Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology

Groundbreaking Fall 2024

Help us create, perform, and foster innovative collaborations in our newest building at The UNM College of Fine Arts, The Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology.

architectural concept art of the interior performance space of CCAT

Project Description

The Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology (CCAT) aims to be a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and collaboration among students, faculty, and the wider Albuquerque arts community. This project holds immense importance for UNM’s College of Fine Arts, as it seeks to cultivate future creatives and audiences while advancing a critical, creative workforce, and boosting New Mexico’s economy.

CCAT is poised to have a profound impact on the New Mexico arts and culture scene, as well as the local economy. The facility will be designed to meet or exceed LEED Silver V.4 certification standards and will provide performance, exhibition and rehearsal spaces, a large concert hall, and flexible collaborative areas. Its location on the UNM campus, bordering Central Avenue, will animate the street, creating new vibrancy, showcasing the talents of the College of Fine Arts to the public.

Harris D. Smith

Dean of the UNM College of Fine Arts

Imagine a campus where every student is exposed to fine arts and technology’s most creative and imaginative applications. Imagine if all music students could perform in a state-of-the art performance space, and all film students learned the most cutting-edge digital technology.

Imagine an environment dedicated to collaboration, where students and communities from all disciplines come together in ways that transform lives and inspire the most profound creativity.

We’re not just imagining – we’re making it happen.

Please join us in making CCAT a reality – naming spaces, contributing to our vision of an XR studio, offering seed money for interdisciplinary projects, or endowing new positions to ensure we utilize our incredible new building.

UNM College of Fine Arts Dean Harris Smith

official architectural rendering concepts of UNM CCAT

Diller Scofidio + Renfro | DS+R

After a rigorous selection process, UNM engaged the architecture firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) for its exceptional competence and qualifications. DS+R will collaborate with Albuquqerque-based ROMA Architecture and other specialized partners such as Bradbury Stamm Construction to bring this visionary facility to life.

DS+R is known for designing cutting-edge spaces, seamlessly blending functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability. With a proven track record in performing arts spaces on university campuses, DS+R’s team brings a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experience to the project.

Benjamin Gilmartin, DS+R Partner-in-Charge of the design of CCAT stated, “We are excited to partner with UNM in creating a transformative space that fosters collaboration and artistic expression. The Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology will not only enrich the university community but also serve as a catalyst for the growth and advancement of the arts in New Mexico.”

Supporting a University and State Rooted in Arts & Culture

Garnett S. Stokes

President of The University of New Mexico

“The University has always been both a catalyst for and a pathway to New Mexico’s vibrant artistic culture. This unique facility will enrich our relationships with our state’s cultural communities and business sector partners to spur creative and economic growth that is fundamental to the mission of UNM and vital to the growth of the State of New Mexico.”

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Michael Hix

Department Chair of Music

“CCAT will impact students, staff and faculty at UNM in many profound ways. Adding a new state-of-the-art performance venue/concert hall will allow faculty to fulfill our educational goals by providing students with the performance experiences they deserve. The proximity of ARTSLab, the Film & Digital Arts Sound Stage, and the Art Gallery will promote even greater innovation and collaboration between faculty and students throughout the College of Fine Arts.”

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Stewart Copeland

Director of ARTSLab, Professor of Experimental Art & Technology

“ARTSLab is an interdisciplinary space that welcomes collaboration with art and technology across the College of Fine Arts departments and other colleges at UNM. It’s an open and welcoming laboratory where synergy, magic, and innovation can happen when researchers come together to create the future. In the new building we will expand our capacity to nurture research and creative practice for faculty, students, and community members and continue to encourage technological equity!”

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James Stone

Department Chair of Film & Digital Arts

“CCAT will provide the Department of Film & Digital Arts students with a new studio space. This is of enormous significance to our 600+ majors and pre-majors who will soon have access to an on-campus moviemaking facility tailored to their needs.”

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Scott Anderson

Interim Chair of the Department of Art

“CCAT will be an important hub of interchange and collaboration for all in the College of Fine Arts, and an architectural jewel on UNM’s Main Campus. Located on historic Central Avenue, the Department of Art will benefit from a much-needed exhibition space in an area of campus frequented by community members, students and creatives from across disciplines. The design of this exhibition venue will allow our department to showcase artworks both within the building and outwardly to the public.”

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Amanda Hamp

Associate Dean of Equity and Excellence, Associate Professor of Dance History and Criticism

“A contemporary space full of natural light and ample seating is a place for creating community and sparking new projects. The high-energy collaborative space will benefit individual performing artists, ensembles, and audiences who are ready to think outside the box. This additional programming will be managed by student employees — providing one more real-world work experience opportunity for students.”

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CCAT News

Blown away by groundbreaking for new fine arts building CCAT

Nov 11, 2024 | CCAT

Albuquerque, NM – On the evening of Tuesday, October 15, 2024, The UNM College of Fine Arts faculty, staff, students, and honored guests gathered at the site of the future fine arts building, the Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology, also known as CCAT, to...

KRQE News 13 – UNM set to break ground on new fine arts building

Oct 15, 2024 | CCAT

Bela Olague, Posted: Oct 10, 2024 / 10:21 PM MDT, Updated: Oct 11, 2024 / 06:24 AM MDTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – If you’re driving in Albuquerque along Route 66 in the next two years, you’ll see a new building on the University of New Mexico’s campus under...

A new era for Fine Arts education: UNM set to break ground on landmark Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology

Oct 1, 2024 | Art, CCAT

By Lydia Thomas, September 25, 2024The University of New Mexico is set to embark on an innovative journey with the groundbreaking of the Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology (CCAT) on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), this new...

Diller Scofidio + Renfro chosen as architect for UNM’s Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology Building

Aug 21, 2023 | CCAT

Diller Scofidio + Renfro chosen as architect for UNM's Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology Building By Sarah Scott, August 04, 2023 University of New Mexico Planning, Design & Construction has selected Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), a highly influential...

For More Information about the Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology

Please Contact:

Kristine Purrington

Exec. Dir. of Academic Development
College of Fine Arts
(505) 277 – 7320
kristine.purrington@unmfund.org

Shelly Smith

Director of Development
College of Fine Arts
(505) 277 – 7320
shelly.smith@unmfund.org