Working Title: Digital Art Curriculum – Cat Bluemke

• Image description: Illustrated vertical screen page of MS Paint interface with drawing of a computer monitor and keyboard, text reading: “(‑‑ ADD NEW ENTRY ‑‑)” at the top, and speech bubbles below coming from three drawings of one white person. They are wearing glasses and neutral clothing.
  
  Person with square glasses wearing short yellow hair drawing with pen: “h-hi there. i’m cat bluemke.”
  
  Person wearing round glasses and long yellow hair sitting with laptop on a staircase: “i’m a digital artist.”
  
  Person wearing round glasses and medium shaggy yellow hair walking through doorway: “but what IS digital art?” “its definition and history feel like a constant work in progress…”

• Image description: drawing of the same person with speech bubble:
  “in art school, i was told that ‘digital art’ began with the 1968 exhibition cybernetic serendipity, curated by Jasia Reichardt for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.”

• Image description: drawing of the same person with speech bubble:
  “but I knew nothing about that when i started working with digital media. my digital art practice began when I started using computers creatively… specifically, to create FAN COMICS.”

• Image description: drawing of the person working at a computer and the number 2008 on the left and the same person on the right with text between them reading:
  “at this time, ‘art’ to me was comics. my understanding of digital art encompassed whatever comic content I could find online.”
  
  “Generally, this content was fan art uploaded by other kids and young artists.”

• Image description: drawing of person looking closely at the side of a computer with text reading:
  “in 2008 i found a website called tegaki e.”
  
  “it was a forum where all entries were handwritten, via a flash-based embedded input system.”

• Image Description: drawing of browser windows with text reading:
  “adapted from a japanese original, the english site was popular for roleplaying. multiple users would draw sequential comments to create a collaborative comic, building elaborate narratives through the interactions of ther Ocs*.”
  *original character

• Image description: drawing of toolbar with text:
  “it had harsh limitations compared to other digital tools. It was a networked ms paint with fewer functions.”
  
  “a handfull of colours and brush sizes, no layers, no fill, no opacity options. Most of all, no editing!

• Image description: drawings of comic panels reading:
  “i’m felix! i’m a wizard!” “hi felix, i’m gwenwym. i’m a druid. What’s up?
  
  Alongside the panels, text reads:
  “instead of labouring over one precious image, it emphasized collaborative iteration.”
  
  “this was totally new concept to me and i became a HUGE FAN!”

• Image description: 6 symbols surrounding a block of text reading:
  “these collaborations were organized by group tags.”
  
  “groups were usually based off of existing fandoms, with each group organized by its own rules, use of the canon, and moderators who kept it in order.”

• Image description: drawing of the person with short hair holding a stylus in front of a computer, with text:
  “that year, i started a RP* group based on a niche (but beloved) magicalgirlanime.”
  
  “it was a small membership, but it was one of the most active groups on the site. *roleplay”

• Image description: text boxes surrounding the person drawn from behind. Large text:
  “moderating the group was my first major collaborative art project.”
  
  In speech bubbles: “PineappleLvvr commented…” “Stormy42 is online.” “BirdGal posted a new entry!”
  
  “SpaceKat posted…” “x_sugar wants to join. Open group applications?” “Kiwi42 commented…”

• Image description: drawing of the person with frustrated expression. Text reads:
  “while i’d been creating fan comics since i was 11*across various platforms, playing the role of artist-moderator included a learning curve. *that’s 3 years experience!”
  
  Speech bubble: “oh no, look at these new applicants! We’ve strayed so far from canonical naming conventions!”

• Image description: drawing of the person with text boxes and speech bubble from the person, reading:
  “mod announcement: all members, old & new, plz change your OCs name &colour scheme. new rules! K thnx bye.”
  
  “navigating power dynamics, active listening, and mediating conflict were all new skills to learn. this is a totally reasonable ask.”

•  Image description: drawing of the person with speech bubble text:
  “… wait, did i make people upset?”
  
  “Tegaki e. Taught my young, introverted self how to perform alongside other people.”

