Team and partners

The Observatory’s research is conducted by an interdisciplinary team based at Carnegie Mellon University, working in close partnership with organizations across arts education, research universities, and creative practice and industries.

Technical Working Group

The Observatory’s Technical Working Group comprises the project leads, research staff, and partner representatives, together with an advisory board of experts spanning a range of domains and perspectives. Three honorary advisors have also been invited, strengthening ties with other NEA Research Labs of direct relevance to this work.

Project leads

• Daragh Byrne

  Project Lead · Carnegie Mellon University

  On leave through August 2027 · Brett Ashley Crawford is leading the project during this period

  Lead of the College of Fine Arts’ Working Group on AI at Carnegie Mellon, with NSF-funded research on creativity support tools and on arts-integrated research through the XSEAD and Ground Works initiatives.

• Brett Ashley Crawford

  Project Lead · Carnegie Mellon University

  Executive Director of the Arts Management and Technology Laboratory at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon, with research on emerging technologies in nonprofit arts fundraising and on the use of AI to engage communities around public art.

Research staff

• Bilge Kösem

  Doctoral Research Assistant · Carnegie Mellon University

• Fatima Shah

  Graduate Research Assistant · Carnegie Mellon University

• Mary Zhang

  Graduate Research Assistant · Carnegie Mellon University

Partner representatives

• Maryrose Flanigan

  Partner Lead · a2ru

  Executive Director of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), advancing arts-based and interdisciplinary research, practice, and teaching across a national network of higher-education institutions.

• Aaron D. Knochel

  Partner Lead · University of Arkansas

  Professor of Art Education and Program Director of Art Education in The School of Art at the University of Arkansas, with current research on the impact of generative AI on art education.

• Jeff M. Poulin

  Partner Lead · Creative Generation

  Founder and Managing Director of Creative Generation, a learning and capacity-building organization working with young creatives and those who cultivate their creativity.

Advisory board

The advisory board brings external perspective to the Fieldscan and Benchmarking initiatives, drawing on arts education, creative industries, research administration, and AI practice.

• Harrison Apple

  Director
  STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
  College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University

• Jillian Arnold

  Labor & Technology Intelligence Officer
  IATSE

• Mary Dell’Erba

  Assistant Director
  Arts Education Partnership

• Jax Deluca

  Interim Executive Director
  Future Film Coalition

• Johnny DiBlasi

  Associate Professor, Art and Visual Culture
  Iowa State University

  Representative for the Iowa State NEA Research Lab

• Christian Folk

  Assistant Director, Research Services
  Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP)

  Representative for the SNAAP Career Lab

• Nettrice Gaskins

  Assistant Director
  Lesley STEAM Learning Lab
  Lesley University

• Ari Lightman

  Distinguished Service Professor, Digital Media and Marketing
  Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
  Carnegie Mellon University

• Termeh Rassi

  Chief Strategy Officer and Editorial Director
  Leonardo, The International Society for Arts + Sciences + Technology

  Representative for the Virginia Tech NEA Research Lab

Partner institutions

The Observatory is housed at Carnegie Mellon University and conducts its research in partnership with external organizations spanning arts education, research universities, and creative practice and industries.

• Lead institution · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  Carnegie Mellon University

  The Observatory is housed at Carnegie Mellon University, where the interdisciplinary team leads the Fieldscan and Benchmarking initiatives in collaboration with the partners listed below.

  

• Partner · United States

  Creative Generation

  Creative Generation empowers young creatives through research, resource-sharing, and intergenerational learning. They shift policy, pedagogy, and practice to support creativity as a force for change across cultural and educational institutions.

  

• Partner · Ann Arbor, Michigan

  Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru)

  a2ru is a network of colleges and universities dedicated to fostering and promoting the arts in higher education.

  

• Partner · Fayetteville, Arkansas

  University of Arkansas — The School of Art

  The School of Art at the University of Arkansas supports research and teaching across art education, art history, and studio practice, including research on the impact of generative AI on arts learning.

  

Network

The Observatory’s research is informed by a wider, interdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of arts and AI. The network grows alongside the Fieldscan and Benchmarking initiatives, drawing in scholars, educators, and creative professionals whose work bears directly on the Observatory’s research questions.