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What does an Indigenous approach to art and technology look like?

Drew Trujillo (Mexica Mestizo), who founded the computer science department at the Institute of American Indian Arts last year, is working to answer that question.

The innovative program integrates cutting-edge digital media and studio arts methodologies into an Indigenous framework. The Indigenous approach is what distinguishes it from other university programs, including the Experimental Art and Technology program at the University of New Mexico, where Trujillo received his Master of Fine Arts degree.

鈥淥ne of the courses I鈥檓 teaching this semester is called 鈥楤eyond Human-Computer Interaction,鈥� and the idea is to expand beyond the Western, human-centric approach, keeping the things that are working really well, but also looking at things from a more Indigenous perspective ... where we are in collaboration with animals, plants and anything you can imagine that could have its own agency,鈥� Trujillo said.

鈥淪o, for example, one project that we worked on is having sensors listen to mycelia (the rootlike parts of fungi), and create soundscapes from that communication, as well as visuals that are reacting to it,鈥� he said.

Trujillo鈥檚 students have also used technology to collaborate with plants in IAIA鈥檚 outdoor garden and greenhouse. Rather than separating people from nature, Trujillo wants to show that new technologies can deepen human connections to the natural world.

鈥淚n that way, the technology is acting as a bridge, and it鈥檚 a question for each individual artist within the program as to how they want to use that,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淭hey could use it in a way that鈥檚 extractive 鈥� where they鈥檙e only taking away from the plant 鈥� or they could use it in a way where there鈥檚 a relationship of reciprocity ... and you鈥檙e giving back.鈥�

One piece of technology the students use is a pen plotter 鈥� a computer-controlled robotic machine that uses real pens, markers and etching tools to make marks on practically any surface. Ticoh Japp (Cowessess Cree First Nations, Treaty 4) used it to print undulating lines, along with jumbled letters from a Cree word meaning 鈥済ood luck, prosperity and a good heart,鈥� onto a piece of leather.

鈥淭icoh (Japp), who鈥檚 an exceptional student ... wrote a custom script that controlled Illustrator, so the lines that were generated were created through her script,鈥� Trujillo said.

Japp then hand-beaded a feather design onto the leather, demonstrating how ancient Cree traditions and computer coding can coexist in the same artwork. Japp was inspired by something her grandmother told her 鈥� that finding a feather on the ground is a sign of being on the right path. So, she used computer coding to generate a visual analog for order emerging out of chaos.

鈥淭he visual disruption (of jumbled letters) reflects that even when the path seems random or fragmented, we are still moving in the right direction,鈥� Japp wrote in a statement about the work.

The IAIA also boasts a high-tech digital dome, similar to the planetarium domes that host light shows.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been part of the campus since 2010. In 2016, we received a Department of Defense grant to upgrade the dome鈥檚 equipment. Then, we recently received another grant to update the equipment again,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淪o, a lot of the equipment that we have in the dome is new as of this summer. And that has really opened the door to be able to invite outside sound designers, visual designers and performance artists to come, bring their computers and essentially plug and play with our system.鈥�

At the dome on April 18, Trujillo debuted 隆Otro!, a new system he designed for translating human movements into live soundscapes and immersive visualizations. The performance was a collaboration with Rosanna Tavarez, a highly regarded dancer-choreographer who teaches at California Institute of the Arts and practices Countertechnique, a rigorous movement tradition.

The performance was just starting to scratch the surface of what鈥檚 possible, Trujillo said.

IAIA鈥檚 computer science department received accreditation in March 2025 and currently has four students. Three are pursuing a Bachelor of Science and the fourth, who is doing an associate degree, intends to graduate in the spring of 2027. The program is still in its nascent stages, and Trujillo said he is excited to see how it grows and evolves.

鈥淚 think it will be constantly evolving. ... Every single semester, I鈥檓 learning a ton from the students, because it鈥檚 very multicultural. ... And because it鈥檚 a technology program, there鈥檚 almost a constant state of evolution there, and we need to make sure the different courses that are available are all current and up-to-date,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淭he end goal is for them to be as versatile as possible and really understand multiple programming languages and creative toolkits.鈥�

As a program rooted in Indigenous values, students are empowered to decide which technologies they want to use, and how they want to use them. Trujillo said he respects students who, for ethical reasons, choose not to use any form of artificial intelligence.

鈥淭he most important part of this process is understanding what the new technologies are and what they鈥檙e capable of doing, then deciding whether or not they align with our values,鈥� he said.

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .