Bio

Gail Wight holds an MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute where she was a Javits Fellow, and a BFA from the Studio for Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art. She has an extensive international exhibition record, with over a dozen solo exhibits throughout North America and Great Britain, and her work has been collected by numerous institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Among her many artist residencies are western Australia’s Symbiotica, Art & Archaeology at Stonehenge, the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, and San Francisco’s Exploratorium. Her work is represented by Patricia Sweetow Gallery in San Francisco.

Academic Appointments

  • Emeritus (Active) Professor, Art & Art History

Administrative Appointments

  • Fellowship Award, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA (2012 - 2012)
  • Visual Arts Fellowship, Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA (2011 - 2011)
  • Art & Archaeology Artist-in-Residence, Stonehenge, Salisbury, UK (2009 - 2009)
  • Imprint Artist-in-Residence, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA (2009 - 2009)
  • Visiting Professor, Art Department, Kingston University (2009 - 2009)
  • SymbioticA Artist-in-Residence, School of Anatomy & Human Biology, Univ. of Western Australia (2008 - 2008)
  • Associate Professor, Department of Art & Art History, Stanford University (2006 - Present)
  • Analog/Digital Interface Workshop, Aesthetic Technologies Lab, Ohio University (2006 - 2006)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study & Conference Center, Como, Italy (2004 - 2004)
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Art History, Stanford University (2003 - 2006)
  • Project Space Residency, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA (2003 - 2003)
  • Art & Technology Artist-in-Residence, Center/Albuquerque High Performance Computing Center, Albuquerque, NM (2002 - 2002)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Oxbow School Napa, CA (2002 - 2002)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA (2001 - 2001)
  • Assistant Professor, Director & co-founder, Intermedia Arts, Art Department, Mills College (1997 - 2003)
  • Assistant Professor, Film & New Media, California College of Arts (1997 - 1999)
  • Artist-in-Residence, “Turbulent Landscapes”, Exploratorium , San Francisco, CA (1996 - 1996)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Headlands Center, Sausalito, CA (1995 - 1996)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Capp Street Project, San Francisco, CA (1995 - 1995)
  • Artist-in-Residence, “Genetics”, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA (1995 - 1995)
  • Visiting Lecturer, Center for Digital Media, San Francisco Art Institute (1993 - 1997)
  • Performance Program Assistant, Exploratorium (1993 - 1994)
  • Graduate Instructor, New Genres Core Program, San Francisco Art Institute (1992 - 1993)
  • Jacob K. Javits Fellow, U.S. Department of Education (1991 - 1994)
  • Research Assistant, Design Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1988 - 1991)

Honors & Awards

  • Hoagland Award for Innovations in Teaching, Stanford University (2008)
  • “Restless Dust” Iris F. Litt Award, Clayman Institute, Stanford University (2007)
  • Alpert Award in the Arts New Media Art Nominee, Herb Alpert Foundation (2006)
  • Rockefeller New Media Art Award Nominee, Rockerfeller Foundation (2005)
  • Rockefeller Film & Video Award Nominee, Rockerfeller Foundation (2004)
  • Rockefeller New Media Art Award Nominee, Rockerfeller Foundation (2004)
  • Wired Magazine Rave Award Nominee for Art, Wired Magazine Rave (2004)
  • Adaline Kent Award, San Francisco Art Institute (2003)
  • Anonymous Was A Woman Award, Anonymous Was A Woman Foundation (2002)
  • Wallace Gerbode Visual Arts Award, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation (2001)
  • Invitation to the Nobel Awards ceremonies, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden (1998)
  • Graduate Studio Award, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA (1994-1995)
  • Chauncey McKeever Fine Art Award, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA (1994)
  • Mixed Media Award, 9th Annual National Exhibition, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA (1993)
  • Best of Show, 10th SFAI Artists' Book Contest, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA (1992)
  • Albert Munsell Award, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA (1987)
  • Massachusetts College of Art Recognition Award, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA (1987)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Director of Experimental Media Arts Dept. of Art & Art History, Stanford University
  • Chair, Gallery Committee, Dept. of Art & Art History, Stanford University
  • Member, Search Committee, New Genres Design, Dept. of Art & Art History, Stanford University
  • Member, External Masters Thesis Examination Committee, Symbiotica, University of Western Australia
  • Member, External PhD Thesis Examination Committee, Media Lab, MIT
  • Member, Board of Directors, Bay Area Art and Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions (BAASICS)

