I wanted to do. Now I do.”
Throughout, he says he’s experienced opportunities in real life scenarios which included shooting live events at music festivals and diverse media production on two documentaries about the Rio Grande.
Bailey Wohltman says that “the DMA program has been almost life changing to me, as I have made confidants and learned skills that will benefit the long run.”
Autumn Kaplan agrees. “This program was very inspiring because it brought together a unique and diverse mixture of students who were individually pursuing something different, but yet still on the same career path.”
For Autumn the UNM-Taos DMA Program is a springboard to a future in Film and Television Production, one she clearly envisions. “I got involved with the NMGMM New Mexico Girls Make Movies through the DMA program, and since then I have received intense Production Assistant training. Furthermore I am now available to work on professional film and T.V sets as long as I am available. My first internship job is May 14th in Angel Fire for a Commercial for the National Veterans Wellness and Healing Center.”
Others like Atyr Cederlof credit the program with helping them to find a focus and a path forward
“Through this class I was hired to document the Music on the Mothership at Taos Mesa Brewing as well as documenting a number of other events related to out advanced class Rio Grande Stories project.” He says. “I appreciate the opportunities this Media Arts program is providing us and future generations with.”
Autumn Kaplan sums it up. “I think everyone equally inspired each other because of our different paths, and because we’re all dreamers truly going after something we really love to do.”
Peter did tell me before he crossed the border, that the “Rio documentary production is in full swing – it just needs a few tweaks before we release it to the public!”
Several exciting courses are being offered this Semester, so do check out the UNM-Taos DMA site linked below for more information on this great program!
For more information about classes and courses, contact DMA Department Chair – Peter Walker pedrowalker@unm.edu
All images thanks to UNM-Taos DMA
