For decades, Marisa Demarco has studied sound art, live performance, visual art and journalism in the service of creating connections between people and investigating the social and political structures of her environment. She’s led sound art and performance festivals, handling fundraising, booking, stage management, engineering, promotion and more. She’s also developed curricula and taught workshops about building sound-based electronics projects in Stockholm, Denver and Albuquerque. Demarco’s worked for 20 years as a news reporter, editor and newsroom leader, training and mentoring many student journalists.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Sound Art • Education • Experimental Art • Community Engagement • Journalism • Textiles • Handbuilt Electronics Projects • Collective Art Practice • Radio News & DJing • Social Practice Art • Installation Art • Composition • Sound Engineering
EDUCATION | University of New Mexico
2022 MFA Experimental Art + Technology
2005 B.A. English + Women’s Studies • Music Theory & Composition Minor
ARTS LEADERSHIP
2009-present Founder of Gatas y Vatas, an annual experimental visual and performance art festival—Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Seattle, Oakland
2008-present Founder of Milch de la Máquina, a women’s sound and performance art troupe
2007-present Leader with Death Convention Singers, a large experimental music collective
2018 Co-Producer, Titwrench Stockholm Festival, a multi-day experimental festival featuring artists from New Mexico, Colorado, Europe—Fylkingen in Sweden
TEACHING & MENTORSHIP
2020 Instructor, Intro to Sound Art—University of New Mexico
2020 Teaching assistant, Capstones—University of New Mexico
2007-present Mentor and one-on-one coach for emerging collegiate student journalists and editors—Various news outlets and classrooms, New Mexico
2010-present Workshop leader and curricula designer for group electronics projects—Stockholm, Denver, Albuquerque
2008-2015 Trainer, John Zorn’s Cobra game for improvisational musicians—Albuquerque
SOLO SOUND ART & COMPOSITION
2022 “Overnight Dreamform,” an eight-hour score written and performed solo overnight on the radio for a sleeping audience—KUNM 89.9 FM
2020 “Overnight Dreamform,” an eight-hour score for 14 musicians based on the adult sleep cycle, performed live on the radio for a sleeping audience—KUNM 89.9 FM
2019 “No Contest: We Will Not Be Ranked,” a light-triggered composition, parade action and sonic intervention—Alibi’s Best of Burque showcase
2018-2019 “Mango,” composition for amplified heartbeat—Venues around the U.S.
2017 “Optic,” a participatory installation based on field recordings of police surveillance of protests—Gatas y Vatas, Santa Fe
2015 “This Place Is A Message,”—Ende Tymes Festival of Noise and Experimental Liberation, New York
2015 “Fight Songs,” composition for light-sensitive sculptures—Denver Noise Fest
2013 “Like Sewing into A Cliff,” composition for hand-built cassette-reading glove—SomaFM’s E.A.R.W.A.V.E.S. Festival, Budaghers Outer Limits
2013 “Groundswell,” composition for hand-built drum-trigger gloves—VOLTA series, Mexico City
2013 “La Virga,” composition commissioned for The Chuppers ensemble of sculptural instruments—Keller Hall, University of New Mexico
2012 “Cardiac,” composition about the use of prescription medications by music students to combat stage fright—UNM John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium
COLLABORATIVE WORKS
2019 Contributing artist, “Project Scream,” a curated collection of works—Center for Integrated Media
2019 Sound director and co-composer, “There Must Be Other Names For The River,” a performance and score display, Species In Peril exhibition—516 ARTS, Albuquerque
2018 Lead artist, “Backup Singers,”—Titwrench Stockholm, Sweden
2017 Lead artist, “In The Glare,”—Titwrench Festival, Denver
2016 Contributing artist, “International Call and Response,” a curated collection of video and sound work—Ladyz In Noyz Collective
2013 Lead artist, “Violent Sky,” choreography and cell-based scores for mass choir—The Kosmos, Albuquerque
2012 Lead artist, “IN FRAME,” a work for worn amplifiers and lit frames—Titwrench, Denver
2011 Lead artist, “The Dress,” a sculpture and performance—Titwrench, Denver
2010 Lead artist, “Summon The Egg,” a work based on the Doppler effect—Titwrench, Denver
2009 Lead artist, “Albatross” mobile sculpture and parade action—Titwrench, Denver
INSTALLATIONS & EXHIBITIONS
Spring 2023 Sound director and co-composer, “There Must Be Other Names For The River,” a mural, outdoor sound installation and live performance at SITE Santa Fe
Fall 2022 Concept and composition, “The Mountains Wore Down To The Valleys,” an installation of eroding vinyl records—National Hispanic Cultural Center
Fall 2021 Composer and co-artist for “The Mountains Wore Down To The Valleys”—National Hispanic Cultural Center
2018 Sole artist, “Redacted,” hanging sculpture in Digital Disobedience exhibition—UNM College of Fine Arts Downtown Studio, Albuquerque
2016 Conceptual artist and co-curator with GRAFT collective, “MOUTHPIECE,” a workshop series and exhibition of sculptures made with light-sensitive synthesizers—GRAFT Gallery, Albuquerque
