AstroTour [AR] invites us to pause, look up, and reconnect with the night sky. This immersive SciArt experience blends astronomy, storytelling, and augmented reality to transform dark skies into portals of curiosity and imagination. Led by STEMarts Ambassadors, the traveling event features youth-designed AR Astro Stations that illuminate constellations through digital art, cultural narratives, and speculative futures—all guided by the next generation of STEAM leaders. Interested in bringing AstroTour [AR] to your museum, festival, or cultural venue? Contact us to host this one-of-a-kind experience.
ASTROTOUR [AR]
A New Way To See The Stars
Team
Agnes Chavez is a new media artist, educator and creative producer whose work merges art, science and technology to create data visualized light-sound experiences. In 2009 she founded the STEMarts Lab which designs sci-art installations for art/science organizations and festivals and develops STEAM programming that empowers youth and prepares them for the 21st century workplace. In 2014 she co-founded The PASEO Festival where she served as co-director/youth program director until 2019. She is founder of the Sube Language Curriculum since 1996. Agnes collaborates with educators, artists, scientists and interdisciplinary experts to create participatory sci-art installations such as Space Messengers, whose mission is to ignite scientific curiosity and wonder, visualizing thought-provoking reflections on the universe and encouraging participants to contemplate their role within it.
Ian Harrison is a 3D artist, animator, and programmer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Arts from UNM. With 14 years of experience in Blender 3D and 6 years in programming, Ian’s work blends fantasy and realism, reflecting his passion for space, video games, art, and science. This past year, Ian worked as the lead animator and editor for several live musical performance visual productions before joining Syncronos Design Inc. as the IT specialist. At Syncronos, he contributes to a full-length animated film about the world around us. That year, Ian also led enemy development for the game Botnyst and showcased an interactive projection piece in “Edge Conditions. Ian started as a STEMarts Ambassador and is now contracted to lead the digital media arts workshops and contributes creatively to the STEMarts installations.
Arwen Hubbard is a passionate space science educator and ecologist, holding undergraduate degrees in Resource Management and Agricultural Ecology, as well as a Master of Science in Space Studies with a focus on Planetary Science. Currently pursuing her doctorate in STEM education, Arwen’s mission is to ignite curiosity about the Universe. Based in the Northern New Mexico, Arwen teaches space science online to learners of all ages. She’s also a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an author, a science scriptwriter for educational channels, and an avid podcaster, with a focus on translating complex topics into language for learners of all ages.
Carey followed an unconventional path to realize her true potential for leading teams and building communities, both inside and out of the workplace. Her passion for sharing stories and articulating complex ideas give her a well-rounded skill set to operate at all levels from the production floor to the boardroom. A passionate certified educator, Carey is accredited in public relations and has an extensive background in continual improvement and quality assurance.
Ivan Rodriguez-Holguin came to us a LANL Scholar intern and then was hired on to join the STEMarts Team as social media video editor. He creates all our video reels in collaboration with our social media STEAMTeam. Ivan graduated from the University of Denver
with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Computer Science. He is currently at CNM working towards an Associates degree in Cinematography and Film/Video Production. His passion is to transform ideas into passionate, engaging visual stories that resonate with audiences.
Julia Doke is currently a STEMarts Lab intern through the DWS pre-apprenticeship program developing her social media management skills. She has been working with STEMarts Lab as an Ambassador and artist since 2023. Julia is a UNM graduate with a bachelor’s in Animation and Digital Arts. She has created 3D models on different astrophysical concepts for STEMarts exhibits and participated in instructing courses on modeling, texturing, and animating in CG Blender and using Blender to create GLB models for AR exhibits. She also has a background in digital illustration and creating graphics for professional and recreational assets and is now a part of the STEMarts social media team creating various promotional posts for the program’s educators, sci-art exhibitions, and instructional courses. She is a New Mexico Native who loves learning about visual arts, biology/ecology, and STEAM focused concepts.
Ian Harrison is a 3D artist, animator, and programmer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Arts from UNM. With 14 years of experience in Blender 3D and 6 years in programming, Ian’s work blends fantasy and realism, reflecting his passion for space, video games, art, and science. This past year, Ian worked as the lead animator and editor for several live musical performance visual productions before joining Syncronos Design Inc. as the IT specialist. At Syncronos, he contributes to a full-length animated film about the world around us. That year, Ian also led enemy development for the game Botnyst and showcased an interactive projection piece in “Edge Conditions. Ian started as a STEMarts Ambassador and is now contracted to lead the digital media arts workshops and contributes creatively to the STEMarts installations.
From Sky to Screen: The Student Journey
AstroTour [AR] is part of the STEMarts Lab STEAM TEAM program, where students dive into space science, digital media, and creative storytelling. Under the mentorship of Arwen Hubbard, NASA Solar System Ambassador, and Ian Harrison, Digital Media XR instructor, youth participants study the astronomical events happening in the sky at the time of the tour. They then design generative art visualizations that overlay the constellations in augmented reality—bringing together cultural narratives, science, and technology in a public experience that inspires awe and curiosity. Interested in bringing AstroTour [AR] to your museum, festival, or cultural venue? Contact us to host this one-of-a-kind experience.
