Meet the Inaugural Arts Everywhere Graduate Fellow in Music Technology

Kelli Smith-Biwer, a fourth-year doctoral student in the UNC Department of Music, is the inaugural Arts Everywhere Graduate Fellow in Music Technology. Her research delves into 1950s home audio advertisements, with a focus on the construction of gendered buying and listening practices in high fidelity culture. A vital aspect of her work hinges on community engagement and activism.

As part of her fellowship, Smith-Biwer works in both the Beat Lab – a studio with specialized recording and mixing equipment in the music department’s Hill Hall – and the Video Presentation Studio.

“It’s amazing to see how the Beat Lab has grown since the beginning of this project. At the beginning of my fellowship, I would come in for office hours and it would just be empty,” Smith-Biwer said. “I would stand in the hallway like a carnival barker trying to bring people in. And I feel like all that work is paying off. It also makes me really excited for the next Arts Everywhere Graduate Fellow in Music Technology.”

Read the full interview with Smith-Biwer and learn more about her work…Opens in new window