Jody Zellen (born 1961, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American artist and educator. Her practice, consisting of

digital art Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process, or more specifically computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...

, and

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

, has been showcased by way of interactive installations, public art, and curated exhibitions. She is also known for her art criticism. Zellen uses media-generated representations as raw material for aesthetic and social investigations that combine text and image components. Her works range from mobile apps, net art, and digital animation to drawing, painting, photography, and artists' books. Her fourth curated exhibition "Poetic Codings" was the nation's first touring exhibition of artists' apps. She is based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Education and career

Zellen earned a BA degree from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

(1983), MFA degree from

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

(1989), and an MPS from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

's Interactive Telecommunications Program (2009). A one-time member of Group Material, her work was included in "MASS," Group Material's exhibition that traveled to eight venues, including the New Museum in 1986. Zellen has been the recipient of nine competitive grants, such as the Center for Cultural Innovation's 2011 Investing in Artists Grants Program and a 2011 City of Santa Monica artist's fellowship. She also received a 2012 mid-career artist's fellowship from the California Community Foundation and a 2004 COLA Individual Artist Grant from the City of Los Angeles. She has been awarded residencies in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, as well as at

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

Banff Centre for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

and Art/OMI. Additionally, Zellen has held teaching positions at

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(2014–2015),

California State University-Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

(2012),

School of the Museum of Fine Arts The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is the art school of Tufts University, a private research university in Boston, Massachus ...

, Boston (2008–2010), CSU, Los Angeles (2007), Cal Poly-Pomona (2002–2005),

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(1998–2002), California Institute of the Arts (2000–2001) and

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Althoug ...

(2000).

Digital arts

In 2001, Zellen was awarded Java Artist of the Year and has since been commissioned to produce new works for the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (2014,

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

), Disseny Hub Museum (2011, Barcelona) and the Pace University Digital Gallery (2005, NYC). She has been commissioned to create online works for

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 and named for then-sitt ...

(Clarkson, Tennessee), turbulence.org, and artport.whitney.org. Since 1997, Zellen's work has been featured during nearly 200 media and web-art conferences around the globe, including notable digital festivals:

SIGGRAPH SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) is an annual conference on computer graphics (CG) organized by the ACM SIGGRAPH, starting in 1974. The main conference is held in North America; SIGGRAPH Asia ...

(2006, 2004, 2001, 1999), the 25th

São Paulo Bienal SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

(2002), WEB Biennials in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

(2013, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2005, 2003), ISEA (2012, 2006 and 2000), File RIO (2008, 2007, 2006 and 2004) and Currents-the Santa Fe International Media Festival (2015, 2014 and 2012). Composed of four artist's digital installations and mobile apps produced by eight artists (including

John Baldessari John Anthony Baldessari (June 17, 1931 – January 2, 2020) was an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California. Initially a painter, ...

), "Poetic Codings", a touring exhibition Zellen curated, opened at Los Angeles' Fellows of Contemporary Art Exhibition Space (2013), traveled to Boston's Cyberarts Gallery (2013) and finished at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (2014). Zellen's art apps for the

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...

include: ''Unemployed'' (2019), ''News Wheel'' (2015), ''Time Jitters'' (2014), ''Episodic'' (2013), ''4 Square'' (2012), ''Art Swipe'' (2012), ''Urban Rhythms'' (2011) (2011) and ''Spine Sonnet''.

Exhibitions

Commenting on Zellen's process of photo-copying collaged texts, Susan Kandel remarked that "There is something perverse in lingering over obsolete photochemical techniques in this era of electronic ubiquity. And yet there is a certain logic as Zellen's imagery converges on the antique and the anachronistic...it is actually quite nostalgic, whether by accident or design". Zellen's work has been featured in solo and dual exhibitions in commercial galleries, museums, university galleries and artist-run spaces. These include Cerritos College Art Gallery (2020), Long Beach City College (2017), Proxy Gallery (2016), Culver Center for the Arts (2015), Carl Solway Gallery (2014), Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (2014), Post (2012, 1998, 1997), Fringe Exhibitions (2008), Printed Matter (2007), Paul Kopeikin (2007), Pace University Digital Gallery (2005), Laguna Art Museum (2004), Susanne Vielmetter Projects (2002), Robert V. Fullerton Museum (2001), Montgomery Gallery-Pomona College (2000), Atlanta Center for Contemporary Art (1999), SF Camerawork (1995), Center for Contemporary Photography-Melbourne (1995) and Dorothy Goldeen Gallery (1993). Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art (2014), Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design (2013), Mass MOCA (2011), Krannert Art Museum (2008), Santa Monica Museum of Art (2006), Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (2004), Artists Space (2002), University of California Riverside- California Museum of Photography (2002), Exit Art (2002), Robert V. Fullerton Museum (2001), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2000, 1995), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2000) and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (1989).

Public art

Zellen has received public art commissions from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Los Angeles MTA. These projects include installations at Los Angeles International Airport (2017-2018, 2019), banners for the Los Angeles Metro's Silver Line (2014), custom bike racks for the City of Santa Monica (2014), as well as posters (2003) and fences (1994–1997) for MTA stations and a tile installation in the Emergency Drop-Off entrance to the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital.

Artist's books

Zellen's artists' books include: ''If'' (2013), ''The View'' (2011), ''Without a Trace'' (2010), ''Imagine'' (2008),
'Of a Lost Utopia''
(2007), ''Reliable'' (2007), ''Untitled'' (2006), ''To'' (2004), ''The Blackest Spot'' (2002)
''City Views''
(2001), ''Gridded Paths'' (2000)
''Standing Still: Still Standing''
(2000), ''Pinspot #2'' (1998)
''Blur''
(1997) and ''Beneath the Ruins'' (1996).

Selected bibliography

*Leah Rhyne. "Now You See It: Jody Zellen Puts Viewers in Charge of her Art." ''Charleston City Paper''. January 29, 2014. * *Dan Weiskopf. "Bodies at Play, Bodies at Work: Bob Trotman and Jody Zellen." www.burnaway.org. March 4, 2014. * *Tate Shaw. "Immersion: A Conversation with

Emily McVarish Emily McVarish (born 1965) is an American writer, designer, book artist and professor at California College of the Arts. She lives and works in San Francisco and her work primarily takes the form of books. Clifton Meador says "she uses the form of ...

, Jody Zellen and Janet Zweig." ''Journal of Artists' Books''. Spring 2013 *Jonah Brucker-Cohen. "Art in your Pocket 3: Sensor-Driven iPhone and iPad Art Apps." ''

Rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

''. July 3, 2012. *An Xiao. "LACMA lets you play 'Exquisite Corps' on your iPhone." ''Hyperallergic''. February 15, 2012. *Chris Funkhouser. "Case Studies 3: Poems of the web, by the web and for the web." ''New Directions in Digital Poetry''. Continuum Press 2012. *Susan Kandel. "Art Review." ''Los Angeles Times''. April 4, 1996. *

References

External links

Jody Zellen's websiteJody Zellen videos
on

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...

Jody Zellen's downloadable apps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zellen, Jody 1961 births Living people People from Boston Wesleyan University alumni California Institute of the Arts alumni New York University alumni 20th-century American painters American digital artists Women digital artists American video artists 21st-century American women artists American contemporary painters 21st-century American painters Electronic literature writers