Wacom Lab Grant Brings Professional Digital Art Tools to LaGuardia Community College Students
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (February 4, 2026) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY has been awarded a grant from technology company Wacom to provide students with access to professional‑grade digital drawing tools used by artists and designers worldwide. LaGuardia is the inaugural recipient of the Wacom Lab Grant, created to support educators who are expanding access to industry-standard tools and preparing students for future careers in art, design, and other creative fields.
Through the grant, LaGuardia will receive 15 Wacom Cintiq 16 pen displays for use by students in the Fine Arts, Design Studies, and New Media Technology programs. The devices will enable hands‑on learning with industry‑standard technology, supporting creative coursework and career preparation in digital art and design fields. Each device retails for approximately $700, bringing the total value of the grant to $10,500.
LaGuardia will integrate the Cintiq displays into coursework across illustration, graphic design, comics and graphic narrative, animation, web design, and computer art, supporting more than 530 students across the three academic programs. The technology will enable students to build digital skills and workflows that more closely reflect professional creative practice.
The project is led by Ari Richter, Professor of Fine Arts, and Dr. Jessica Boehman, Interim Humanities Department Chair and Professor of the History of Art and Illustration. Additional faculty collaborators include Dahlia Elsayed, Professor and Program Director of Fine Arts, and Sarada Rauch, Professor and Co-Director of the New Media Technology Program.
“We are proud to partner with LaGuardia Community College, Ari Richter, and Jessica Boehman as they bring this Wacom Lab project to life. This is what happens when educator vision meets the right tools,” wrote Michele Dick, Education Specialist – Americas for Wacom, in a blog post announcing the grant. “Their thoughtful application, strong instructional vision, and deep commitment to student success exemplify what the Wacom Lab Grant is all about. Their proposal clearly articulated both the challenges their students face and the transformative opportunity that access to professional creative tools can unlock.”
“For many students pursuing creative careers, purchasing personal creative technology is not feasible,” said Dr. Boehman. “Until now, students have often relied on standard computer lab setups to complete work intended to prepare them for professional practice.”
As Professor Richter noted in LaGuardia’s application, “Access to industry standard tools should never depend on a student’s ability to purchase their own equipment. The Wacom Lab Grant represents an investment in equity, access, and long-term student success.”
The impact will extend beyond individual classes. The Cintiqs will also support collegewide creative initiatives, including large-scale public murals, t-shirt designs for community events, and student-led publications like The Queerterly. These collaborative projects blend artistic expression with real‑world problem‑solving and help students build confidence and stronger portfolios.
By expanding access to professional creative tools, LaGuardia aims to ensure students are prepared not only to succeed in their current coursework, but also to take the next steps—whether transferring to four‑year programs or entering competitive creative industries with the skills, experience, and portfolios needed to thrive.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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