•  Image description: drawing of the person with pensive expression. A speech bubble above their head reads: “it might be time for some co-mods…”
  
  “Text reading, this community only communicated pseudonymously through our OOC* asides, in-character Rps or through MSN messenger threads. but it was my first digital art community! *out of character”

• Image description: text surrounding a drawing of the person in yellow silhouette with her name, cat and age, 15 y/o written. Large text reads:
  “it was not just our artistic identities being formed. Through roleplay, we explored life through different frames—different genders and sexualities, different ages and social roles.”
  
  “Kurimi shiromori, 16, street fashion model”
  “penelope mackenzie, 31, zombie car mechanic”
  “appelle fritter, 16, anthropomorphized donut”
  “russel fergusson, 35, middle school science teacher”
  “corey koyama, 14, army brat”
  “miles shrouter, 16, hippie in juvie”
  “kingsley langston, 18, dishwasher”
  “beau, 2, red panda”
  “michelle manson, 32, romulan security guard”
  “scott merrick, 19, camp counsellor”
  “sable stills, 26, pokemon bassist on a break”
  “tabetha potts, 11, first year wizard”
  “pike newton, 28, advertising intern”

• Image description: drawing of the person with long hair from behind, looking up at a building with text reading:
  “when i started art school, i assumed everyone else was also a fervent fan comic maker.”

• Image description: drawing of the person with sweat on their brow, pulling pages out of a book labelled OCAD SKETCH BOOK
  “this thought was based on the school’s exclusionary policy towards cartoons, anime and manga in the appliction portfolio.”
  
  “i was told by a prof that even ‘stylized’ doodles in your sketch book margins could lead to rejection.”

• Image description: yellow panel with text:
  “OOC*: this is, of course, totally problematic. I recall this policy changed while i was still in school.”
  *out of character

• Image description: drawing of the person sitting at an artist’s easel among other others with text:
  “i discovered that while many students did like comics, their priority was mainly completing the work towards our painting degrees”

• Image description: sketch of group of diverse people in silhouette with text above:
  “i loved being immersed within an irl arts community.”
  
  “and the group critique model was really useful!”

• Image description: drawing of the narrator at an easel looking at the clock and the text:
  “but i definitely struggled with the duration required for traditional media.”
  
  “my adhd heped me track concerrent roleplay threads at 3 am, but couldn’t sit an afternoon with a drying canvas”

• Image description: drawing of the narrator looking worried beside another person sitting at a table with text:
  “on the first day of my prerequisite new media arts class, i was so intimidated by the hardware.”
  
  “i asked if i could hand in low tech assignments instead.”

• Image description: drawing of the narrator listening to a different person speaking:
  “to provide broader context of what was possible in the new media field,”
  
  “the professor showed me the work of practicing artists.”

• Image description: Text surrounding the narrator reads:
  “AND I WAS A FAN!”
  List of names fill the image:
  Jen Chan
  Jeremy Bailey
  Jodi Skawennati
  Laturbo Avedon
  Lauren Lee McCarthy
  Lorna Mills
  Hito Steyerl
  Cao Fei
  Ian Cheng
  Cory Arcangel
  Moreshin Allahyari
  Eva & Franco Mattes
  Faith Holland
  Sondra Perry
  Lizzie Fitch &
  Ryan Trecartin

• Image description: black text on white background:
  “it was weird, it was funny. It could be scrappy, it could be slick and polished. At its center it questioned the technologies i’d built my identity through, and was a tool for understanding both them and myself at a deeper level.”

• Image description: drawing of the narrator basking in computer light against dark room with crescent moon out the window. Text reading:
  “the artists were smart, funny, serious, and silly. And most of all they were alive! I could find their projects online, then scroll through their social media all night.”

• Image description: drawing of sunrise shining in the window and narrator still plastered to computer with text above:
  “digital art was my new fandom.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator in group with text above:
  “and before long, i’d found a fan community.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator in larger group with text over top:
  “together we combined digital art and roleplay to make collaborative, interactive performance work.”

• Image description: drawing of larger group with narrator:
  “making art as a tough guy mountain felt fun and familiar.”
  
