Partnerships
Designing the Future of Learning, Research, and Creative Practice
The Innovation Center at The New School brings together the AI, XR, and Quantum Labs to work with industry and creative partners to design, prototype, and apply emerging technologies across creative practice and applied research.
The Center operates as a platform for co-creation and applied experimentation—where emerging technologies are not only explored, but actively experienced. Through partnerships and collaborative projects, we develop immersive experiences, research-informed initiatives, exhibitions, and digital activations that extend beyond traditional boundaries and model new approaches to knowledge-making, cultural production, and engagement.
Each partnership featured below reflects a shared commitment to experimentation, future-building, engagement, and social impact. Working alongside faculty, students, artists, researchers, and industry collaborators worldwide, the Innovation Center and its labs function as a living ecosystem transforming ideas into experiences, insight into practice, and collaboration into innovation and creative capacity.
Case: AI Summit – AI Playground Talks and Installation
Who Gets Left Out? Embodying the Systems Behind Generative Models
As part of the AI Summit, the Innovation Center at The New School and Parsons School of Design designed and delivered a public-facing AI Playground activation titled Who Gets Left Out? Embodying the Systems Behind Generative Models, featuring the work of Parsons MFA alumni Tiago Aragona and Matías Piña.
This installation examined how artistic and design practices can uncover the hidden, extractive systems underlying generative artificial intelligence—from data and resource extraction to invisible labor, bias, and exclusion.
Through a combination of a featured talk, immersive installation, and on-site booth presence, the activation engaged Summit participants and invited them to move beyond abstract discussions of AI ethics and instead encounter generative systems as cultural, material, and socio-technical infrastructures.
Designing the Experience
The installation by Aragona and Piña was designed as an interactive, participatory environment that allowed attendees to engage directly with generative systems and their underlying assumptions. Spatial design and interactive elements emphasized visibility, flow, and openness, encouraging collective exploration and conversation.
The Innovation Center booth was integrated into the installation’s conceptual framework, serving as an extension of the experience where participants could ask questions, deepen their understanding, connect the themes of the activation to educational, creative, and institutional practice, and engage directly with the artists and Innovation Center staff.
Talk & Public Programming
The featured session, Who Gets Left Out? Embodying the Systems Behind Generative Models, was facilitated by Maya Georgieva and featured creative technologists Tiago Aragona and Matías Piña.
Through the project Artificial Us, the session demonstrated how art can function as a method of critical AI inquiry revealing the biases, material dependencies, and socio-technical systems that shape generative models. Participants were invited to reflect on who is represented and who is excluded within AI datasets, and to consider strategies such as local dataset curation, decentralization, and embodied design as pathways toward reclaiming agency over AI as a medium.
Production & Delivery
The Innovation Center oversaw the coordination of programming, installation, and booth operations to ensure consistency, clarity, and quality throughout the activation. This included on-site setup, alignment with Summit programming, and real-time facilitation within the AI Playground.
Collaboration and Impact
This partnership between the AI Summit and The New School’s Innovation Center demonstrated how higher education can serve as a critical laboratory for examining AI systems, engaging industry leaders, educators, and the public in meaningful dialogue about the futures we are actively building.
Case: The Dream Machine — VR Activation at The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts
Maya Georgieva, Senior Director of The New School’s Innovation Center, XR Lab, designed and co-directed the Immersive Activation for The Dream Machine project at the Griffin Sidewalk Studio — a large-scale immersive installation created in partnership with Nona Hendryx’s Dream Machine Team, Lincoln Center, and the Summer for the City program.
Presented at Lincoln Center, the activation brought together Nona Hendryx and collaborators through art, music, and immersive storytelling to create an Afrofuturist journey of sound and vision. As part of the Innovation Center’s XR Lab partnership with Dream Machine, we designed and implemented a comprehensive participant engagement and experience delivery framework to support Nona Hendryx’s pioneering work.
The activiation included running six sessions daily, each welcoming up to 40 participants— over 200 guests per day across the month of June in the pop-up Lincoln Griffin Sidewalk Studio. The installation invited audiences of all ages to explore virtual worlds through Meta Quest 3 headsets, guided by the XR Lab team of trained student docents program.
Design and Production Process
- Experience Design & Audience Flow
Crafted the full journey of participants from entry to immersion to exit ensuring accessibility, and emotional impact. Including space design and docents roles. - Participants Onboarding & Engagement Protocols
Designed the onboarding process, including guest introductions, headset setup, safety briefings, and engagement etiquette. - Docent Training & Operations
Developed and trained an interdisciplinary docent team from Parsons School of Design, the College of Performing Arts and Eugene Lang College, who guided guests and managed each session. - Production & Delivery
Supported day-to-day operations, scheduling, and coordination to ensure consistent quality and a seamless audience experience throughout the month-long public run.
