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Venture Partners at 91��ý has announced the inaugural cohort of Creative Futures Fellows, supporting arts, humanities and social science projects that address challenges facing communities in Colorado and beyond.

Selected through a competitive review process, the 2026 fellows represent disciplines from across 91��ý, from design, music and media studies to education, history and wellness research. Their projects explore topics including neurodiversity, educator wellbeing, artificial intelligence, human rights, public health, cultural preservation and civic understanding.

The��Creative Futures Fellowship supports scholarship and creative practice that have historically had fewer pathways to “translational” funding—support that moves promising ideas into real-world applications. The fellowship also provides mentorship, professional development and a community of support.

"91��ý has long been recognized for translating scientific discoveries into startups and products that improve lives," said Bryn Rees, senior associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at 91��ý. "The Creative Futures Fellowship reflects a broader understanding of innovation by recognizing the power of artists, scholars and social scientists to create new approaches to community wellbeing, cultural understanding and social progress."

Six of the projects participated in a customer discovery program offered by the��National Science Foundation’s I-Corps^TM Hub West and Venture Partners. Through interviews and community engagement, participants tested assumptions, worked to better understand their audiences and strengthened their projects' real-world relevance.��

The Creative Futures Fellowship is Venture Partners’s first program specifically designed to help arts, humanities and social science innovators move beyond the university and into communities.��"These fellows are demonstrating how creative and human-centered work can generate meaningful impact far beyond campus," Rees said.

The fellowship builds on��91��ý's broader approach to innovation, supporting big ideas beyond deep tech. Examples range from educational and wellness tools such as�� and�� and��'s work to improve water security.

“These projects reflect the remarkable range of talent at 91��ý and the impact the arts and humanities have in the community,” said��Jonathan Marenus, director of the Creative Futures Fellowship. “Investing in these disciplines is vital. These fellows are turning knowledge and creativity into action. We are proud to support their work and help them build what’s needed to advance that work in the world.”

Fellows will receive a combined $150,000 in funding, with awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Over the coming months, they will participate in the fellowship's Support Studio, connecting with mentors, refining implementation strategies and building partnerships to advance their work.��

The program will culminate in the fall with a public showcase highlighting project outcomes and future opportunities for growth. Subscribe for updates about the showcase.

Subscribe for updates about future Creative Futures Fellowship applications.

2026 Creative Futures Fellows

The Day it Rained Forever: A New Opera About the Power of Music

The Day It Rained Forever is an operatic parable on how finding our shared humanity can heal conflict and isolation. This project will use performances to bring improved wellness and connection to senior living communities, offering a new model for building shared wellbeing through the arts.

Team:

• ;��Professor of Composition;��PI, Composer and Librettist
• ,��;��Co-PI and Program Coordinator

Designing with AI Ethically: A Public Humanities Initiative

This project develops a public humanities initiative that helps emerging designers critically engage with artificial intelligence through workshops, dialogue and an ethics guide. It promotes responsible, socially aware and environmentally conscious approaches to technology in creative practice.

Team:

• ,��Assistant Professor of Environmental Design,��PI

Encuentros: Latin American Media Practices Towards Human Rights

Encuentros is a transnational network of Latin American human rights media activists that aims to amplify community-rooted human rights narratives through a podcast series, an online gathering and an open-source archive, enabling alternative human rights discourses.

Team:

• , PhD Student in��Media Studies,��Project Lead and PI
• Leila Gómez,��Professor of Women and Gender Studies, Interdisciplinary Research Advisor
• ,��Associate Director of Media Economies Design Lab,��Logistics and Operations Coordinator

Energy, AI and Us: Building Science Literacy Through Student Outreach

From electricity bills to data centers, forces shaping communities are complex. This project pairs 91��ý students with middle schools to explore energy and artificial intelligence, building skills to reason through complexity and bring conversations home, as these issues do not pick sides, and neither does science.