  “we all had OCs that we were RP-ing, remixing narratives in our AU* of digital art. *alternate universe”

• Image description: drawing of person with long hair frustrated expression and text reading:
  “thankfully, this time i was not the only group mod”
  
  speech bubble reads: “oh no, look at the inconsistencies in the colour palette!”

• Image description: drawing of narrator working at a laptop with speech bubble reading:
  “i’m going to delete everything and start over.”
  
  speech bubble from hand reaching to lift up the computer reads: “stop”
  
  speech bubble over the narrator’s head reads: “this is a totally reasonable workflow.”
  
  “but i still had many opportunities to work on those group project skills.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator looking at laptop with pained expression beside text:
  “around this time, i saw that tegaki e website had been shut down.”
  
  “It was 2015, and HTML5 was overtaking many flash-based websites.”

• Image description: plain yellow background with text:
  “this was my first major encounter with the pitfalls of proprietary technology, and the consequences of planned obsolescence.”
  
  “a space that had been my whole world as a teen was now gone, and access to the community vanished.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator at a desk looking behind at a pile of materials and text:
  “at this point it would have been sensible to consider the archival potential of any aspects of my intermedia practice.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator surrounded by technologies, with text superimposed:
  “but there were so many new things to explore!”
  
  “VR headsets were becoming available to consumers, and AR became a huge popular phenomenon!”

• Image description: yellow background with text:
  “OOC: there were so many mixed reality tools/platforms released at this time. learning new approaches came at the risk that your work could disappear with a corporate acquisition or the next software update. there are a few projects of mine that have bit the dust this way!”

• Image description: drawing of the narrator wearing a toque working on a laptop with text:
  “from 2016 to 2018, i was in grad school, completing an MFA in design for emerging technologies.
  despite my degree name, there weren’t any mixed reality courses or the like.”
  
  “these were things i had to learn through my own hardware and with the help of my collaborators, (and youtube).”
  
  yellow text with arrow pointing to the narrator reads: “on the computer, now in chicago!”

• Image description: yellow background with text:
  “OOC: on institutional timelines, its challenging to keep pace with consumer technologies. knowing when and where to invest time, knowledge, and hardware in the face of constant turnover. i did enjoy taking eduardo kac’s the philosophy of technology course, which helped give context to the tools i was using.”

• Image description: narrator wearing a tuque and covered in a blanket while  working on a laptop beside a steaming mug. Text overhead reads:
  “in 2018, during my long post-grad school burnout phase, i discovered a miracle!”
  
  Yellow text with arrow pointing to narrator reads: “on the computer, now in rural nova scotia!”

• Image description: narrator in same tuque and blanket, holding a cell phone, with text reading:
  “tegaki e had been rebuilt in HTML5! With its return, my treasured roleplay group had been revived by its original members and now had new artists joining, too!”
  
  Speech bubble reads: “wow, it works on mobile, too!”

• Image description: yellow background with text reads:
  “having spent the last few years working within the changing tides of XR technology, i was awed by the resilience of the tegaki e platform and its roleplay community.”
  
  “i realized that amidst the massive corporatization of digital spaces, a dedicated fan base will continue to adapt tools to their needs.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator with medium length hair, speech bubble reads:
  “reflecting on the challenges we face as a digital art community, i think there are ways in which we can learn from the ‘fans.’”

• Image description: drawing of narrator with speech bubble:
  “a fan’s desire to archive, to shar, and to develop community are valuable assets for digital art media. their strategies for absorbing corporate copyright into common resources for creation have already shaped how the internet has evolved in the past twenty-five years.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator with speech bubble reading:
  “throughout my life, digital media tools and platforms have become increasingly proprietary, black-boxed, and surveilled.”

• Image description: drawing of narrator with starry eyes, speech bubbles reading:
  “i want to see an inclusive digital art fandom. One that learns and leans upon each other for resources and opportunities, and to build and preserve its history.”
  
  “an open-source fandom where new artists can explore and thrive!”

• Image description: drawing of narrator waving with speech bubbles reading:
  “a space where “fan” means more than holding an interest.”
  
  “a work-in-progress where “fan” is a way of understanding how media shapes a community.”

Transcript generated by Chelsea Boos.