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Alan Macy
Alan Macy is the Research and Development Director and co-founder of Biopac Systems, Inc., a biomedical company. He also founded the Santa Barbara Center of Art, Science, and Technology, a live/work artist residency. Alan designs data processing systems to derive insights from life-process signals, focusing on psychophysiology, emotional state measurements, MRI, and AR/VR. His recent research explores human nervous system extension and its effects on perception. As an applied science artist, Alan creates cybernated art, interactive sculptures, and environments, blending science and art to push the boundaries of human experience.
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Ben Grace
Ben Grace is an interdisciplinary designer and creative technologist based in Ojai, CA. With a foundation in architecture, Ben's approach integrates digital processes with spatial design to create immersive experiences. His work encompasses everything from initial concept to final implementation, aiming to reveal and explore new realities. By blending contemporary techniques with innovative design, Ben strives to transform familiar spaces and objects into something extraordinary. His goal is to challenge and expand our perception, making the everyday intriguing and the settled strange. Through his projects, Ben seeks to enhance the way we experience the world around us.
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Betsy Zuck
Betsy Zuck’s mission is to celebrate the light that emerges from darkness. Through her work in events, film, theater, opera, and teaching, Betsy embraces immersive experiences that encourage deep engagement with oneself and others. Her artistic focus is on capturing those transformative “lightbulb” moments when we recognize our own potential and the beauty within. Her light paintings reflect this journey, inviting viewers to find comfort and revelation in art by confronting and embracing their own darkness. Betsy hopes that her work inspires others to discover and appreciate the light within.
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Birgit Leleu
Birgit Leleu, a master silversmith and jewelry designer from Belgium, completed her studies in silversmithing there. Since moving to the USA in 2011 and to Santa Barbara in 2021, she has been teaching jewelry-making at Santa Barbara City College and Allan Hancock Community College in Santa Maria. In her home studio, Birgit experiments with materials like precious metals, glass, clay, and paper, constantly exploring and pushing the limits of her craft.
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Brett Schoonderwoerd
Brett is a versatile artist whose work spans both physical and digital mediums, driven by a passion for storytelling. His art transcends traditional boundaries, engaging audiences in profound experiential journeys. Whether manipulating light and texture in immersive installations or innovating with digital projections, Brett’s creations challenge viewers to rethink their perceptions. His unique blend of technology and artistic expression offers new insights and deeper meanings. Brett continues to push the limits of art, making each piece not only a visual spectacle but also an invitation to explore.
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Carlos Grasso
Carlos Grasso, an Argentinian native, is gaining recognition for his “Mind Tapestries” series, immersive 3D installations, and “Canvas Deconstruction” paintings, also known as his “shredded” series. After spending over 45 years in France and the USA, Carlos transitioned from a professional musician to a full-time artist, focusing on abstraction, mixed media, installations, and conceptual art. In his Ojai, California studio, he employs cut canvases, found objects, and large brushes to craft imaginative and varied pieces. His work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries, including the LA Art Show, The Museum of Ventura County, and the Ojai Valley Museum.
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Cassandra Ensberg
Cassandra Ensberg is a Santa Barbara-based artist and architect whose journey began at age five with a box of Crayola crayons. Her work explores geometry, form, and composition using a range of materials, always focused on clarity and simplicity. She believes art is a powerful medium for expressing ideas and emotions beyond words. Ensberg aims to capture what words cannot fully convey, creating pieces that resonate deeply with viewers.
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Cevins McCullah
Cevins McCullah is a fourth-year student at the UCSB, majoring in Sculpture at the College of Creative Studies. His work focuses on interactive sculptures that engage viewers on a deep, emotional level. Cevins aims to explore the complexities of the human condition, inviting audiences to reflect on their own experiences. Each piece is crafted to create a meaningful dialogue between the art and the observer, transforming static objects into immersive experiences that provoke thought and foster a deeper appreciation of shared human experiences.
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Daniel K Brown
Daniel K. Brown earned his Master’s degree from Yale University and has exhibited his work globally, including a significant 5-year retrospective at the Italy Pavilion during the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale. His honors include seven international arts fellowships, such as the Fulbright Fellowship, and three New Zealand national research fellowships. Daniel has also received 15 professional awards for collaborative designs and twelve teaching awards, including the NZ National Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. His work has been showcased in major locations like Rome, Venice, New York, France, and New Zealand.
