Associate Professor of Art Mark McCoin's Robotic Resonance project.
MAY 25, 2023 — Mark McCoin, an associate professor of art in the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA), has received a 2023 George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Fellowship. The prestigious award recognizes McCoin’s exemplary interdisciplinary work with a focus in sound, which involves 4D performances and installations with integrated technologies.
In 2022, McCoin premiered “Robotic Resonance” (RR), a developing art experiment combining sound performance with gestural robotics. The project was originally funded by a Luminaria Artist Foundation’s Rick Liberto Visual Art Grantee award in 2020. Through its thought-provoking concepts, interdisciplinary approach and meticulous execution, RR exemplifies UTSA's commitment to pushing boundaries, fostering critical thinking and inspiring innovative ideas among its students, faculty and the community.
“The Howard Fellowship will provide me with support for the next phase of research and development into the Robotic Resonance project. This phase will focus on the implementation of a form of AI that will allow Roz to apply recursive machine learning to what it hears and parses in real time,” said McCoin. “The application of this research into edge computing, machine learning and artistic expression seeks to advance a broader understanding and implementation of emerging technologies in music, performance art and the humanities.”
McCoin’s work can be seen across Texas and has been enjoyed internationally. Selected works include the evening length performance “The Feral Piano,” “Uprising,” an interactive sculpture installation for Sculpture Month Houston, and a prize-winning “Piano Car” performance at the Houston Art Car Parade.
The UTSA faculty member has also composed and produced scores for dance, theater, film, radio and for television programs on networks such as Animal Planet and Food Network. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Merce Cunningham Studio, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, at ruin sites in Peru and in villages in Bali, Indonesia.
“Mark’s work on Robotic Resonance is a fabulous testament to the competitive level of research our faculty engage in and to the power of the marriage between art and other disciplines,” said UTSA School of Art Interim Director Libby Rowe. “The Howard Foundation Award is a highly prestigious award and this recognition of Mark and his continued work researching artificial intelligence and robot learning will undoubtedly yield some impressive and engaging artwork into the future.”
Established in 1952, the George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation is an independent foundation administered at Brown University. Fellowships awarded are unrestricted and do not require a residency for the sole purpose of aiding the intellectual and artistic development of the recipients. McCoin is the second UTSA faculty member to be award a Howard Foundation Fellowship, following School of Art Senior Lecturer Andrei Renteria, who received a fellowship in 2019.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
