EMPAC

The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) has wrapped up the first season of presenting in its celebrated new facility—and what a season it was: more than 170 productions, projects, and festivals in just eight months!

From the gala opening, which drew more than 23,000 people over three weekends, through the diverse array of public presentations that followed, attracting another 16,000 attendees, EMPAC offered experiences from the stark to the spectacular.

From the raw and darkly humorous stop-motion films of self-taught artist-musician Brent Green to the Elevator Repair Service’s critically lauded six-hour theatrical take on The Great Gatsby; from the idiosyncratic compositions of L.A.-based artist Sean Griffin to the first U.S. appearance of the internationally acclaimed moving-image festival One Dot Zero (pictured is Quayola’s “Strata #1,” an audio-visual installation projected on the ceiling of the Goodman Studio/Theater during the festival), EMPAC hosted an eclectic roster of artistry and innovation.

Members of the Rensselaer community took stage and space at EMPAC, as well. Creative works by faculty and students provided ample illustration of the wealth and range of talent and ambition to be found on the Rensselaer campus.

Though there are no EMPAC-programmed public events over the summer months, there still will be plenty happening. During this pause in its public schedule, EMPAC will support artists in residence, creating and refining new works. Public programming at EMPAC will begin again in September.