EMPAC—Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center

EMPAC / the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located on the corner of 8th Street and College Avenue in Troy, NY, is both a place—a 220,000-square foot facility designed expressly for the creation and presentation of experimental media and performing arts—and an artist-centered curatorial program, where artists, researchers, and audiences come together to explore the boundaries of art, science, and technology.

The EMPAC curatorial program has supported the realization of more than 600 performances and new works since the building’s opening in 2008 through residencies, commissions, partnerships, premieres, installations, publications, and more. Curators for dance/theater, music, and time-based visual art—and a staff of highly skilled experts in fields of video, audio, lighting, and stage technology—provide in-depth support of artists over extended periods of time to develop and realize complex projects. The program’s polyvocal curatorial approach resonates through each project, generating time-based artworks diverse in content, method, technology, and audience experience.