Program Affiliations

  • Modern Thought and Literature

Professional Education

  • M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute, New Genres (1994)
  • B.F.A., Massachusetts College of Art, Studio for Interrelated Media (1988)

Contact

  • Academic
    gailw@stanford.edu
    University - Faculty Department: Art & Art History Position: Professor Emeritus
    University - Emeritus faculty Department: Law School Position: Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 2018

Links

2024-25 Courses

All Publications

  • Natural Discourse: Artists, Architects, Scientists & Poets in the Garden Watts, S. A., Wight, G. 2013
  • Do Not Destroy Benstein, J., Wight, G. Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA. 2012
  • Art & Science Now Wilson, S., Wight, G. Thames & Hudson, London, UK. 2010
  • Restless Dust Wight, G. Imprint, San Francisco Center for the Book, CA. 2009
  • Restless Dust Wight, G. Imprint, San Francisco Center for the Book, CA. 2009
  • Restless Dust Wight, G. Imprint, San Francisco Center for the Book, CA. 2009
  • Art in the Age of Technoscience Reichle, I., Wight, G. Springer-Verlag/Wien, New York, NY. 2009
  • Intertidal Zone Gonalu, B., Wight, G. Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2009
  • Manufractured Holt, S., Skow, M., Wight, G. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. 2008
  • Evocative Objects : Things We Think With Wight, G. edited by Turkle, S. MIT Press, Boston, MA. 2007
  • The Art & Artifice of Science Addison, L., Khan, A., Wight, G. Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM. 2007
  • Networked Nature Olson, M., Wight, G. Rhizome, New York, NY. 2007
  • The Unhomely: Phantom Scenes in a Global Society Enwezor, O., Wight, G. BIACS, Seville. 2006
  • Kunst aus dem Labor. Zum Verltnis von Kunst und Wissenschaft im Zeitalter der Technoscience Reichle, I., Wight, G. Springer Verlag Wien, New York. 2004
  • YOUgenics Griffis, R., Wight, G. Betty Rymer Gallery, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. 2004
  • Kunst nach der Wissenschaft Witzgall, S., Wight, G. Verlag fur moderne Kunst Nurnberg, Germany. 2003
  • The Evolution of Disarticulation Tanner, M., Wight, G. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco. 2003
  • Art Tomorrow Lucie-Smith, E., Wight, G. Vilo Publishing, France. 2002
  • Art and Complexity: at the Interface Wight, G. edited by Casti, J., Karlqvist, A. Elsevier Science Press, Amsterdam. 2002
  • Paradise Now: Picturing the Genetic Revolution Heiferman, M., Kismaric, C., Wight, G. Distributed Art Pub., New York. 2001
  • Lifelike Tanner, M., Wight, G. New Langton Arts, San Francisco. 2001
  • Information Arts Wilson, S., Wight, G. MIT Press, Boston, MA. 2001
  • Thought Sweat Projects for Water Wight, G. edited by Purve, T. Contributions to Knowledge. 2000
  • Neural Notations Wight, G. Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery. UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. 2000
  • Spike Wight, G. O.K. Centrum für Gegenwartskunst. 1999
  • Electricity Arcs Both Ways From Heaven Wight, G. edited by Osborn, E. Artspace Australia. 1999
  • Genesis Kac, E., Wight, G. K. Centrum für Gegenwartskunst. 1999
  • Creative Nonfiction 13: the Brain: a Non-Fiction Mystery Wight, G. edited by Gutkind, L. Creative Non-fiction Foundation, Pittsburgh. 1999
  • LifeScience Wight, G. edited by Stocker, G., Schopf, C. Ars Electronica Center, Linz. 1999
  • Bay Area Now Wight, G. Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco. 1997
  • Consciousness Reframed: art and consciousness in the post-biological era Wight, G. edited by Ascott, R. Univ. of Wales College, Newport. 1997
  • Access Wight, G. edited by Blockstein, M. Southern Exposure. San Francisco. 1995
  • Veered Science Wight, G. edited by Knode, M. Huntington Beach Art Center. Huntington Beach. 1995