Ellen Pearlman

Ellen Pearlman is a New York based media artist, curator, writer and critic. She is a Research Fellow at MIT, Senior Research Assistant Professor at RISEBA University in Riga, Latvia and a Contributing Editor to Performance Arts Journal (PAJ) MIT Press. Ellen is the Director and co-founder of ThoughtWorks Arts, a global research and innovation lab that includes the well regarded ThoughtWorks ArtsResidency. A Fulbright Scholar to the Department of Mathematics and Informatics at The University of Warsaw, Poland, she is also a Fulbright World Learning Specialist in Art, New Media and Technology, an EU Vertigo STARTS Laureate (Horizon 2020), a Zero1 American Arts Incubator/U.S. State Department cultural envoy to Kyiv, Ukraine, and a Fulbright Alumni Ties grantee. Ellen received her Ph.D. in Digital Media from the School of Creative Media at Hong Kong City University where two out of three years she was awarded the department's outstanding academic achievement award. She premiered her brain opera "Noor", a fully immersive interactive brainwave opera at ISEA Hong Kong and the Microwave International Festival, HK. Her PhD thesis, "Is There A Place In Human Consciousness Where Surveillance Cannot Go?" was awarded highest global ranking from Leonardo LABS abstracts. "AIBO", her next new media opera was an emotionally intelligent artificial intelligent brainwave opera premiered at the Estonian Music Academy's state of the art black box theater, and was presented at Vertigo STARTS Days in Paris, France one week before the pandemic.



Ellen is also Founder and President of Art-A-Hack(TM), and Director and Curator of the New York Volumetric Society, as well as a contributing editor to Performance Arts Journal (PAJ) MIT Press. During her doctoral studies she was a Visiting Scholar at Parsons/New School University in New York. Previously she co-founded the first Summer Institute in Telematic Art with the University of Calgary, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Videotage HK to create an internationally linked global interactive telematic performance while FUSE Digital Artist in Residence at Videotage. Ellen has lectured on the future of opera at the MetaLAB at Harvard University and at both the Hermitage Museum and ITMO University (the MIT of Russia) in St. Petersburg, Russia as part of Cyberfest. She curated and has shown work at SPRING/BREAK Independent Projects (part of Armory Week), ISEA, the Microwave Festival, The RIXC Festival, Harvestworks Electronic Arts Festival, and collaborated on digital projects with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Media Lab. She was on the Art Panel Review Board for SIGGRAPH ASIA in Yokohama, Japan, a panel judge for ISEA New Mexico, Columbia, and Hong Kong, and presented her work at ISEA Istanbul, New Mexico, Dubai, Vancouver, Korea, Montreal, Transmediale Berlin and the Sounds, Image and Data Conference at NYUSteinhardt/Goldsmiths/ Leonardo, the 3rd Global Conference on Posthuman Ethics at NYU, and at conferences in Latvia, Finland, Ireland, Estonia, Italy, China, Japan and the Netherlands. Ellen has also lectured on New Media at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and the Communications and Animation University in Beijing, the Songzhuang Art Center, and universities in Wuhan and Tianjin, China. She participated in the first Beijing International Conference on Art Theory and Criticism at CAFA. the first Conference on Interactive Design, and the first conference on New Media Research, both at Tsinghua University. She travelled to Ulan Bator, Mongolia to work on presentation and curatorial practices with the Blue Sun arts group and lectured at the Mongolian Fine Arts Academy at the behest of the Open Academy project, supported by the Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands. An Asian Cultural Council Grantee she was also awarded a Canadian Banff Mountain Culture Grant to film sacred monastic dance in nomadic Tibet. Ellen has been both a Banff Non Fiction and a Banff Digital Media Research Residency Fellow.
Her book, "Nothing and Everything, the Influence of Buddhism on the American Avant Garde, 1942-1962" was published by North Atlantic Books as part of its Evolver imprint . She has been a five-time Vermont Studio Center Special President's Fellow, a resident at the Great River Arts Colony in Patzcuaro, Mexico, the Repino Arts Colony, and QuatRiatia New Media art residency in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Red Gate Artist Colony in Beijing, China. Ellen was awarded two ACO Artist Residencies in Hong Kong, and was a research resident at Signal Culture in upstate NY. She presented papers at the Taiwanese Photographer's International Symposium, and Hong Kong City University's "Extraordinary Dress Code" Conference and has been an arts contributor to Time Out Beijing in English, Yishu Magazine of Contemporary Asian Art, Art Asia Pacific, Sculpture Magazine, Hyperallergic (winner of International Art Critics Association Best Blog Award), Leonardo Magazine, Performance Art Journal (PAJ), Furtherfield.org, the International Journal of Digital Performance, the Journal of Problem Based Learning, and Acoustic Space. She is also a peer reviewer for Leonardo Magazine.

