Bio
I am a creative coder and artist. A largely self-taught programmer, my day-to-day is as Creative Technologist at California College of the Arts where I switch between python, java, javascript, C++, and C# libraries in order to assist students in AR/VR projects, physical prototypes, games, and immersive experiences. I am also a traditionally trained fine artist, with a radical critical practice that includes street art, a punk documentary, interactive performances, and programmed objects. I received my BFA from Cooper Union NYC and have an MFA in Social Practice Arts. My street art appeared in the NYTimes Design blog and a book on Mexican graffiti. Other personal highlights include my residency at Gray Area, SF; a performance at the Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich a cover feature in Sci Art in America; and lectures at the College Art Association and Stanford. I can also be found teaching interactive design, game arts, and electronics at SFState and other institutions in the Bay. I feel my work in education is an extension of my art practice. The artistic canon I emerge from is one that places art as the critical counterpoint to dogma. The artistic genre I align most closely with, Social Practice, is built on the idea that art should have a pragmatic effect on society. My interest in technology is grounded in those principles. I believe it is essential to integrate the kind of deep discourse found in art and the humanities with the technological acumen needed to have an impact on the increasingly digital societies in which we are living. Creating a bridge between those worlds is a central part of my motivation in my art practice and career.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In the artworks created in the last decade I am most interested in examining the fallibility of human perception, technological ascendancy, and the difference between scientific dogma and scientific fact. Educating myself in programming, science, and perceptual philosophies; I engage with these subjects via curious fascination and informed camaraderie. By using the critical-yet-un-beholden-toolbox of art to re-contextualize science and technology, I hope to expose the inevitable/immutable as created/cultural. And in so doing, empower the audience to return to their own lives and careers with a new understanding of what is optional and a true clearing space for a radically alternative potential.
CV
Residencies
Gray Area Incubator Program, April 2017-October2017.
Beam Artist in Residence, New Hampshire, 2012.
POWA and Benjamin Menchel Fellowship Program, Dangriga Belize, 2008.
LoCurativo Summer Residency, Argentina, 2007.
LACAP (Latin America Community Art Project) Summer Residency, El Salvador, 2005.
Press about Artist
Burke, Sarah, "Third Party" Arts & Culture Art Pick: East Bay Express, Nov 15 2016.
Anniversary Issue, SciArt in America, August 2014.
"Strait Talk with Zoe McCloskey" SciArt in America, April 2014.
Greenbaum, Hilary, "Who made that Dummy Text," NYTimes Design Blog: 6th Floor. Aug 24, 2011.
Cargo Collective, “Featured Artist: Zoe McCloskey,” cargocollective.com, Aug 9, 2009.
"Street Mood" Film by Manuel Diaz, Animation by Rodrigo Arturo Ferrer, 2009. https://vimeo.com/9715252
Mr. Fly, and Dr. Rabias, eds. Arte Urbe. Mexico, D.F.: La Gunilla Editores, 2009, pp. 22, 28.
Urbanartcore "Zoe McCloskey's Lorem Ipsum Art" Urbanartcore.eu 2009.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette Features, “Good Morning East: Firelei Baez and Zoe McCloskey.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 26, 2009.
Ueno, Guiermo Purple Journal “Lo Pequeno es Hermoso.” Number 13, Summer 2008, pp 19-33.
Berrios, Dardo and Carolina Pellejero, Un Vagon Hermoso, Eco Club Buratovich, 2006.
Publications by Artist
McCloskey, Zoe. Introduction to Who Cares About These Feelings? Mail Art 2009-2015 by Mitsuko Brooks, published for LA Book Fair 2015.
McCloskey, Zoe. “Graduate Art School.” Agency, Ben Kinmont, Antinomian Press 2012, p 27.
McCloskey, Zoe. "Keyword: Desire" Occupy as Form Conference, Guest Contributor. ARC Muses. Arts Research Center, UC Berkeley, Jan 26, 2012.
Lavelle, Megan, and Zoe McCloskey. "Memorandum." Introduction. Social Practice Book CCA, San Francisco: Social Practice, 2012, 6-7.
McCloskey, Zoe. "Notes on Asi Esta La Cosa" Asi Esta la Cosa: Emerging Artist from Mexico City and Chicago, ed Arielle Bielak, Marwen Center for Art 2010, 8.
McCloskey, Zoe. "S- F--" Digital Artifact Magazine, Issue 3, 2009.
In Private Collections of
Eric Shiner, Senior Vice President Fine Art Division Sotheby's.
Cherubini Family Trust, Boston.
Contra Costa Martinez Health Center, Martinez CA
Tristan and Jeanine Roule, Contemporary Art Collection, Washington D.C
Hari Kunzru, Novelist
Yunuen Fortanell, W.H.O. D.F. Mexico
CV
Exhibitions / Presentations/ Teaching
2022
Wearable Electronics, Academy of Art, Jewelry Department, Spring Semester
Electricity and Electronics, SF State, Spring Semester
2021
Discovery Program SF, San Francisco State University, Artist Lecture, Jan.
Game Studies Course, Design Modules, Fall Semester
Game Studies Minor Curriculum Committee, SF State
Electricity and Electronics, SF State, Fall Semester
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Fall Semester
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Spring Semester
2020
Manifesto, City Lights & Grey Area, Online Exhibition, May. https://patch.grayarea.org/manifesto
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Fall Semester
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Spring Semester
2019
Program on Advanced Divination Residency (Project of Tim Hwuang) : Sept 18-22, Los Angeles
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Fall Semester
Interaction Design 2, SF State, Spring Semester
2018
Game Code Design Class: Institutional Power, Bay Area Video Coalition, SF.
