Sarah W. Newman is Director of Art & Education at metaLAB at Harvard, and Co-Founder of the Data Nutrition Project. Working at the intersection of research and art, her work explores the interrelations of complex systems and technology’s role in human experience. In addition to her art practice, she is also a facilitator and educator, and leads workshops with her methodology to use creative materials to address interdisciplinary research problems. Newman holds a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Imaging Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has exhibited work in New York, San Francisco, Berlin, and London, and has held artist residencies in Germany, Sweden, and Italy. Newman is a 2017 AI Grant Fellow, a 2018 and 2020 Harvard Assembly Fellow, a 2019 Rockefeller AI Resident, the 2020-21 artist-in-residence at Northeastern University’s Center for Law, Innovation, and Creativity, and a 2021-22 grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts. Her current work explores various dimensions of complex technological, ecological, and social systems, and uses interactive art as a means of critique and public engagement. 

CV 

EDUCATION

MFA, Imaging Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology
BA, Philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis

TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2020-2022 Guest teaching in Harvard graduate and undergraduate courses
2020-present  Director of Art & Education, Principal, metaLAB at Harvard
2018-present Co-founder, & Research Lead, The Data Nutrition Project
2018-2020 Senior Researcher and Principal, metaLAB at Harvard
2016-2018 Creative Researcher and Principal, metaLAB at Harvard
2016-2021 Fellow, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University
2018 MIT Media Lab - Berkman Klein Center, Ethics & Governance of AI Assembly Fellow
2017 Robots In & Out of Buildings, teaching staff, Harvard Graduate School of Design
2017-2018 Art + AI workshop series (Harvard, MIT)
2017 Knowledge Design Seminar, teaching staff, Harvard Graduate School of Design
2017 "Sounds of Lesvos" Instructor, with Office of Displaced Designers, Mytilene, Grece
2015-2016 Artist-in-Residence, metaLAB at Harvard
2016 - Harvard Wintersession Course Instructor, “Appropriate Memories: Photography Remix Studio,” Cambridge, MA
2015-2016 Research Affiliate, Berkman Center or Internet and Society, Harvard University
2013–2015 Studio Manager, Jim Goldberg Studio, San Francisco, CA
2013–2015 metaLAB Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
2012–2013 Visiting Artist, Department of Urban Studies, Malmö University, Sweden
2012 Photography Instructor, Introduction to Digital Photography, Rochester Inst. of Technology
2010-2011 Gallery Manager, SPAS Gallery: School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, RIT, NY
2007-2009 Photo Instructor, Black and White & Color Printing; ASUC Art Studio, UC Berkeley
2007 Custom black and white printer; Berlin, Germany


SELECTED ONE- AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 The Future of Secrets, Munich, Germany
2020 Moral Labyrinth 2020, in collaboration with designer Jenny Fan. Supported by Northeastern University School of Law, Virtual
2019 The Future of Secrets, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
The Myth of Agency, Monash University Center Prato, Italy
Moral Labyrinth at WeRobot (with Jessica Fjeld), University of Miami, FL
2018 "The Future of Secrets," with Jessica Yurkofsky and Rachel Kalmar, South by Southwest, Austin
2017 "Nobody's Listening", with Rachel Kalmar, Harvard Art Museums Lightbox Gallery
2016 “Your Story Has Touched My Heart,” with Matthew Battles, video installation, Lightbox Gallery, Harvard Art Museums
2015 “Homage to a Future Self,” Indiana Wesleyan Art Gallery, Marion, Indiana
2015 “Feral Trees,” Lightbox Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA
2013 “På Våg: Through the City,” University Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY
2013 “Passing Place” pop-up show, Motel 6, North Platte, NE
2013 “Long the Path,” Galleri Breadfield, Malmö, Sweden
2012 “Between Lines” Installation, Sunken Gallery, Wallace Library, RIT, NY
2011 “Through Place,” MFA Thesis Exhibition, SPAS Gallery, Rochester, NY
2011 “Between Rivers: Sarah Newman and Virginia Pfau,” Innovation Gallery, RIT, NY
2007 “Grounds for Play,” Glogauer Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2007 “PLAY,” in collaboration with Anna Elise Johnson, Glogauer Studios, Berlin, Germany
2005 “Sarah Newman Photography,” The 200 Building, Miami, FL
2005 “How the Egg Split” Installation, Maryland Institute College of Art, J. Bank Building


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 “All the Things I Know and Don’t Know” in Living by Protocol, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA
2019 The Myth of Agency, Monash University in Prato, Italy & Mozfest, London, UK
2018 Moral Labyrinth, Mozfest, Ravensbourne University, London
2018 The Future of Secrets, Digital Cultures Conference, Warsaw, Poland
2018 Moral Labyrinth, Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria
2018 Moral Labyrinth in Machine Experience II, Rainbow Unicorn, Berlin
2017 Secrets (my inner voice is a robot), Hacking Arts, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge
2017 Nobody's Listening, Harvard Art Museums, and Selfie ESC Rome
2017 Republica Berlin, The Future of Secrets installation
2017 Republica Berlin, IF BY WATER video installation
2016 "TRUST (the presence of secrets)," Museum of Fine Arts Boston, mfaNOW Overnight Series, with Jessica Yurkofsky
2016 “Not to Be Played,” Sert Gallery, Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University
2015 “A Bit in the Abyss,” Installation, Iluminus Arts Festival, Boston, MA
2015 “Long the Path,” Video Installation, Form and Design Center, Malmö, Sweden and University Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology
2014 “På Våg: Through the City,” Malmö University Symposium, Malmö, Sweden
2014 “Home,” Gray Loft Gallery, Oakland, CA
2014 “Infringing the Law,” Glitch Gallery, Boston, MA
2014 “Framework,” Faultline Art Space, Oakland, California
2012 “Biotic Semiotics,” Allen Priebe Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, WI
2012 “Gallery r Benefit Auction,” Dyer Center of the Arts, Rochester, NY
2011 “ImageArt,” Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY
2010 “Porch,” Hungerford Gallery, Rochester, NY
2009 “SF Camerawork Annual Benefit Auction,” San Francisco, CA
2009 “Converge,” SPAS Gallery, Rochester, NY
2008 “12,5” Kunstverien Ingan Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2008 “Childhood Utopia/Dystopia," GFL Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 “Chicks, Flicks, and Automobiles,” Industrielle Gallery, Oakland, CA
2006 “ArtFutura 2006 Exhibition,” American Medical Association, Chicago, IL
2006 “Twenty-Three Resolutions,” MICA Fox 3 Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2000 “The Scholastic Art Awards National Exhibition,” The Corcoran Gallery of Art,
Washington, DC; The Corning Gallery at Steuben, NY; Miami Art Museum, FL