Team:

• Nirav S. Patel,��Assistant Teaching Professor of Environmental Studies and a��SPIKE Faculty Affiliate, PI

Extreme Temperatures in Prisons: Embodied Testimonials for Change

Through a series of workshops, formerly incarcerated participants will create three-dimensional architectural models of prison spaces where they experienced temperature extremes. Context and recommendations for policy changes will be developed by participants and will accompany models in written or audio formats.

Team:

• Sophie Weston Chien,��Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, Co-PI and Architecture Lead
• Liz Corrado, PhD Student in��Environmental Studies,��Co-PI and Policy Lead
• David Ciplet,��Associate Professor of Environmental Studies,��Co-PI and Policy Advisor
• Shawhin Roudbari,��Associate Professor of Environmental Design, Co-PI and Architecture Advisor

Her Sound, Our Story: Women Composers Honor Colorado's Jazz Legends

"Her Sound, Our Story" celebrates Colorado's jazz heritage through newly commissioned works by four women composers inspired by local jazz legends. Through recording, storytelling and a free public presentation, the project honors cultural legacy, fosters community connection and expands representation in jazz.

Team:

• ,��Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies;��Creator, Artistic Director and PI

Mentor BWell: Educator Mentoring for Wellbeing

The aim of this project is to co-design, pilot and refine Mentor BWell, an evidence-based educator wellness mentoring model, for Boulder Valley School District’s induction program. The project seeks to strengthen mentors' wellbeing and leadership capacities and enhance the induction experience for all involved.

Team:

• ,��,��PI
• ,��, Co-PI

Mining the Sun: An Arts and Humanities Public History Initiative

Mountain communities confront issues of environmental stewardship, economic survival, industrial expansion and regional identity. Mining the Sun creates new platforms for civic engagement and community development through documentary art practice, creative storytelling and the curation of archival media.

Team:

• Hanna Rose Shell,��Associate Professor of Critical and Curatorial Studies in Art and Art History, Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts and History

Modeling African Origins from Inland Conflict to Atlantic Networks

This project calculates the probabilities of African origins by tracing slave routes from inland conflict zones to Atlantic slave ships. Combining historical records and spatial statistical modeling, it transforms complex research into an interactive resource for educators, museums and descendant communities.

Team:

• Henry Lovejoy,��Associate Professor of History and��Director of the Digital Slavery Research Lab,��PI and Director
• Eric Vance,��Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics��and��Lab of Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis,��Co-PI and Director
• Kartikay Chadha, Web Development and Technical Partner (Walk With Web)

Rehearsing the Future: Neural Data, Consent and the Public

Noetic Commons produces participatory art installations and public documentation in which audiences encounter speculative futures defined by who controls their neural data. The work advances public understanding of neurorights and consent in an era of expanding consumer neurotechnology.

Team:

• , Graduate Student in��Creative Technology & Design and at the��ATLAS Institute, Artist-Researcher and PI
• , PhD Candidate in��Critical Media Practices��and at the��Institute of Cognitive Science,��Artist-Researcher

Squishyd: A Next-Generation Fidget Toy for Neurodivergent Users

Squishyd translates 91��ý metamaterial research into customizable sensory fidget tools that support focus, self-regulation and well-being. By combining engineering, design and neurodiversity research, the project creates adaptive tactile experiences through science-backed play.

Team:

• ,��Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, Principal Investigator (PI)
• ,��Assistant Professor in Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering,��Co-PI
• ,��Associate Professor at the ATLAS Institute, Co-PI
• ,��Embark Startup Founder with Venture Partners,��Co-PI

Screening to Prevent Violence: Expanding Access to Threat Assessment

The investigations that follow mass shootings frequently reveal missed opportunities to interrupt the attacker’s violence. The Targeted Violence Lethality Assessment Protocol is a 12-question tool to help law enforcement agencies and corporations evaluate an individual’s risk for violence and identify interventions.

Team:

• ,��, PI