A bold orange exhibition poster featuring a stylized desert-like landscape with a void where a statue of a Buddha should ber. Small silhouetted figures walk in the foreground. Black text reads “HF gallery – the ART of DISAPPEARING – Elaine Chao, Joseph Morris, Nimrod Astarhan.” A small New Media Caucus logo appears in the bottom right corner.
Home
new media caucus


Member Spotlight: Nick Bontrager

News Member Spotlight Art
Posted July 14, 2026

Elsa Lamere
Who are you and where are you currently located?

Nick Bontrager
My name is Nick Bontrager. I am an Associate Professor of New Media Art at Texas Christian University here in Fort Worth, Texas.

Elsa Lamere
What brought you to work with the New Media Caucus, and what does New Media Art mean to you?

Nick Bontrager
Like many of our members, an existing member introduced me to the New Media Caucus around 2009. Since then, I have participated in many of the NMC's events and have volunteered in various roles to help give back to the organization that has helped me so much over the years! To me, New Media Art is a line that blurs and unblurs between memory and artifact. I use media in different ways to revisit, reimagine, and recreate things that were and are important to me. Having few boundaries in the toolbox really aids in this process.

Elsa Lamere
Do you have any current or future goals for the organization?

Nick Bontrager
We are about to elect our new Co-Presidents and I am very excited to see the changes that their leadership will bring! I would love to continue supporting the NMC through archival preservation and supporting events like the Member's Showcase that invite members to share their work and research.

Elsa Lamere
How would you describe your personal art practice, and do you have any current projects you would like to talk about?

Nick Bontrager
My art practice is quite varied in methods and forms, but I always return to collaborative endeavors that include an element of performance or social practice. I am fascinated by creating spaces where someone can suspend their disbelief for a few moments while playing a video game I've made or experiencing an unusual object that engages them directly.

Elsa Lamere
Where can people see your work, physically and digitally?

Nick Bontrager
My website contains many current and past projects! Nickbontrager.com. I will be teaching a few 3D scanning workshops in Dallas soon in partnership with Dallas Aurora, a wonderful nonprofit organization dedicated to new media and community.

Back…