GRANTS, AWARDS, & RESIDENCIES
2016-2018 Fellow, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University
2018 Somerville Arts Council Grant
2018 BKC ML Assembly Cohort
2017 AI Grant Fellow
2015-2016 Artist-in-Residence, metaLAB at Harvard
2013-2015 Fellow, metaLAB at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2012 Swedish Institute Grant: Visiting Artist at Malmö University, Sweden
2012 Interactive Learning Grant, Office of Student Affairs, Rochester Institute of Technology
2011 Graduate Research & Creativity Grant, Rochester Institute of Technology
2011 Visiting Artist, School of Making-Thinking Residency; Delancy, New York
2010 MFA Excellence Award, Rochester Institute of Technology
2007 Artist-in-Residence, Glogauer Studios, Berlin, Germany
2005 Photographer’s Forum: Best of Photography, Honorable Mention


PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS & ARTIST LECTURES

2018 "Understanding Ourselves and AI through Art" Digital Cultures Conference, Warsaw, Poland
2018 "AI + Art", Symposium on the Future of Work and Society, North Shore Country Day School, Illinois
2018 AI + Art HIIG, Berlin
2018 SXSW AI + Art Panel
2018 SXSW Artist Panel
2017 MIT Open Documentary Lab
2017 Artist talk, Roma Tre Univ
2017 Univ of the Agean
2017 Frei Univ Berlin
2017 Potsdam University
2016 Digital Humanities Panel Speaker, Office of Scholarly Communication, Harvard University
2016 “Your Story Has Touched My Heart,” film screening, talk and roundtable (with Matthew Battles, Kate Palmer Albers, Barbara Norfleet, and Jeffrey Schnapp), Menschel Hall, Harvard Art Museums
2016 “Your Story Has Touched My Heart,” Artist Talks (with Matthew Battles), Lightbox Gallery, Harvard Art Museums
2016 “The Future of Secrets” Workshop, (with Marshall Lambert), as part of the Digital Problem Solving Initiative, Berkman Center for Internet and Society
2015 Artist Talk, Indiana Wesleyan University
2015 Artist Talk, House of Blues, Illuminus Arts Festival, Boston, MA
2014 Digitally Connected Symposium: MAKE workshops, Harvard University, MA
2014 Media, Art, and Knowledge Engaged: Digitally Connected Mapping Danger youth workshop, Cambridge, MA
2013 Artist Talk, RIT-Malmö Univ. Symposium, “På väg,” University Gallery, NY
2013 Artist Talk, “Long the Path,” Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
2012 Faculty Research Seminar: “Long the Path.” Dept. of Urban Studies, Malmö, Sweden
2012 Artist Talk, Galleri Breadfield, Malmö, Sweden
2012 Artist Talk, Department of Art, Culture, & Communication, Malmö University, Sweden
2012 Presenter, “Through Place: Ecology & Culture,” Popular Culture Assoc. Conference, Boston, MA
2012 Artist Talk, Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Youngstown State University, Ohio
2011 “Through Place,” MFA Public Thesis Defense, SPAS Gallery, Rochester, NY
2011 “Ceci n’est pas une nature” presentation, Int’l Assoc. for Philosophy of Sport, NY
2011 Artist talk and Panel, “Between Rivers,” Innovation Gallery, RIT, NY
2010 Presenter, “Recreation: A Photographic Exploration of Land Use for Leisure,” School of Visual Arts Annual Conference, New York, NY


PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
2018 Dwutygodnik Magazine, interview
2018 documnt (publication)
2018 Dataset Nutrition Label project (publication)
2018 Engadget, The Future of Secrets at SXSW (press)
2017 Tree Object Lessons series, by Matthew Battles; photography by Sarah Newman. Bloomsbury. (publication)
2016 “At metaLAB, curiosity meets whimsy,” Harvard Gazette, June 3, 2016 (press)
2016 After Belonging, a publication of the Oslo Triennial; with Jeffrey Schnapp, photography by Sarah Newman (publication)
2015 La Vuelta al Mundo en 80 Bicicletas, (book) featured artist, 2015
2014 Contributing Artist, Articulate publication #2: LOVE
2014 Contributor, “Digitally Connected” ebook, “Mapping Danger, Making Connections”
2012 Featured Artist, Landscape Stories 7: Trees
2012 Little Brown Mushroom Blog, work featured
2011 Featured Artist, DRAFT IX, Rochester Institute of Technology
2005 & 2006 Photographer’s Forum: Best of Photography, featured artist
2000 The Miami Herald: Artist Profile