Media artist Lauren McCarthy joins faculty of UCLA School of Arts and Architecture

McCarthy, who received her master’s degree in fine arts from UCLA in 2011, creates work that examines social rules and the way we create identity in today's technological world. In projects like “Follower,” in which a user can download an app and request to have a real-life follower tail them for a day, or “Crowdpilot,” an app that live-streams users’ conversations, allowing them to crowd-source tips on how to improve their interactions, she pushes social networking a step further, compelling us to consider, in her words, “current social and technological systems and structures for being a person and interacting with other people.”

“I am thrilled to have Lauren joining our faculty,” said David Rouss?ve, interim dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. “She comes to us with such a unique and profound range of technical skill and artistic vision, and as one of only a few women in the nation currently leading an open-source, community-focused software project, is leading the way and setting an unparalleled example for others within her field.”

Based in Los Angeles, McCarthy has exhibited work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Ars Electronica, Conflux Festival, SIGGRAPH and the Japan Media Arts Festival. She has also contributed to installations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the London Eye, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Prior to joining the UCLA faculty, McCarthy taught as a full-time faculty member in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and as an adjunct faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design. She was a resident at CMU STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Eyebeam, and Ars Electronica / QUT TRANSMIT3. In addition to her graduate degree from UCLA, Lauren holds bachelor’s degrees in computer science and in art and design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Lauren comes to us with a deep knowledge of technology combined with a successful career as a media artist and teacher — a perfect combination for our department,” said design media arts professor and former department chair Rebecca Allen.

At UCLA, Lauren will teach courses in the area of networked media while continuing her studio practice and her community-focused work with p5.js, a programming environment for exploring the creation of art and design with technology.