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Diarmid Flatley
Diarmid Flatley is a composer, media artist, and researcher. His work develops meta compositional approaches to artmaking that link disparate modalities and media through underlying generative processes. His interests include, dynamical systems, emergent structures, cross modal correspondences, and multisensory integration. Diarmid holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the UCSD and a Masters of Music in Theory and Composition from NYU. He is currently a PhD candidate in Media Arts and Technology at UCSB.
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Ethan Turpin
Ethan Turpin combines old and new media technologies to explore human perceptions within large systems, creating spaces for contemplation. Since 1999, his work has been featured in museums, galleries, and film festivals worldwide. His exhibitions and commissions include exploring the climate crisis in 3D at The California Museum of Photography and geometric growth at The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. Ethan's immersive video works are installed long-term at various prominent venues, inviting audiences of all ages to engage with his innovative and thought-provoking projects.
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Helane Freeman
Helane Freeman, a Conejo Valley native, graduated with honors in illustration from Art Center College of Design. She has designed over 100 record album covers, including Frank Sinatra’s "Radio Years" and NWA’s "Straight Outta Compton," which Digital Arts Magazine named among the 25 best album covers. Freeman has received six RIAA Gold and Platinum Albums, a Hollywood Reporter Key Art Award, and has work displayed in the Smithsonian’s “The California Raisins” exhibit. She also worked on Disney shows like “Hannah Montana” and “Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” Currently, she is featured in “Rhythm & Hues,” blending fine art painting and music.
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Iason Paterakis
Iason Paterakis is an Architect-Engineer and Media Artist in the field of Extended Reality. He is currently pursuing an MSc degree in Media, Arts & Technology at the UCSB while working as a T.A. in the graduate and undergraduate program of MAT. He began his research in speculative architecture and XR in 2012 as a researcher at the Transformable Intelligent Environments Laboratory at the School of Architectural Engineering TUC. His field is linked to researching and developing methodologies, and mechanisms for designing paradigms of mediated environments. He has been involved in exhibitions, and international interdisciplinary conferences.
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Iben Vestergaard
Vestergaard is a visual artist who creates expressionist figures and mental landscapes using silicate paint and mixed media, exploring themes of human fragility and identity. A graduate of The Danish School of Design in Copenhagen (now part of The Royal Danish Academy of Arts), she initially trained as a textile designer before shifting her focus to painting and drawing. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, Vestergaard regularly exhibits her work and is represented in private collections both nationally and internationally.
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James Studarus
James Studarus is a Santa Barbara-based photographer known for his passion for adventure and the northern lights. Over the past 8 years, he has captured the aurora across North America and Scandinavia, using forecasts to find ideal viewing locations. His journey began with a transformative winter trip to Iceland. James now makes annual fall trips to the Yukon and admires Northern Norway. He has won multiple photography awards and leads custom tours to the far north.
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Jami Joelle Nielsen
Jami Joelle Nielsen is a self-taught artist with a degree in Environmental Science. A former Art & Science K-6 educator, naturalist, and disabled community advocate, she creates art in bed using recycled materials. Her mixed media collage and assemblage work fosters critical thought, dialogue, and inclusivity. Jami Joelle has exhibited nationally and internationally in over 80 shows, with pieces permanently displayed at UCSB’s Environmental Studies Department. She completed a residency at Kennedy Center’s "Youth In Arts" and serves on the Outreach Committee of the Community Arts Workshop.
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Jazer Giles
Jazer Giles is an audio/visual composer and maker whose work has been featured at SEAMUS, Max Expo, Five College New Music Festival, and various New York venues, as well as internationally in Berlin, London, and Spain. He has collaborated extensively with Barbie Diewald Choreography, performing at Jacob’s Pillow, Performance Project Festival, and Ponderosa Dance Festival. Jazer holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Physics from Skidmore College and a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Massachusetts.
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Jenna deBoisblanc
Jenna deBoisblanc is a creative coder and teacher from New Orleans, LA. She holds a degree in Physics from Pomona College and an MFA in digital arts from Tulane University. Jenna's work has been showcased at the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center, The Front, and Good Children galleries, as well as at light festivals like Luna Fête and Light Up Albuquerque. She has also featured on digital platforms like The Wrong Biennale and SIGGRAPH.