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A two-time finalist for the Andy Warhol/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant, for 18 years she was an editor-at-large for The Brooklyn Rail which won the Andy Warhol/Creative Capital Publishing Grant, and a writer for 9 years at Hyperallergic. A Breadloaf Writer's Conference Scholar recommended by the late poet Allen Ginsberg, she attended The Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center and The Iowa Writer's Workshop. Ellen studied at The School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The International Center of Photography (ICP), Telematic Art at the University of Calgary, Canada, and anthropological film at Harvard University before receiving her doctorate at The School of Creative Media, Hong Kong City University under Ars Electronica Golden Nica winners Maurice Benayoun and Jeffrey Shaw, as well as Jane Prophet of Goldsmiths/Penny Stamps School, U of Michigan. She was the photographer for Harvard Medical School as part of an American Institute of Indian Studies grant researching Tibetan Tumo or heat yogis.



Ellen has a black belt in Taijitsu (Ninja) under the auspices of Black Belt Hall of Fame Ninja Master Shidoshi Steven Hayes. She is a member of The International Association of Art Critics and listed in the current edition of Who's Who in America and Who's Who In the World, receiving the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.​ She was on faculty at Columbia University's Computer Technology and Applications Program for 13 years and on faculty at Parsons/New School University, CUNY, New York, Hong Kong City University, and lectured at universities around the world.

EDUCATION

PhD City University of Hong Kong October,
MA Telematic Art, University of Calgary
BA(hons) Philosophy and Asian Studies, Hofstra University

AWARDS AND HONORS
Prizes & Residencies

2023 Fulbright Scholar Department of Mathematics and Informatics University of Warsaw, Poland
Invited VIP Guest, President Joseph Biden Speech on Anniversary of Ukraine War, Warsaw, Poland

2022 Research Fellow MIT Open Documentary Lab, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Fulbright Scholar Department of Mathematics and Informatics University of Warsaw, Poland
International Scientific Committee - RIXC Festival Open Fields – Splintered Realities, Riga, Latvia,
ERASMUS + Grant to Tallinn University, Estonia

2021 Research Fellow MIT Open Documentary Lab, Cambridge, Massachusetts
International Scientific Committee - RIXC Festival Open Fields - PostSENSORIUM, Riga, Latvia
Fulbright Specialist, Polish Japanese Academy of Information Science, Warsaw, Poland

2020 The California Arts Council (CAC) Innovations + Intersections pilot program, Leonardo/ISAST’s CripTech Incubator, ThoughtWorks Arts, $500,000 grant
Featured Artist - Test/Break Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab
Laureate – Vertigo STARTS EU Horizon
Alumni TIES Grantee, U.S. State Department of Cultural Affairs, New York, NY
Zero1 American Arts Incubator - U.S. State Department for Kyiv, Ukraine
Visiting Artist – Baltan Labs, Eindhoven Netherland
Presenter and Curator -Life During and After Covid-19 - Artistic Strategies and BreakThrough Responses - The GRID/EUNIC Ars Electronia (NY/Austria)
Who’s Who In the World, Marquis Who’s Who

2019 Alumni TIES Grantee, U.S. State Department, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Visiting Artist – Estonian Art Academy, Estonia
Laureate – Vertigo STARTS EU Horizon 2020
Zero1 American Arts Incubator, U.S. State Department for Kyiv, Ukraine 2020
Top Reviewer – Leonardo, MIT Press
Who’s Who In the World, Marquis Who’s Who
Conference Steering Committee and Scientific Review Board, Open Fields Green/UnGreen, RIXC Art Science Festival and Liepaja University, Riga, Latvia
Elected Member International Society of Art Critics – AICA USA


2018
Highest Honors, Leonardo LABS PhD Thesis Abstracts for 2018 - Leonardo
Board Member, RENEWABLE FUTURES, Hybrid Lab Symposium, Art and Science Conference series in North-Europe, Celebrating Leonardo’s 50th Anniversary/In the framework of Aalto Festival, Aalto University, Finland
Conference Steering Committee and Co-Chair, Open Fields GLOBAL CONTROL, RIXC Art Science Festival and Liepaja University, Riga, Latvia

2017
Visiting Artist, School of Digital Technologies, Talin University, Estonia
Visiting Scholar, RISEBA/Lepaja University, Latvia
2017 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Marquis Who’s Who
Conference Co-Chair, Open Fields, Virtualities and Realities, Rixc Arts Festival, Arts Academy of Latvia, National Arts Museum
Fulbright World Learning Specialist, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
NetGain Partnership Retreat in conjunction with the Ford, Knight, MacArthur, Mozilla and Open Society Foundations – The Implications of the Quantified Society”, Point Lookout, Maine
Hack the Brain Dublin, Dublin Science Gallery, Trinity College, Ireland, supported by European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Grant
NYU/TimeWave Festival VR Bootcamp, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Media and Games Network, New York

2016
Outstanding Academic Performance Award For Research Degree Student, Research Tuition Scholarship for Research Degree Students, Conference Research Grant, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
NYU/TimeWave Festival VR Bootcamp, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Media and Games Network, New York
Signal Culture Residency, Signal Culture Owego, New York
Asian Contemporary Art Week Curatorial Invitational – Field Meeting Take 4: Thinking Practice, Guggenheim Museum, Asia Society
Brooklyn Rail, Editor-At-Large (2001-2018), winner Andy Warhol Foundation Publishing Grant

