Digitial aritist Nettrice Gaskins, whose works explores “techno-vernacular creativity” and Afrofuturism, will be the fall 2023 guest for the Alberini Family Speaker Series in Design at UC Davis. Her talk is titled “Theory, Content & Style in the AI Revolution.” 

How can Artificial Intelligence (AI), algorithms and machine learning be used ethically and productively to create compelling original art and graphics? Dr. Nettrice Gaskins explains her methods, motivations, and cultural critiques through her art centering African Americans, Afrofuturism, and STEAM education for historically marginalized communities.

The presentation will be Nov. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The event is free. 

Gaskins (Ph.D., digital media, Georgia Tech University, ‘14) is a leading African American digital artist well-known for her use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), algorithms, and machine learning in making graphic imagery. She is assistant director of the Lesley University STEAM Learning Lab in Boston, Massachusetts, and author of Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation (MIT Press 2021), which offers a novel approach to STEAM learning that engages students from historically marginalized communities in culturally relevant and inclusive maker education.

The speaker series, supported through an endowment by the Carlos and Andrea Alberini Family Foundation, brings renowned innovators and thinkers in design to campus and in virtual formats to inspire students and encourage community engagement and learning.

Organized by the UC Davis Department of Design. Co-sponsored by the Manetti Shrem Museum.

The Department of Design is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.