Locust Projects, in partnership with New World School of the Arts’ ART+TECH Lab, presents /dis· place· meant/, a new immersive exhibition in its 625-sqft Project Room featuring 14 emerging artists working with photogrammetry, 3D printing, augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and video projection. The installation investigates the layered meanings of displacement in its many states—physical, procedural, and psychological—through interactive and spatially altered experiences. 

Developed in the college-level ART+TECH Imaging Processes course led by Professor Alisa Pitchenik Charles, the exhibition showcases experimental projects shaped through site visits to Locust Projects, ongoing critiques in the NWSA ART+TECH Lab, and support from the Knight Foundation-funded Digital Innovation Lounge + LAB (DiLL) at Locust. Facilitated by Andrew McLees, Art + Digital Innovation Manager at Locust Projects, the collaboration provided students access to contemporary artist talks and digital resources throughout the semester. 

As part of its mission to support the next generation of creatives, Locust Projects supports experimental, early-career, and student artists through a range of initiatives that foreground risk-taking and innovation. In addition to work with New World School of the Arts, Locust Projects’ commitment to mentorship and hands-on learning shines through programs such as Locust Art Builders (LAB): Summer Art Intensive for Teens, now in its 15th year, which brings together high school students from across Miami-Dade County to create a collaborative exhibition with guidance from professional artists; and the LAB MFA program, a nationally recognized residency and exhibition platform that offers recent MFA graduates the opportunity to create ambitious new work in a supportive environment. 

“Locust Projects is committed to creating opportunities for artists that expand the possibilities of their practice,” states McLees. “Partnerships like our work with New World School of the Arts embody that mission, providing the next generation of artists and creators with access to experimental tools, professional platforms, and the space to take risks so that they may reimagine what art can be.” 

The exhibition is accessible to all visitors, with AR devices provided on-site as well as accessible through mobile phone. Details about the opening night reception on Saturday, May 10, 2025 from 6–9pm are below. 

Exhibition Highlights 

● AR-activated wall artwork: Each artist presents a large-scale C-print that serves as an AR trigger, unveiling a hidden digital animation or experience through your phone or an on-site tablet. In addition, the class will debut Class Displaced, a permanent geo-located AR piece embedded at Locust’s front entrance, blurring the line between public space and digital intervention. 

● 3D-printed sculptures: Physical forms created through photogrammetry scanning and digital modeling anchor several installations, emphasizing themes of identity, absence, and transformation. 

● Immersive video projection: One wall transforms into a cinematic loop of off-site AR activations, documenting the artists’ experiments with memory, nostalgia, sci-fi, and absurdity. 

About the Artists 

The exhibition includes current BFA students from New World School of the Arts’ ART+TECH program, a University of Florida and Miami Dade College partnership emphasizing interdisciplinary experimentation in film, video, animation, and new media. Participating artists include: 

Damoni Byrd, Merly Corvo, Travis Dix, Joshua Joseph, Nova Fernandez, Gabi Lecusay, Anthony Leon-Delgado, Erika Marquez, Jabari Owens, Elizabeth Perez, Alisa Pitchenik Charles, Veronica Ruz, Valkyrie Toro, and Jazlyn Valle 

Selected Works 

● Damoni Byrd, Displaced: A to B, AR-triggered C-print (60x20”) 

● Gabi Lecusay, Entropic, 3D-printed sculptures of disembodied artist hands 

● Veronica Ruz, Something for every-thing, a digital scan collage created using three distinct 3D programs 

● Alisa Pitchenik Charles, Wren Displaced, an archival image activating a generational family AR portal 

Curatorial Statement 

“/dis· place· meant/ invites the audience to reflect on the multifaceted nature of displacement, to see beyond the physical and delve into the emotional and psychological impacts of the work and the impact on the viewer. The integration of 3D scanning and augmented reality, capturing moments with all its glitches and imperfections not only enhances the visual experience but also bridges the gap between art and technology in a novel way and highlights that time and materiality are fleeting." 

– Alisa Pitchenik Charles, Professor of ART+TECH, NWSA, and Curator of /dis· place· meant/ 

About NWSA ART+TECH 

New World School of the Arts is a center of artistic and academic excellence in the visual and performing arts. Aspiring student artists in the Visual Arts Division are mentored by nationally renowned professors that encourage the development of a personal, artistic, and aesthetic vision through disciplined training in traditional and new media, gaining invaluable understanding of the roles of art, design, and film in society. The BFA emphasis in ar + Technology at the New World School of the Arts [NWSA] college focuses on the expansion of technical skills and conceptually driven development in the fine and the applied arts focusing on film, video, animation, and new media. The NWSA college program is an educational partnership of Miami Dade College and the University