Join us for Agog’s December Community Meetup, How ENCODED Took Over The Met — a behind-the-scenes conversation with the creative team behind ENCODED, the unsanctioned AR intervention that transformed The Met’s American Wing into a living space for Indigenous presence, truth, and imagination. You’ll hear from Tracy Renée Rector, Cass Gardiner, and Aaron Huey as they share the four-year journey from idea to execution, the challenges of bringing an AR takeover to life, and how immersive media can reclaim space and reshape the narratives we pass down.
📅 Monday, December 15
🕐 1–2 PM PT / 4-5 PM ET
📍 Join in VRChat or watch the livestream on YouTube
🎟️ Catch ENCODED in NYC before it closes on December 31—and sign up for guided tours available only through December 13!
More about the speakers:
Tracy Renée Rector
Curator, ENCODED | Co-Director & Founder, 4th World Media
Tracy Rector is a mixed-heritage filmmaker, curator, educator, and community organizer whose work centers Indigenous, Black, Brown, and Queer voices. She has collaborated on more than 500 projects that honor resilience, truth-telling, and transformation. Her films have screened at Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto and appeared on PBS and National Geographic. As co-director of 4th World Media, she supports intersectional storytellers and nurtures cultural sovereignty, justice, and creativity across global communities.
Cass Gardiner
Artist, Director, Writer
Cass Gardiner (Anishinaabe Algonquin, Kebaowek First Nation) is a filmmaker, curator, arts activist, and writer whose work explores Indigenous identity, foodways, place, and community. Her films—including Jewels Hunt and The Edible Indian—have aired on PBS Independent Lens and screened internationally. Cass has held curatorial roles and fellowships across leading institutions, including the National Film Board of Canada, Hot Docs, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and the Center for Craft. She is one of 17 artists featured in ENCODED.
Aaron Huey
Founder, Amplifier Art & Creative Technologist
Aaron Huey is a National Geographic photographer, creative director, and founder of Amplifier, where he builds stories—and systems—for real-world change. For over four years, he collaborated with Indigenous artists and leaders to help bring ENCODED to life, assembling the creative and technical teams who transformed the American Wing through AR. Through Amplifier, he has helped bring artist-led movements into streets, classrooms, public spaces, and now major cultural institutions.