Dr. Jacek J. Kolasiński is the founding director of the Ratcliffe Incubator of Art + Design in the FIU College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts and an associate professor of art at the Art + Art History Department at Florida International University, where he served as the department chair for six years. Dr. Kolasiński came to the United States from Poland, where he studied history and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He received his MFA from Florida International University in Miami and his Ph.D. from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. In 2018, he was made an honorary member of the Art Academy of Latvia. As an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and curator, Dr. Kolasiński is engaged in a dynamic field of creative practice undergoing constant, rapid change. An essential aspect of his research/creative activities involves his profound interest in engagement through human interaction and social discourse within the public and social realm. He is particularly drawn to the notion of convergence often described as "spatial practice" that connects a variety of architectural and artistic engagements to the city, society, and aesthetic practices at large. Through his creative work, Dr. Kolasiński has tested complex trans-disciplinary collaborations, multimedia installations, archives, video projections, and 3D digital fabrications, as well as community-based and site-specific projects. His artwork and curatorial projects have reached large audiences through presentations and exhibitions in numerous international and national venues. His ongoing Creole Archive Project explores transnational connections between Poland and the Global South, especially Haiti.