Case: Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN)
Maya Georgieva, Senior Director of The New School’s Innovation Center and founder of the XR Lab, served as lead author, principal researcher, and creative director for the State of XR & Immersive Learning reports developed in partnership with the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN).
This multi-year collaboration brought together applied research, immersive design, and global community engagement to document, visualize, and communicate emerging trends in XR and immersive learning across higher education, industry, and cultural sectors.
The partnership positioned the XR Lab as both a research engine and a creative design studio, supporting the development of the 2023 and 2024 reports as living artifacts that extend beyond publication into experiential, visual, and public-facing formats.
Research, Authorship & Creative Direction
As the primary author and researcher, Maya Georgieva led the conceptual framing, research synthesis, and narrative architecture of the reports. Her work shaped the thematic structure, trend taxonomy, and forward-looking analysis that define the State of XR & Immersive Learning as a field-facing reference point.
In parallel, Maya served as creative director, guiding how complex research insights were translated into accessible, visually legible, and immersive formats—ensuring alignment between intellectual rigor, design clarity, and audience engagement.
XR Lab Contributions & Student Collaboration
As part of the Innovation Center XR Lab partnership, Lab Assistants and Parsons Students Grace Park, Kelly Su and Isabella Tedesco played a critical role in conducting and extending the research into design, visualization, and media delivery.
Their contributions included:
- Research Support: Assisting with primary research, case identification across global XR initiatives
- Visual Language & Systems Design: Designing the visual language for the reports, including the creation of all 18 custom trend icons for both the 2023 and 2025 editions
- Design Translation: Supporting the transformation of research findings into diagrams, and visual frameworks that could be reused across formats
This collaborative model reinforced the XR Lab’s pedagogical mission with engaging students directly in applied research, design systems thinking, and large-scale knowledge production.
Virtual Showcase & Experiential Extension
Beyond the written report, the XR Lab developed the 2023 Virtual Immersive Showcase that extended the research into an immersive environment. This experience enabled audiences to explore key trends, themes, and examples spatially using avatars reinforcing the report’s emphasis on experiential learning and future-facing modes of knowledge dissemination.
The virtual showcase functioned as both a dissemination platform and a proof-of-concept for how research outputs can evolve into immersive learning experiences.
Case: Weeksville Heritage Center — Immersive Activation
Maya Georgieva, Senior Director of The New School’s Innovation Center in partnership with artist and visionary Nona Hendryx co-designed and directed the Immersive Activation for the Weeksville Heritage Center.
This collaboration brought together art, history, and emerging technology to create a dynamic audience experience surrounding the Dream Machine Augmented Reality (AR) Mural installation at Weeksville. The project reimagined how visitors engage with cultural heritage through immersive storytelling, spatial design, and real-time facilitation.
Designing the Experience
As part of The New School’s Innovation Center XR Lab Partnership, Maya Georgieva led the experience design, audience engagement framework, and docent training program, ensuring each visitor had a meaningful and seamless encounter with the AR installation.
- Spatial Design & Audience Flow
Designed the visitor path and spatial layout to complement the AR mural environment—focusing on accessibility, pacing, and reflective engagement within the historic Weeksville site. - Docent Program & Training
Created and led a comprehensive Docent Program to support participant engagement. Trained students from Parsons School of Design and across The New School to guide visitors through the AR experience, assist with iPad setup and navigation, and ensure a smooth, intuitive interaction with the digital components.
The docents were instrumental in managing the flow of participants, explaining the AR interface, answering questions, and helping visitors engage confidently with the technology. - Participant Experience & Engagement
Developed the participant journey from greeting and onboarding to reflection ensuring that visitors felt welcomed, informed, and supported throughout the experience. The activation emphasized human connection and storytelling alongside cutting-edge technology.
Collaboration and Impact
In partnership with Nona Hendryx and the Weeksville Heritage Center, Maya and the XR Lab demonstrated how immersive design and facilitation can transform heritage experiences into spaces of participation, empathy, and discovery.
By designing the activation, docent-led experience, and participant engagement model, Maya helped create an environment where technology supported storytelling rather than overshadowing it. The docents played a key role in bridging digital and human experience—ensuring every participant, whether tech-savvy or new to AR, could fully connect with Weeksville’s living history.
The project stands as a model for community-centered immersive design, where collaboration, creativity, and technology converge to honor the past and inspire the future.
IBM Quantum Case : Quantum Jam & Quantum Art Exhibition
Maya Georgieva, Senior Director of The New School’s Innovation Center and founder of the Quantum Lab, led the design, curation, and production of the Quantum Jam and Quantum Art Exhibition in partnership with IBM Quantum.