2015
Outstanding Academic Performance Award For Research Degree Student,
Research Activities Grant, Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Award, Research Tuition Scholarship for Research Degree Students, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
ISEA 2015, Full tuition scholarship, Vancouver, Canada
Metropolitan Museum of Art Media Lab, Intern, New York
Parsons School of Design/New School University, Visiting Scholar, New York

2014
Travel Research Grant, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Metropolitan Museum of Art Media Lab, Intern, New York
International Society of Art Critics Best Blog Award, Contributing Writer, Hyperallergic, New York
NYU Game Center Full Fellowship, Code Liberation For Women, New York

2013
NYU Game Center Full Fellowship, Code Liberation For Women, New York New York Foundation For the Arts Grant, BFA For Artists, New York

2012
Andy Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant, Finalist
ISEA New Mexico, Full Scholarship

2011
Thesis Research Award Banff Residency, Travel Conference Grant, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Excellence Award, Creative Research In Fine Arts Award, Special Bursary Fund from Canadian Research Chair in Telematics, University of Calgary, Canada
Digital Media Research Residency Grant, Banff Centre, Canada
FUSE Artist-In Residence Grant, Videotage Center for New Media, Hong Kong

2010
ACO Artist Residency Grant, Hong Kong
Artist-In-Residence Grant, Chinese Photographers Association, Beijing, China
Arts Development Grant, Calgary, Canada

2009
Red Gate Artist Residency, Beijing, China
Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands Open Academy Project with BizArt/ Shanghai Grant, Ulan Bator, Mongolia
ACO Artist Residency Grant, Hong Kong
Vermont Studio Center, President’s Special Award Grant, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2009, Johnson, Vermont

2006 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant/Creative Capital, Finalist, New York Great River Artist Colony Grant, Patzcuaro, Mexico

2005 Center For Holographic Arts Artists Grant, New York

2004 Asian Cultural Council Grant, New York
Banff Mountain Culture Grant, Banff Centre, Canada
Banff Writers Residency Grant, Banff Centre, Canada

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2018 School of Media, Lepaja University, Lepaja, Latvia

2017 School of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University, Estonia
School of Media, Lepaja University, Lepaja, Latvia
RISBA University, Riga, Latvia
Parsons School of Design/New School University. Faculty,
World’s First CoLab on Cyborg Arts

2015 City University, Hong Kong. Instructor of Record, Introduction to Contemporary Art

2014 City University, Hong Kong. Instructor of Record, Introduction to Contemporary Art

2012 New York University ITP Boot Camp, New York. Instructor of Record, Telematic Art
2011 University of Calgary. Canada/Hong Kong. Co-Director. 2nd Annual Summer Institute, Telematic Art

2010 University Calgary, Canada/Hong Kong. Co-Director. 1st Annual Summer Institute, Telematic Art

2009 Fine Arts Academy of Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Lecturer, New Media Art Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing, China. Lecturer, New Media Art
Communication and Animation University, Beijing, China. Lecturer, New Media Art

2008 Communication and Animation University, Beijing, China. Lecturer, New Media Art Tianjin University, Tianjin, China. Lecturer, New Media Art Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Lecturer, New Media Art

1994-Parsons School of Design, MFADT, New York. Faculty, 2001 SVG, XML, Various graphic applications

1994-New School University, New York. Faculty, Various software applications
2001

1995- City University of New York (CUNY), New York Faculty, Various
1998 software applications and operating systems

1988- 2001 Columbia University CTA Program, New York. Faculty, Information SystemsAnalysis, XML

SERVICE TO PROFESSION

2018 External Defense Committee, MSc Program, Tandon School of Engineering, NYU

2017 Peer Reviewer Open Fields Conference, Rixc Center for New Media Art, Riga, Latvia AI Now Symposium attendee, MIT Media Lab, 2017 International Program Committee, Intl. Society for Electronic Arts (ISEA) 2017 Director, ThoughtWorks Artists Residency 2017

2016 International Program Committee, Intl. Society for Electronic Arts (ISEA) 2016
International Program Committee, Int. Conference On Live Interfaces (ICLI)2016
Director, ThoughtWorks Artists Residency 2016

2015 Steering Committee, New York Creative Tech Week 2016
2014 President, Art-A-Hack New York (on-going)

2013 Member, Leonardo Education and Art Forum (LEAF) New York

2012 Director and Curator Volumetric Society of New York (on-going
)
2011 Member, World Association of Former United Nations Interns and Fellows (WAFUNIF)

2012 Panel Reviewer ISEA New Mexico Machine Wilderness

2010 Co-Editor, Computational Media and Design Journal, University of Calgary Artistic Advisor, Yuanfen Gallery of New Media, Beijing, China

2009 Art Panel Reviewer, SIGGRAPH Asia Yokohama Japan
Member, College Art Association (CAA), New York