Artist Statement/Bio
Tiff Graham (TiGra) is a visual artist/ethnographer/cultural specialist/eLearning developer/writer. She creates artwork combining painting, photography, digital illustration, mixed media, electronics, virtual reality, and videography. And she writes eclectic and highly researched essays because doctoral degrees do that to a person. Her interests are varied from parades to protests marches, science fiction, technology, environment, foodways, futures thinking, and other things related to being human on earth and in space.
Visual Artwork
Inspiration for Graham's visual artwork is often drawn from some alternate reality, based on real life experiences and field research of festive events/foodways/folk beliefs/material culture/technology/society. She is often intrigued by artists with narrative visuals such as Frank Romero and Chris Roberts-Antieu; a curious humorous interpretation of a world as with album covers from Parliament Funkadelic, Beastie Boys, and Scientist (dub); and an experimental approach as with 3d blow-your-mind video art installations of Marco Brambilla. Traditional folk art aesthetics and wallpaper are influential in shaping her work and ideas too, almost as much as cultural anthropology and science fiction/speculative fiction. Of course, there is always a daily source of inspiration drawn from newspapers, online material, tv /streaming shows, movies, books, people, and dogwalks. If there were a dream for her writing style, it would to be more Chuck Klosterman-y.
Work History
Currently, Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California teaching courses that emphasize ethnographic fieldwork, anthropology, cultural critique, foodways, food systems, climate change, art propaganda, science fiction, and technology. Graham has worked a variety of jobs from University of California Los Angeles teaching fellow to instructional developer, SEO tech writer, industrial hygienist / investigator / inspector (U.S. Department of Labor), risk assessment intern (BP oil), environmental health intern (engineering firm), grape farm laborer (France), reader for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, video editor/website designer, comedy club waitress, tennis instructor, camp counselor, t-shirt seller/nanny for a cool Bluegrass band, and so on.
Education
Tiff Graham (TiGra) is a visual artist/ethnographer/cultural specialist/eLearning developer/writer. She creates artwork combining painting, photography, digital illustration, mixed media, electronics, virtual reality, and videography. And she writes eclectic and highly researched essays because doctoral degrees do that to a person. Her interests are varied from parades to protests marches, science fiction, technology, environment, foodways, futures thinking, and other things related to being human on earth and in space.
Visual Artwork
Inspiration for Graham's visual artwork is often drawn from some alternate reality, based on real life experiences and field research of festive events/foodways/folk beliefs/material culture/technology/society. She is often intrigued by artists with narrative visuals such as Frank Romero and Chris Roberts-Antieu; a curious humorous interpretation of a world as with album covers from Parliament Funkadelic, Beastie Boys, and Scientist (dub); and an experimental approach as with 3d blow-your-mind video art installations of Marco Brambilla. Traditional folk art aesthetics and wallpaper are influential in shaping her work and ideas too, almost as much as cultural anthropology and science fiction/speculative fiction. Of course, there is always a daily source of inspiration drawn from newspapers, online material, tv /streaming shows, movies, books, people, and dogwalks. If there were a dream for her writing style, it would to be more Chuck Klosterman-y.
Work History
Currently, Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California teaching courses that emphasize ethnographic fieldwork, anthropology, cultural critique, foodways, food systems, climate change, art propaganda, science fiction, and technology. Graham has worked a variety of jobs from University of California Los Angeles teaching fellow to instructional developer, SEO tech writer, industrial hygienist / investigator / inspector (U.S. Department of Labor), risk assessment intern (BP oil), environmental health intern (engineering firm), grape farm laborer (France), reader for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, video editor/website designer, comedy club waitress, tennis instructor, camp counselor, t-shirt seller/nanny for a cool Bluegrass band, and so on.
Education
- University of California Los Angeles (Ph.D. Culture with Cultural Studies/Ethnographic approach)
- Medical College of Ohio/University of Toledo (M.S. Occupational Health, Environmental Health work)
- University of Missouri Columbia (B.A. English, Science emphasis)
- Indiana University Bloomington (1 year, Chemistry major)
- UCLA (1 and 1/2 years, Public Health graduate program, Community Health Sciences, then transferred departments)
Go Forward
Website link: tiffgraham.com