The exhibition, titled “QUANTUM ART: Creative Expressions of the Infamously Counter Intuitive,” curated by Maya Gerogieva showcased a series of pioneering artworks and research projects created using IBM’s Quantum Computers. Presented at Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn, the show featured 15 works, including quantum-generated pieces by Russell Huffman, a pioneer in the field, and 11 innovative projects developed by Parsons School of Design students through The New School’s Quantum Computing Jams.
Designing a Quantum-Creative Ecosystem
Through the Quantum Lab and IBM Quantum partnership, we envisioned and established a creative space for exploring the artistic potential of quantum technologies. The annual Quantum Jam designed by Maya Georgieva, first launched in 2021, serves as an experimental incubator bringing together students, faculty, and industry partners to explore how quantum principles can inform design, storytelling, and artistic expression.
Each Quantum Jam culminates in a series of prototypes and concept pieces that merge science and art, some of which evolve into full-scale installations—such as those featured in the Quantum Art Exhibition.
Curatorial Vision & Exhibition Design
For the Quantum Art Exhibition, Maya led the entire creative process:
- Curation & Conceptual Direction — Defined the exhibition’s theme, bridging quantum mechanics, creative expression, and the aesthetics of uncertainty.
- Collaboration & Production — Partnered with IBM Quantum to enable artists and students to access real quantum processors, translating quantum data and principles into visual, sound, and interactive artworks.
- Show Design & Delivery — Coordinated installation design, artist preparation, and visitor engagement strategies at Microscope Gallery, transforming abstract computation into tangible experience.
- Community & Scholarship — Connected academic inquiry with public engagement, positioning quantum art as an emerging frontier for interdisciplinary exploration.
The exhibition ran from March 23 to March 30, drawing artists, technologists, and the public into a new dialogue between computation and creativity.
About the Quantum Lab
Founded in 2019 by Maya Georgieva and Lin Zhou, the Quantum Lab at The New School is a first-of-its-kind hub dedicated to exploring the intersection of quantum computing, art, design, and social research. The Lab fosters collaborations across academia, industry, and culture, producing projects that envision future narratives and applications of quantum technology.
Recognition & Impact
The Quantum Initiative has received multiple national and international honors for innovation in education and emerging technology:
- FutureEdge 50 Award (2021) — Recognizing advanced applications of emerging technologies.
- Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Gold Award (2022) — In Developing Emerging Skills.
- CIO 100 Award (2023) — Celebrating innovation in information technology.
Innovation Through Partnership
Through the Quantum Jam and the Quantum Art Exhibition, Maya Georgieva and the Quantum Lab have positioned The New School as a global pioneer in quantum creativity advancing a new era where art and science converge to imagine the worlds of tomorrow.
Case: World Science Festival — “Enter the Frontiers of Space” VR Playground
As part of the World Science Festival, the Innovation Center at The New School and its XR Lab, designed and produced a public VR Playground experience titled “Enter the Frontiers of Space in Virtual Reality.”
This immersive installation invited participants to explore the universe through virtual reality, journeying to the James Webb Space Telescope and touring our own Solar System in an awe-inspiring, interactive environment. The activation exemplified the power of immersive technology to make scientific discovery experiential, accessible, and emotionally engaging for audiences of all ages.
Designing the Experience
Maya Georgieva, Senior Director of The New School’s Innovation Center and leader of the XR Lab, directed the experience design, spatial setup, and audience engagement model for the VR Playground. The installation transformed a public festival space into a vibrant arena where visitors could step into the cosmos.
- Experience Design & Setup
Designed and configured the VR Playground to accommodate multiple participants simultaneously, using VR headsets to simulate deep space environments and create a sense of collective exploration. - Participant Engagement & Facilitation
Developed the full visitor flow—from onboarding to exploration—ensuring a smooth and intuitive experience. Participants were guided through their journey across space, supported by trained student facilitators who introduced the experience, assisted with headset setup, and ensured comfort and safety. - Docent Program & Training
Designed and led the Docent Program, training students from Parsons School of Design and across The New School to assist participants, manage equipment, and provide context for the scientific content. Their presence ensured an accessible, engaging, and educational experience for hundreds of festival visitors. - Production & Delivery
Oversaw setup, operations, and on-site coordination to maintain quality and consistency throughout the activation’s public run.
Collaboration and Impact
This partnership between the World Science Festival, The New School’s Innovation Center, and the XR Lab demonstrated how immersive storytelling can amplify public engagement with science and discovery.
Through this activation, Maya Georgieva and her team showcased how extended reality can bridge the gap between science education and creative experience, transforming complex astronomical concepts into moments of shared wonder.
The VR Playground at the World Science Festival stands as a model for how higher education, art, and science can come together to inspire new ways of learning and exploring the universe.orld Science Festival