"Histories of New Media: The Contemporary Discourse of Digital Arts" UNC Charlotte - 2024

The emerging field of "new media" or "digital arts" has become a pressing topic for artists and art historians alike in recent years, but this discourse-the statements surrounding digital art practice and the artifacts that result-is anything but novel. New media involves the use of digital technologies and tools of mass communication, including virtual and interactive forms of art. The problem that arises when art students remain disconnected from this history is that they use these new tools without fully understanding them and thus make art without understanding the pre-existing discourse that their works enter into. Digital media pedagogy lacks any standard structure among more accessible universities, contributing to a problematic disconnect between studio and art history courses. For my honors thesis at UNC Charlotte, I created a syllabus for a new media art history seminar and studio hybrid course at the undergraduate university level. This included five units complete with readings, key artists/artwork, and accompanying studio assignments. The proposed course investigates themes of art and technology, authorship and appropriation, automation, the desire for mimesis, and the relationship between digital media and non-digital fine arts. My research addresses this pedagogical gap by analyzing the ways in which new media reframes longstanding art historical discourse. This inquiry demands a theoretical and pedagogical approach that avoids absurdism about the "end of art," particularly in the face of contentious new media discourse such as the emergence of AI art. This approach reveals a transformation of the intimate relationship between art and science rather than a simple rivalry or novelty. This project reflects my continued interest in new media studies as I actively engage in both hands-on art practice and academic research. I believe these closely related fields support one another and mustn’t always be separated into individual disciplines. I carry this philosophy with me as I study cinematography at UCLA, investigating contemporary modes of experimental filmmaking and image capture. Multidisciplinary Poster Presentation Award - 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference

I believe that teaching philosophy must include room for experimentation without fear. Particularly in a creative discipline, students must be encouraged to take risks in assignments so that they may more efficiently learn, grow, and diversify their own artistic practice. My role as a teacher is to guide and support each student on their unique learning journey. This includes incorporating different learning styles in the curriculum and developing engaging projects that promote active learning and collaboration. Beyond mere memorization of information, it is vital to cultivate hands-on application opportunities and relevant real-world experiences that encourage curiosity and lifelong learning. In 2025, I worked as the Video Production Lead at Creative Cornerstone, a non-profit summer program in Charlotte, NC. In this role, I helped teach the foundations of photo and video production at the 8th-12th grade level while capturing and editing video and photography content for the program. I also have some experience advising and teaching at the undergraduate level, both at UNC Charlotte and UCLA. At UNC Charlotte, I worked as a Peer Mentor in the College of Arts + Architecture. As a mentor, I was responsible for helping students navigate their studies in the art department and advising them on portfolios. I also organized workshops to support first-year students. At UCLA, I continue helping my peers by hosting workshops within the Student Affairs Media Team. I teach post-production tips and tricks in Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects, fostering learning and collaboration on the team. I hope to serve as a teaching assistant soon in the film department and/or art department at UCLA to gain more experience leading in a university classroom setting. I am interested in exploring future teaching opportunities at the undergraduate or graduate level, where I feel I can best connect with students as mutual artistic researchers. It is my goal to cultivate a safe and engaging learning environment by establishing clear lines of communication, realistic but high expectations, and organized resources.