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Jennifer Love
Jennifer Love, MOB, CHC, is an award-winning entrepreneur, wholistic wealth champion, speaker, and nature advocate. She uses her voice as an instrument of love through song, voiceover, speaking, and teaching. With a deep thirst for learning, her expertise spans human behavior, business, economics, communication, holistic health, and financial planning. For over two decades, Jennifer has refined her Wholistic Wealth Methodology, helping thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals succeed. She believes in empowering others to let their inner light shine and live a truly wealthy life.
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Jessica Bortman
Jessica Bortman is a California-based artist and landscape designer with a deep connection to the natural world. Her work is inspired by her fascination with light, shadows, and the ever-changing colors of the ocean and sky. Living in Santa Barbara, Jessica particularly enjoys painting the winter weather as it moves in from the Pacific and settles against the mountains. Coming from a family of artists and writers, she studied art history and film before dedicating twenty-five years to landscape design and painting.
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Joanna Farley
Joanna Farley is an urban planner from New Orleans passionate about using creative approaches to address climate adaptation and resiliency. She enjoys collaborating with communities to tackle significant challenges, drawing on her expertise to develop solutions that prioritize sustainability and inclusivity. Joanna's work focuses on finding innovative ways to make cities more resilient in the face of environmental changes. Her dedication to community-driven planning ensures that the voices and needs of those affected are central to the solutions she helps create.
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John Hood
John Hood is a distinguished non-objective painter known for his meditative forms and textured mixed-media surfaces, inspired by his connection to the sea. Originally from Los Angeles, John began his career focusing on experimental filmmaking before transitioning to painting. His first solo exhibition was at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma gallery in 1993. John's work has evolved from large canvases to minimalist and mixed-media pieces, including three-dimensional assemblages. His art has been exhibited nationally and internationally. John also teaches modern art history at Allan Hancock College and supports emerging artists.
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Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith, originally from England, discovered his passion for travel, exploring the world, and mastering languages. His wanderlust evolved into creating large-scale art, focusing on lighting, projection, and interactivity. In 2006, he joined Fishbon, a Santa Barbara nonprofit art organization, where he refined his craft, specializing in immersive environments. Jonathan has served as Head of Lighting and Projection for seven festivals and collaborated with Bamboo DNA, known for monumental bamboo sculptures at events like Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival. His expertise spans conceptualizing, building, and managing large projects.
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Justin Gunn
Justin Gunn is a kinetic artist known for creating electric tricycles that are both functional and fantastical. His standout creation, the Rock-It rocket bike, features simulated jet thrusters powered by LEDs, bringing light and joy wherever it travels. With its retro-futuristic design, the Rock-It offers a unique and exhilarating experience. As a visionary in 2024, Justin questions why we aren’t all riding atomic-powered, hovering rocket bikes yet, blending art with futuristic transportation in his innovative work.
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Kathi Scarminach
Kathi Scarminach is a visual storyteller driven by the belief that art has the power to inspire, revive, and connect us. Her abstract work speaks a universal language, allowing her to express personal and intimate stories. Each painting illustrates a tale within her, whether fleeting or profound, that seeks to be unveiled and heard. Kathi invites viewers to see themselves in her art, whether through a nervous glance, an anxious twist, or the vibrant hues and spontaneous designs of the non-representational. Her work reflects her conviction that art reveals and connects on a deep level.
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Louise Gerber
Louise Gerber began taking art classes when her daughter was born with a severe chromosome disorder, transitioning from teaching to being a full-time mother and part-time artist. In 1977, she lost 50 paintings in the Sycamore Canyon fire, but one piece survived, inspiring her to write about her daughter, leading to a 2011 poetry book. After her divorce in the early 1980s, she started a business, Closets, Etc. Now retired, Louise has returned to art and published her memoir, "When Love is Not Enough," about her life with her daughter.
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Lucia de Miguel
Lucia de Miguel paints joy and adventures, drawing inspiration from uplifting moments, the beach, and her travels. Her work focuses mainly on acrylic paintings of beaches, pools, and ski resorts, often viewed from above. Originally from Argentina, she has also lived in Italy and Switzerland. Passionate about exploring new places, Lucia creates art that captures special moments in everyday life. When not painting, she enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and spending time with her husband and two daughters. She believes in art’s power to transport people, evoke joy, and inspire dreams of future adventures.
