Creative Research

Creative Research connects METRO’s membership to adjacent work in our region’s cultural and higher education institutions, particularly in the realms of art, design, critical information and media studies, and ecology.

An illustration from a 19th-century Japanese fireworks catalog depicts bright yellow, white, red, green, and blue dots in abstract firework forms on a dark background
Illustrations from Japanese Fireworks Catalogues (ca. 1880s) from Yokohama City Central Library via Public Domain Review

About

Cross-Reference Coalition Classes

An experimental public school that gathers together members from METRO’s member institutions across New York City and Westchester County, and connects them to local scholars, artists, and designers.

Our next course, Search & Discovery, is taking place in Spring 2026.

  • Call for Applications Opens: Monday, November 17th
  • Information Session: Monday, December 8th, 12:00 pm ET (Register here)
  • Application Deadline: Wednesday, January 7th at midnight ET
  • Applicants Notified: Wednesday, January 14th
  • First Class: Wednesday, February 18th, 3:30 pm—6:00 pm
  • Subsequent Classes: Every Wednesday until April 29, with a one-week break on either March 18 or 25, depending upon our hosts’ schedules
  • Late Spring – Fall  2026: Three or four group workshops (to be scheduled) and two individual consultations to develop our class project.

Review the program slide deck or the Call for Applications to learn more. To receive updates, including future class announcements, sign up for METRO’s newsletter. Our first class, The Misfit, took place in Fall 2025.

With thanks to our program advisory committee for their guidance!

Programming at the Library Field

Teaching, learning, and conviviality inspired by or situated at METRO’s Library Field outdoor library in Westchester County. We’ll imagine what’s possible when myriad fields of research and practice, and multiple ways of knowing, converge at this specific field site — which, over time, will grow into an organic repository of the ecological resources across METRO’s member institutions. Programs might include soundwalks and research-based performances, citizen science experiments, and cartographic studios. We’ll share more information throughout the summer!

Creative Research

Explicitly interdisciplinary research that draws upon and highlights the knowledge embodied in the multifarious cultural heritage and knowledge institutions within METRO’s service area; that infuses the aesthetic sensibilities and creative practices represented by the region’s arts and design organizations; and that builds upon the work of Shannon Mattern, METRO’s Director of Creative Research.