Intro to Unity: April 20th 2018, Hybrid Lab
Leap Motion w/Processing: April 13th 2018, Hybrid Lab
Matrix and Bar Displays: April 6th 2018, Hybrid Lab
Integrating Processing with Arduino Workshop: Feb 23rd, Hybrid Lab, SF.
Distance and Motion Sensor Workshop: Feb 30th, Hybrid Lab, SF.
Capacitive Touch Workshop: Feb 16th , Hybrid Lab, SF.
Basics of Programming in Python 1 Workshop: Feb 2nd, Hybrid Lab, SF.
Basics of Programming in Python 2 Workshop: Feb 9th, Hybrid Lab, SF.
Servo Workshop: Jan 26th, Hybrid Lab, SF.
NeoPixel Workshop: Feb 19th, Hybrid Lab, SF.
2017
"NextGen ShowCase" with BAVC, The Mix SF Public Libraries, SF.
"NightLife" with CCA Hybrid Lab, California Academy of Sciences, SF.
"Gray Area Incubator Showcase" Gray Area Foundation, SF.
"In Visual Art and Vision Science: From 2D to Immersive Studies" Presented on Composed Session "Big Data and Broken Algorithms.” College Art Association 2017, NYC.
VR Committee, California College of the Arts
2016
Permanent Installation Contra Costa Martinez Health Center, Martinez CA.
"Third Party" (all female artist exhibition of work that critiques the male gaze within personalization filters) CTRL + SHFT, November, Oakland, CA.
2015
"Embodied Research" Lecture on Panel "Brain as Field" for AICAD (Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design) Symposium, "Science in the Studio" hosted by California College of Art, San Francisco, November 5-7.
Time Travel Museum, Hallow Earth Radio, Seattle.
Pet Projects Gallery: First Annual Headphone Festival, Holly Park, SF.
2014
Internal Documentarian for Andres Bosshard, Wintherthur750, Wintherthur, Switzerland
Dunkleholzi Meadow, "Umwelt Vertmittlung" for "A Test Flight Out of Time" Zurich.
ION, "Dream Money" for "Snoozenight" Zurich.
Stanford University, Visiting Lecturer, Internet Art Class, Palo Alto.
Experimental AudioZone "Sechzig-Drei" Group Audio Exhibition, Zurich.
2013
Cabaret Voltaire "Interrrational" Zurich.
Corner College "Introduction to Interstellar Travel" Zurich.
Public Panel, Social Practice MMUN Debate: California College of Art, San Francisco.
2012
Cyberpunk Apocalypse “Genes, Memes, and Temes” CPA Writers Showcase, Pittsburgh.
“Con Razon” Oakland, CA.
“Evolutionary Competition of the Mind,” Assurance Agency, San Francisco.
Itcus Gallery “Beauty Salon” San Francisco.
Mauritzio Catalan Family Business Gallery “Hennesy Youngman: It's a small, small world,” NYC.
Overca$h “DONNIE OVERCASH 2012.” Oakland.
Wattis Institute “John Baldessari Class Assignments.” San Francisco.
2011
PLAySPACE: R&R PROjECTS “Wherehoused?” San Francisco.
Space 1950 “Frenzy” NYC.
“Existential Hopscotch” Miami.
“Existential Hopscotch” Pittsburgh.
New Willmington Art Association “Flights of Fancy” Willmington DE.
Blue Island Gallery “Mothers” Chicago.
2010
On Contemporary Graffiti Panel: Columbia College of Art.
CC3 Gallery: Columbia College “Sixty Inches From Center,” Chicago.
54B Gallery “Decadent Dutchess” Chicago.
2009
Bridgette Mayer Gallery “And I Don’t Want It to be Misappropriated” Philadelphia.
“Lorem Ipsum” Chicago.
“The Illusive Meanings of Wrds” Columbus OH.
“Machete Garden” Chicago.
“Sueño Privado” Guadalajara, Mexico.
Unsmoke ArtSpace “No Longer Disturbing...” Braddock.
Chicago Underground Library: Juniper Outpost “Science of Obscurity Event.”
Pony Club Gallery “Clock Show” Portland OR.
Aferro Gallery “OMG.” Newark NJ.
2008
Tamarind Art Gallery “SAWCC” NYC.
Underground Gallery: University of Iowa “We Began There...” Iowa City.
"Proud machete" Dangriga, Belize.
"Firefly(s)" Portland, OR.
"Que Papel Juegas" D.F. Mexico.
"Que reflejas" Oaxaca, Oaxaca.
"La corrupti-on" Oaxaca, Oaxaca.
"Boats" Guanajuato, Gto.
"Lets meet here…" Brooklyn.
"Bandaged" New Orleans.
Pony Club Gallery “Alter Ego's” Portland OR.
2007
Viajo Modulo “Modulo Exhibition” Médanos Argentina.
"The great es-cape" Washington D.C.
"Boats" Medanos, Argentina.
"The great es-cape" Buenos Aires, Argentina.
UnVagonHermoso “Ballena Performance” Buratovich Argentina.
2006
Performer, Theater for the New City “Legend of Siguanaba” NYC.
Mobilivre “Mobilivre” Toronto and NYC.
Education
California College of the Arts, Social Practice MFA 2013
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, BFA, 2005