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Marcos Novak
Marcos Novak is a transarchitect, artist, composer, and theorist known for using algorithmic techniques to create actual, virtual, and hybrid intelligent environments. He is the Chair and Professor of Media Arts and Technology at UCSB and the founding Director of transLAB, an XR worldmaking lab that explores transformation leading to new forms of existence. Novak's work bridges art, science, and technology, pushing the boundaries of design and innovation in both physical and digital spaces.
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Mark Johnson
Mark K. Johnson earned his PhD in music from Victoria University of Wellington and his MA from New York University, where he wrote his thesis on The Structure of Meaning in Music. He was an artist in residence with the Nevada Opera and a regular soloist for the Reno Symphony. In 1989, Mark made his solo concert debut with the American Symphony at Lincoln Center, performing as David in Honegger’s Le Roi David. His compositional focus is on 'narrative' music, reflecting his interest in storytelling through his work.
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Meredith Ventura
More details coming soon!
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Merith Cosden
Merith Cosden is a visual artist based in Santa Barbara, California. She creates abstract landscapes and seascapes using acrylic paint and mixed media. Merith serves on the Board of the Goleta Valley Art Association and is a member of the Santa Barbara Abstract Art Collective and Southern California Artists for the Preservation of the Environment. Her work has been exhibited at the Carpinteria Arts Center, Santa Barbara Tennis Club, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara City Hall, Goleta Valley Library, and various local businesses and online platforms.
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Nefeli Manoudaki
Nefeli Manoudaki is an innovative Architect – Engineer, currently a Ph.D. student at the UCSB in the Media Arts and Technology (MAT) program. Nefeli was a researcher at the TUC TIE Lab in Greece, where she participated in National large-scale projects. Her research includes immersive environment design, artificial intelligence, and exploring allotropic architectural forms in tangible and digital (VR-AR-XR- AI/ML) media. Her goal is to develop innovative experiences that immerse the user into the natural world and its traces by following morphological and cognitive principles. Her recent work embodies digital morphogenesis through emotions in XR and olfactory stimuli. Her works are featured in international symposiums and conferences
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Rachel Zender
Rachel Zender recently graduated from Santa Barbara City College, where she studied 3D design, sculpture, and ceramics. Originally from Bellingham, Washington, Rachel was inspired by her aunt Cheri, a refined artist, and her uncle Rob, a carpenter, who collaborated on art and design projects. After moving to Santa Barbara at 18, Rachel has embraced her passion for creating fun and creative concepts. She enjoys surfing, camping, backpacking, skiing, lifting, dancing, and hosting themed dinner parties with friends. Her diverse interests and experiences fuel her creative approach to art and design.
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Rebecca Zendejas
Rebecca Zendejas has long been fascinated by creating sacred spaces within daily routines and community events. With a background in art installation, theater production, and woodworking, she began designing unique personal altars in 2018. In October 2020, she established a Community Memorial Altar at Paradise Found, inspired by Samhain and Día de los Muertos traditions, allowing the public to honor departed loved ones. This altar has since become a cherished autumn ritual. Rebecca also writes “Altared Consciousness” articles for the Paradise Found newsletter, where she explores themes of grief, celebration, and transcendence through the lens of altars.
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Rod Lathim
Rod Lathim is an award-winning artist based in Santa Barbara, California, known for his neon sculptures that explore the interaction between matter and light. Often incorporating vintage objects, his work blends styles such as pop, minimalism, retrofuturism, and deconstruction, reflecting both playful and spiritual elements. Art critic Benji Su has described his work as “a dualistic reminder of art history.” Rod has exhibited on New York City’s Madison Avenue and in Nashville, TN, as well as in seven galleries across Santa Barbara County, Palm Springs, and Palm Desert. His work is also featured in various private collections.
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Ryan Millett
Ryan Millet is a composer, programmer, and multimedia artist based in Santa Barbara. His work extends an ancient lineage of musical tradition informed by contemporary theories of computation, mediated by the inherent abstraction of sound, and imbued with creative inspiration drawn from the natural world. Ryan holds a BA in Computer Science and Electronic Music from the UCSC and is currently a graduate student and researcher in the Media Arts & Technology program at UCSB.
