John Slepian

John Slepian, dean of the school for interdisciplinary arts and Five College associate professor of art and technology, received a B.F.A. in film and television from New York University and an M.F.A. in new genres from the San Francisco Art Institute.

His interactive installations, which feature projected and screen-based 3D computer animation, investigate what makes us feel engaged with other living beings.

Slepian's artwork has been shown at the Exploratorium and Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, the Art Gallery at Siggraph06 in Boston, and P.S.1/MoMA and Hunter College Art Galleries in New York.

In 2002, he received the New Langton Arts Bay Area Award. He has been a resident in the P.S.1 National Studio Program, and in 2005 was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts grant in Computer Arts.

Recent and Upcoming Courses

21st Century Time-Based Media
It could be said that time-based media is the default art medium of the 21st Century. Screens and projections are everywhere from cell phones to the sides of buildings, video installation has become one of the most prominent media in museum and gallery exhibitions, performance art is now so established that performance artists like Marina Abramovic have museum filling retrospectives, and interactivity, electronic and otherwise, has become commonplace even in commercial galleries. Throughout this course, we will study not only the history of time-based media as a gallery art form, but also some of its most important themes. During the semester students will create a series of video, installation and performance works. This is a critique focused rather than technical instruction based class. Prerequisite: Some experience with basic video production and editing tools (your phone and iMovie are fine) and at least one studio art course in any medium.