ETC News

Dr. Don McArthur

ETC is sad to report the passing of Dr. Don McArthur on October 7, 2012. Don worked with others at ETC on several projects including his Spatial and Intensity Digitizer, a ground-breaking instrument at the time, and the interface of a digital computer to analog video instruments. He also collaborated with Woody and Steina Vasulka on their computer system. Our sympathy is extended to his family. The obituary follows.

Donald retired from Lockheed-Martin in Irving, TX where he worked designing computer software and hardware for imaging systems and simulators. Survived by his son Michael, Michael’s wife Sophie Alexander and their daughter Gemma Mae Rose of Newfield, NY; His first wife Jane McArthur nee Spicknall originally of Lincoln, NE; three step-children from his second marriage: Suzanne, Lisa, and John and their families; several cousins. Predeceased by his parents, aunts, uncles, several cousins, and his second wife Marilyn of Homer, NY. Donald was born January 19, 1938 in Holdrege, NE the only child of David Kenneth McArthur and Olive Bernice McArthur nee Troutman. He attended Ragan schools through 8th grade, living on the family farm south of Holdrege. Donald graduated Holdrege High School in 1955, University of Nebraska at Lincoln 1959 with a B.A. and a PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1967. At the University of Saskatchewan-Saskatoon Don filled a post-doctoral fellowship post for six years at the Linear Accelerator Laboratory where he contributed mathematical physics and advanced electronics before moving to New York State to teach at the State University in Cortland. In the early ‘70s Donald was invited to work with The Experimental Television Center, (then in Binghamton, NY),  where artists, designers, and scientists gather to create new visual art forms and technological tools for the artists. Donald designed some of the early digital technology that lead to the development of computer-generated imagery, including 3-D images. This work led to a job with Singer-Link where he designed systems for the first flight simulator to train space shuttle pilots. His work took him to Irving TX in 1980 where he lived until 2004, working for several companies on imaging projects including LTV, Texas Instruments and Lockheed-Martin. He also taught as an associate professor at University of Texas at Arlington. His work earned several patents and had applications for the mars rovers and military training simulations. Donald co-authored at least one paper on simulation. This website talks about one of his innovations http://www.audiovisualizers.com/toolshak/vidsynth/mcarthur/mcarthur.htm. Donald had many interests throughout his life, besides being dedicated to puzzling out some new problem in his work, he enjoyed reading, writing, square dancing, Buddhist meditation, painting, travel and in his youth boy scouts and amateur radio. Don loved a good joke, even more if it was dirty.

ETC: 1969-2009 DVD set

ETC: 1969-2009 (5 dvd set with catalog) has been named among the 50 essential artists moving image DVDs by LUX, the influential UK-based arts organization. "The list mainly favours collections and publications that include a substantial amount of contextual material around the films and on the whole it lists historical rather than contemporary work."

Programs Closing: The Experimental Television Center closed several programs in Summer 2011, including the Residency and Grants programs. We are now concentrating our work on video history and preservation of our archives. Our moving-image collection of over 2000 works has been transferred to the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media at Cornell University, under the direction of Dr. Tim Murray.

ETC: 1969-2009 The Experimental Television Center is pleased to announce the release of ETC: 1969-2009, a five DVD anthology set of works created by over 100 artists who have worked in Residence here during the last 40 years. The set is distributed by Electronic Arts Intermix. With catalog. See the press release here

2011 Grants Program: The Experimental Television Center administered three grants programs, all of which are now ended. Finishing Funds - Grants to individual media artists in New York state View 2010 Finishing Funds recipients Presentation Funds - Grants to non-profit New York state media arts organizations for artists presentations Media Arts Technical Assistance - Grants for organizational and professional development of non-profit media arts programs

ETC Residency Deadlines: The December 15, 2010 deadline was the final residency program deadline. Please see our announcement.

Ralph Hocking DVD Work 1969-1986: Ralph Hocking, director of the Experimental Television Center has released a DVD of his video works from 1969 through 1986.

New York Media Arts Map: Visit the New York Media Arts Map, a site for information about media arts activities throughout the State.

Bonding Energy: Bonding Energy, an electrogeography and data visualization project created by Douglas Repetto and LoVid (Tali Hinkis and Kyle Lapidus). Bonding Energy consists of a set of "Sunsmile" devices that measure solar energy from seven sites around New York State, one of which is in the studio at ETC. A constantly changing image is created on a web page from the data sent by the SunSmile devices.