2017 Collaborating artist, Death Convention Singers’ “Untitled” Geiger counter instrument, performance and installation, Hope + Trauma in a Poisoned Land exhibition—Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff
2016 Co-lead artist, Death Convention Singers’ “In Our Time As It Was In Yours (Transmisíon)” performance and installation, Atomic Culture’s Turn On / Take Cover exhibition—Carlsbad Museum and Art Space
2015 Co-lead artist,Death Convention Singers’ “In Our Time As It Was In Yours (Transmisíon)” performance and installation, An Evening Redness In The West exhibition—Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
2024 Played the role of Malinxe in the opera “Malinxe” by Autumn Chacon and Laura Ortman—Prototype Festival, New York City
2024 Vocalist for Raven Chacon’s “For Four (Caldera),” part of the exhibition of Chacon’s work—Swiss Institute, New York City
2020 Solo performance for the virtual High Zero Festival—Baltimore
2020 Ensemble member, Manny Rettinger’s Chupper X-ing—Keller Hall
2016 Percussionist for Raven Chacon’s Drum Grid—UNM John Donald Robb Composers Symposium
2016 Vocalist for Szu-Han Ho’s solo exhibition “Shelter In Place”—UNM Art Museum
2015 Vocalist for Rebecca Belmore’s contribution to Acting Out—The Lensic, Santa Fe
2007-2008 Vocalist for Monica Demarco’s composition “Hijas”—Indiana University and Wyoming State University
PANELS & PRESENTATIONS
2018 Lead artist and producer, “Decolonizing Performance” panel and intervention—Society for Ethnomusicology’s pre-conference symposium, Hotel Albuquerque
2018 Co-author & -presenter, “DIY / DIT Festivals: Make The Party You Want To Go To,” CULTURE/SHIFT convening by the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture—Convention Center
2016-2017 Founder, IPRA Fridays, traveling monthly presentations for journalists about open records law, Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter—All around New Mexico
2016 Author, photographer and artist, “Parable of the Selector,” BEDTalks—GRAFT Gallery, Albuquerque
2014 Panelist, “Nuestra Voces: A Youth Dialogue With FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler”—National Hispanic Cultural Center
2013 Panelist, “Source Development” and also “Newsroom Management,” Journalism Bootcamp Conference—University of New Mexico
2009-present Panelist, “The Line”—KNME-TV
2009 Organizer and co-moderator, Weekly Alibi’s mayoral debate—National Hispanic Cultural Center
EVENT CURATION & PRODUCTION
2019 Ensemble and event organizer, “Movies. Scored Live!,”—Guild Cinema
2009- present Founder and co-producer of Thursday Night Girl Fight monthly showcase for emerging regional musicians and promoters—Launchpad, Moonlight Lounge, InsideOut
AUDIO & PRODUCTION
2020 Executive producer, “Your NM Gov,” daily podcast during the legislative session, KUNM, New Mexico PBS, Santa Fe Reporter
2020 Executive producer, “Let’s Talk New Mexico,” weekly hour-long live radio news program, KUNM 89.9 FM
2014-present Reporter + producer of broadcast-quality news reports—KUNM News, The Fronteras Network, NPR
2009-present Sound engineer for various musicians, festivals and small venues in the Southwest
2019 Stringer and field recorder, The New Yorker Radio Hour
2019 Sound engineer and editor, “Leadership Is” radio spots—Central New Mexico Community College
2018-2019 Radio DJ, “Other Voices Other Sounds” experimental music radio show and “Overnight Freeform,” KUNM 89.9 FM
PRINT & RADIO JOURNALISM & PUBLICATIONS
2022 National Editor, States Newsroom
2021 Founding editor, Source New Mexico
2020 Contributor, forthcoming book on Titwrench
2020 News director, KUNM Radio
2005-present Reporter, hundreds of long-form features and news reports | The Albuquerque Tribune, the Weekly Alibi, the New Mexico Compass, the Santa Fe Reporter, Pyragraph, Adobe Airstream Magazine, KUNM, NPR and the Solutions Journalism Network
COVERAGE & ANALYSIS
2018 “Female Empowerment and Community-Oriented Experimentalism,” by Professor Ana Alonso-Minutti in Experimentalisms In Practice: Music Perspectives From Latin America
2018 “Marisa Demarco to Perform at Titwrench Stockholm 2018 This Weekend,” by simianthinker| Queen City Sounds and Art
2018 “Female-Driven Event Celebrates 10 Years,” by Adrian Gomez | The Albuquerque Journal
2015 “Testing Space For New Music,” by Joe Cardillo | Pyragraph
2013 “Gatas Sing Outside The Box,” by Rebecca Gonzales | Weekly Alibi
2013 “Risk-Taking at Gatas,” by Antonia Montoya | Pyragraph
HONORS & AWARDS
2020 New Music USA Grant recipient
2020 Recipient of the Dean’s Travel Grant | University of New Mexico
2019 – 2020 SITE Santa Fe Scholar
2019 Mellon Foundation Scholarship recipient
2019 Excellence in Broadcasting Award, Feature News Story | New Mexico Broadcasters Association
2017 Best Breaking News Coverage | New Mexico Broadcasters Association
2017 Best Radio Feature Reporting | Top of the Rockies journalism competition
2016 First Place for Enterprise Reporting | Top of the Rockies journalism competition
2015 Best Feature Reporting | New Mexico Broadcasters Association
AFFILIATIONS
National Association of Latino Arts and Culture
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter
Ida B. Wells Society