Creating Paths for Connection: Art Center College of Design and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Art Center College of Design has worked in close collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than ten years at the intersection of art, science, and technology. This unique partnership has created curricula, public programs, cross-disciplinary internships, projects, and employment for artists and designers alike. Such programs address a growing need for artists, designers, and scientists to develop the role of technology and big data in contemporary life while solving immediate environmental problems and participating in the new space race.
At NASA’s JPL there has been a growing demand for artists and designers to translate complex scientific concepts into meaningful and understandable messages and experiences. In the recent past scientists and engineers at JPL have recognized design not only to be a means of communicating their mission to the public but also to their own peers. JPL has seen the beginnings of a cultural shift: where artists and designers are embedded within the infrastructure and research teams at JPL, influencing the innovative mission design process. Four years ago, the Studio at NASA JPL was launched as the first in-house team of artists and designers at the agency. The Studio has pioneered a foundation for design in-house, making art and design "integral" to JPL rather than an external service. Through the many programs and connections between Art Center and NASA JPL, both communities are exploring state-of-the-art spaces for collaboration and connectivity and are using a shared mission to address the many challenges of a twenty-first-century global society.
Vice President, Alumni and Industry Engagement
Art Center College of Design
Kristine Bowne joined the Art Center College of Design community thirteen years ago and has been working with its global alumni network for the past ten years. Her work takes her around the world as she connects its graduates to the college through continuing education programming, career opportunities, and various affinity programs. Bowne also oversees the Educational Partnerships and Career and Professional Development offices, which connect students and alumni with industry for internships, recruitment, career resources, and educational industry sponsored projects. She has also expanded mentor opportunities for alumni, grown the volunteer network, and launched entrepreneurship programs, professional development offerings, and executive education programs. She is an advisor to the Design Accelerator, a for-profit start-up in collaboration with Caltech.
JESSIE KAWATA
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jessie Kawata loves to explore the space of science and the science of space. By day, Kawata is a designer and creative strategist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. She helped to pioneer the first in-house art and design studio at NASA, where they translate complex scientific ideas into meaningful and awe-inspiring projects. Kawata is also creative lead on NASA JPL’s early mission architecture team, where she has initiated the integration of design thinking, creative methodologies, and visual storytelling into the process of designing space mission concepts. When she is not staring into space, Jessie also illustrates, sails tall ships, and is also a part-time product design instructor at Art Center’s Saturday High Program.