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Sabina Hyoju Ahn
Sabina Hyoju Ahn is an artist who explores various media, including auditory, tactile, visual, and digital technologies. Her work investigates hidden patterns in nature and the complex interactions between human and non-human entities by translating subtle data into perceptual experiences. Using biological materials combined with technology, Sabina transforms these elements to explore the physical nature of human perception. Her recent research merges post-digital media concepts with contemporary scientific and artistic methods, focusing on how we perceive and interact with the natural world.
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Shani Clark
Shani Clark, a Santa Barbara local, strives to inspire light, love, and community through her evolving art, which includes paintings, intricate fabric collages, natural fiber weavings, celebratory mandalas, and deeply intentional altars. Her most passionate project, "Miracle," a monarch butterfly light sculpture, was created in recognition of a dear friend’s tragic injury and miraculous recovery. Shani’s future artistic endeavors remain an exciting unknown—just the way she prefers it, embracing creativity and the unexpected with open arms.
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Sophie Cooper
Sophie MJ Cooper is inspired by the urban landscapes of New York City and the symbolism they hold. Her Water Tank Series explores the contrast between the small, rounded water tanks and the towering buildings that support them, set against the city's vibrant life below and expansive skies above. Through oil on canvas, Cooper captures fleeting moments—light, reflections, and daily human interactions often overlooked. Her expressionist approach to realism brings out the cultural metaphors embedded in the urban environment.
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Stejara Dinulescu
Stejara Iulia Dinulescu holds bachelor's degrees in Psychology, Studio Art, and Creative Computation from Southern Methodist University and is a fourth-year PhD candidate in UCSB’s Media Arts and Technology Department. As a 2021 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, her research focuses on developing haptic technologies for sharing and reproducing touch experiences. Working in the Re-Touch lab under Yon Visell, Stejara explores touch technology, social touch perception, and wearable soft robotics. Her art practice also delves into perception, behavior, agency, consciousness, and computational intelligence.
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Stephanie Ingoldsby
Stephanie Ingoldsby is a local artist specializing in face and body art, dedicated to connecting with her community through her work. Over her ten-year career, she has delighted thousands with her art, which includes face painting, glitter bar, gems, and glitter tattoos. Stephanie has observed how her art can bring out inner light, joy, and confidence in those she paints. Her designs use glitter to reflect light beautifully, particularly under stage lights. Each design is unique to the individual.
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Tai Rodrig
Tai Rodrig is a multimedia artist who transforms mathematical concepts into visual art. Using code, projections, and various digital and analog media, Tai crafts immersive experiences that reveal the beauty of math. Tai’s work inspires viewers to see the world differently, where these disciplines seamlessly connect. Each piece explores the patterns and structures that underpin reality, inviting a deeper appreciation for the elegance within complexity. Tai’s art is a journey into the intricate simplicity of mathematical forms, encouraging a new perspective on the world around us.
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Timothy Wood
Timothy Wood is a media and somatic movement artist focused on balance in relation to our bodies, environments, communities, and creative technologies. They create immersive, dynamic spaces for improvisational performance and playful interaction, drawing inspiration from natural systems to enhance embodied storytelling. Timothy’s research includes developing interactive biomimetic audiovisual worlds for somatic facilitation and storytelling. Their process combines somatic movement, deep listening, electroacoustic music, live-coding, and poetry. By merging movement practices with immersive technology, Timothy fosters imagination, creativity, and play as tools for healing and nurturing interconnectedness with ourselves and the Earth.
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Udo Gyene
Udo Gyene is a mathematician, visual artist, programmer, and educator based in Santa Barbara. Driven by the power of the universal language of mathematics, he strives to share that inspiration with the world through artistic expression and education. Udo explores the fields of Geometric Abstraction, Surrealism, and Op-Art, drawing guidance from the likes of Kandinsky, Miro, and Vasarely. He has harnessed the power of vector calculus, differential geometry, and implicit modeling to develop a vast body of mathematical artwork in a variety of media.
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Weihao Qiu
Weihao is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher with a background in image production and digital computation. His early work explored the Internet of Things and how the boundaries between physical and virtual worlds can be transcended. Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Media Arts and Technology at UC Santa Barbara, his research focuses on enhancing the modularity and interactivity of generative AI tools to create more diverse and expressive artworks. His artistic practice spans interactive installations, information visualization, and algorithmic images, aiming to deepen audience engagement with AI-based art.
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