SIGGRAPH Selects Renowned Artists For Live Los Angeles Program

SIGGRAPH announces the return of the Artists in Residence program to SIGGARPH 2008, taking place August 11-15 in Los Angeles, California. This program was first introduced in 2007 and will feature six established resident artists -- with backgrounds ranging from art and computer design to architecture and engineering -- collaborating together and with conference attendees in real time.

The Artists in Residence will have workspace integrated into the SIGGRAPH Studio, an open melting pot of scientists, researchers, artists, animators, and designers all collaborating using high-end workstations and cutting edge input/output computer technologies.

"Each of these artists comes from a different background that brings something unique to this live collaboration," said Phillip Carrizzi, SIGGRAPH Studio Chair from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. "When people think of 'art' they think of the finished product. This program provides a glimpse into the 'creation' of art through the eyes of six very talented individuals who are also interacting with the public during the creation process."

The high-caliber collection of artists was assembled by Richard Nelipovich, a designer, metalsmith, and educator who is an assistant professor of design at Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne. Nelipovich recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship to study the history of craft and design at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

This year's Artists in Residence are:

Ryan Buyssens -- An impending polymath working and teaching in the Bay Area, Ryan Buyssens is a sculptor and video artist. Buyssens is a graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and currently teaches in Industrial Design and Architecture at the Academy of Art University. Recontextualizing what is common knowledge, his creations take a step in a direction that progress considers a dead end. He likes to explore the "what if" in the evolution of technology. Buyssens seeks out a departure from the logical path of invention and uses it as a branch that sprouts new possibilities. His work becomes a comment on logic and progress.

Dennis Dollens -- Dennis Dollens lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Barcelona, Spain where he teaches in the Biodigital Master Program at the school of architecture, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. He is the author of seven books, including DBA: Digital Botanic Architecture and the architectural comic book, A Pangolin's Guide to Biomimetics & Digital Architecture.

Myra Mimlitsch-Gray -- Myra Mimlitsch-Gray is Professor of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She received her MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1986, and her BFA from Philadelphia College of Art in 1984. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Individual Artist Fellowships from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation (1995), the National Endowment for the Arts (1994), and the New York Foundation for the Arts (1997, 2005).

Jenny E. Sabin -- Before completing her Master of Architecture degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenny E. Sabin was a practicing visual artist based in Seattle, Washington. Sabin currently teaches design studios and elective seminars within the graduate Department of Architecture at PennDesign, and is Director of CabinStudio, a research and design studio based in Philadelphia. Sabin is this year's recipient of the prestigious Upjohn research grant administered by the American Institute of Architects. She was an American Association of University Women Selected Professions Fellow from 2004-2005, and has exhibited at numerous galleries in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, and Sydney.

Matt Shlian -- As a paper engineer Matt Shlian's work is rooted in print media, book arts, and commercial design. Shilian uses his engineering skills to create kinetic sculptures which have lead to collaborations with scientists at the University of Michigan. Shilian received his BFA from Alfred University in 2002, and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2006. He is currently working with scientists as a visiting research scholar at the University of Michigan and teaching at the School of Art and Design in Ann Arbor.

Peter Schmitt -- A graduate student in the Smart Cities research group at the MIT Media Lab, Peter Schmitt's work focuses on pushing the limits of digital fabrication techniques for applications ranging from car design to artistic production. Schmitt's interest in fabrication is based on his work at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Dusseldorf, Germany, where he earned a Diploma in Fine Arts in 2005. During this time he gathered various experiences building kinetic sculptures, computer controlled installations and he even automated his own art production by building a CNC milling machine from scratch.