Ari Melenciano

Ari Melenciano is a Brooklyn-based artist, designer, creative technologist, researcher, and futurist, who is passionate about exploring the relationships between various forms of design and the human experience. Her research lies at the intersections of human-computer interactive technologies, social impacts of technology, counterculture, sound, multisensory experiential design,  experimental pedagogy and speculative design.

While a student at ITP, Ari created Afrotectopia, a social institution fostering interdisciplinary innovation at the intersections of art, design, technology, Black culture and activism. Afrotectopia is most commonly experienced via their annual New Media Arts, Culture and Technology Festival hosted by Google. Afrotectopia also most recently developed The School of Afrotectopia, hosted by Verizon Media, and served 250 students through 2 weeks of free courses.  

She currently teaches technology, society and design at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Graduate Program (ITP) and the Pratt Institute’s Communications Design school. Ari is continuing her research as an NYU Interactive Telecommunications Graduate Program Human in Resident and inaugural NYU Future Imagination Fund Fellow.

She is incubating her electromedia art practice through technology residencies at Pioneer Works and Culture Hub, and as an Experiments in Arts and Technology track member at New Inc in partnership with Rhizome and Nokia Bell Labs.

Ari is also a consultant for NYC’s Department of Education, helping to build STEAM curriculum that is culturally relevant.