About THAT Camp
New Mexico’s THATCamp (The Humanities And Technology Camp) is a user-generated “unconference” on digital humanities. THATCamp was established in 2008 by the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University. Since then, regional THATCamps have taken root across the nation, leading to events in Austin (THATcamp Austin) Washington State (THATCamp Pacific Northwest), and Columbus, OH (THATCamp Columbus). There are even THATCamps in Europe and Australia.
THATCamp New Mexico will be held on the beautiful campus of the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) in Albuquerque on October 2-3 in the new Pete V. Domenici Education Center. This 25,000 square-foot addition is the first State-owned and operated building to achieve LEED NCv2.2 Gold certification. Located along the banks of the Rio Grande in the historic Barelas neighborhood, NHCC is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities.
www.nationalhispaniccenter.org
What is an “Unconference?”
According to the Wikipedia entry an “unconference” is “a facilitated, participant-driven conference centered around a theme or purpose.” These unconferences came up from the hacker world—see BarCamp—as a way to avoid high conference fees, sponsored presentations, and (for lack of a better term) the “fluff” that keeps people from getting down to business. Unconferences are not spectactor events. Participants are involved from the schedule creation to the wrap-up session, and actively present, discuss, and collaborate with fellow participants.
Who Should Attend?
The list of who should attend is as broad as the field of digital humanities itself. As long as you have ideas and things you want to learn regarding the intersection and integration of the humanities and technology, THATCamp New Mexico is the place to be.
No Suits, No Papers…What Do You do?
Show, tell, collaborate, share, and walk away inspired. Sessions at THATCamp New Mexico might range from software demos to training sessions to discussions of research findings. The thing you won’t see is people standing up and reading full blown papers.
Still a little unsure as to what you might want to propose? To get an idea of the scope of topics check out the blog for the original THATCamp or some of the regional camps (THATCamp Columbus, THATCamp Pacific Northwest, or THATCamp Austin). Don’t feel limited by these topics, however. Anything is fair game if it falls under the categories of humanities and technology, and impacts you, your organization, or the field of digital humanities.
How do I Register?
Easy! Just go to the "Register" section of this website, fill in the form, and you are good to go. Unfortunately, we can only accept a max of 100 people, so we’re going to have to do some vetting. If you’ve got any questions about applying, contact us. Deadline for registering is September 10, 2010.
We'll soon be posting a form that will allow all registered participants the ability to submit a session proposal, but if there's something you really want to discuss, you can add that information when you register.
How Much Does THATCamp New Mexico Cost?
Attendance is free, however, a donation of $25 is requested from all attendees to cover meals, snacks, and supplies.
What If I’m not From New Mexico?
No problem! We are open to anyone who wants to attend – regardless of their location. In fact, we’d love to see people submit applications who aren’t from New Mexico.
What If I’m not a Humanist?
“Digital humanities” has become an umbrella for a wide variety of disciplines. Just because you don’t consider your self a humanist, doesn’t mean that you aren’t working in the digital humanities. There are also lots of domains—the arts and sciences for example—that intersect with the humanities.
Who is Organizing THATCamp New Mexico?
Most of the work will be done by attendees, however, there are a few people who are making sure everything goes smoothly: Doug Patinka & Mimi Roberts (New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs), and Miriam Langer (New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts).
Sponsor THATCamp New Mexico
Contact Mimi Roberts at the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs if your company or organization would like to sponsor THATCamp New Mexico. The maximum donation that we can accept is $1000; recommended sponsorship levels for organizations are $250, $500, and $1000. We are happy to make sponsors’ promotional materials available to participants and/or to place your logo on our website.