In honor of the late Marco Castro Cosio, an artist, technologist, organizer, convener, educator, and a beloved fellow of the Brown Institute, we are proud to announce the launch of a new prize: The Marco Castro Cosio Media Art and Technology Fellowship. This award provides fiscal sponsorship of $10,000 and a residency at the Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School. It aims to support emerging creators and researchers dedicated to impactful, interdisciplinary work in tech, media, and the arts. Candidates from all professional backgrounds are welcome to apply.
This fellowship celebrates Marco’s legacy of bringing purpose and fresh perspectives to every one of his projects. Marco’s career and curiosity led him from museums, to educational institutions, to the sustainability arm of a major, global corporation. In each venue, he fostered deep connections between individuals from very different disciplines to tackle critical and complex challenges like climate change and inequality through tech, media, and the arts. His background in digital media and his exploration of intersectionality and intentionality made him a trusted advisor and inspiring collaborator. Fellows will be encouraged to follow Marco’s spirit of interdisciplinary exploration, inclusivity and innovation, from project ideation through to final implementation.
ABOUT MARCO CASTRO COSÍO, November 17, 1980 – October 21st, 2023.
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Marco Cosío moved to NYC in 2008. Marco graduated from the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at New York University (NYU). He worked with art festivals, museums, universities and luxury goods companies designing experiences for people to come together and create meaningful connections to tackle complex problems.
Marco fostered collaboration between Cartier by authoring and launching LIAISONS, a year-round agenda with 30 innovators from around the globe.
He was director of the MediaLab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he helped a 150-year-old institution imagine the future of culture and fostered a network of brilliant and creative professionals dedicated to connecting art and its audiences through innovative activations. The projects he led received press coverage globally; one of them, the digital color projection of the Egyptian Temple of Dendur, has been on display on the Temple’s south wall for more than 7 years. Before that, he worked as the first Visitor Experience Manager at the Queens Museum.
As an artist, his work nourishes urban communities in practical and playful ways, using plants as his main medium, such as his beloved project, Bus Roots, which equipped the roofs of urban buses with lightweight gardens. Bus Roots was seen on the streets of NYC and Guadalajara, and taken to high schools to educate young students on climate change.
Marco contributed to the UN’s Rio+20 series and was a member of the Climate and Urban Systems Association. He was a TED Resident; a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU; served as a World Responsible Leader for the BMW Foundation; an artist in residence at NYU Digital Future Labs; a resident at the New York Hall of Science, a Research Fellow at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia Journalism School, and taught in Columbia University’s Department of Anthropology.
Remembered for his true love of life (and dancing), his radiant smile, and his deep kindness, support and love for all who were lucky enough to have encountered him. He leaves behind a family who loved him dearly, as well as numerous relatives, and beloved friends and fans in the U.S., Mexico and around the world.
- Remembering Marco, by Michael Krisch and the Brown Institute
- BusRoots, a Marco project, by Michael J. Coren in Fast Company
- Coloring the Temple, by Joshua Barone in NYT, about one of Marco’s projects
- Playlist of videos about, by and for Marco, including his memorial service in 2023.