New Town Remembered Project

Creative Director and Principal Investigator
New Town, Blacksburg, Virginia, 2014
Funded by an Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) SEAD (Science, Engineering, Art, and Design) Grant
~Awarded tenure in spring, 2016

I developed the New Town Remembered Project as an online resource and on-site augmented reality and virtual reality experience. The New Town Remembered project shows participants the joys and struggles of those who lived in the New Town neighborhood during segregation. New Town was an African-American neighborhood in Blacksburg, Virginia from the late 19th century until the mid- 1960’s. It consisted of Gilbert Street and a small lane that were home to about 20 families. The lone remaining structure today is the St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, which was the social center for area African-Americans from 1905 until the end of segregation. In the 1970’s, road construction and other development caused the decline and disappearance of the neighborhood.

My role was to scan and model all the historical buildings and create a serious game using Unity where participants (5th grade students and the community at large) discover how problem solving, persistence, pride, and community cohesion were key elements in this successful neighborhood despite the exclusionary restrictions. These important lessons from the past have universal applications today. There are six iMacs loaded with this VR experience located in the Odd Fellows Hall, which is open to the public and available for middle and high school tours.

Collaborators: Tom Sherman (College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences), David Hicks (College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences) and Todd Ogle (Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies)