RYAT YEZBICK | CURRICULUM VITAE

Los Angeles, CA
ryatyezbick.com | ryat.yezbick@gmail.com | 313-910-3729

EDUCATION

MFA, Art — California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), 2016
MA, Cultural Anthropology — Michigan State University, 2009
BA, Interdisciplinary Studies (International Development & Anthropology) — Michigan State University, 2007

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

Faculty, Narrative and Emerging Media (MA Graduate Program)
Arizona State University, Sidney Poitier New American Film School (Los Angeles)
2023–Present

Graduate instruction in immersive media, AI ethics, documentary practice, and portfolio development
Curriculum development integrating AI humanities research and experimental documentary
Program leadership, grant writing, and public-facing research initiatives

Adjunct / Lecturer (previous appointments)

Washtenaw Community College — Art History / Cultural Studies
Henry Ford Community College — Anthropology
Oakwood School (Los Angeles) — Media Arts

RECENT RESEARCH & CREATIVE PRACTICE

The Innocence of Unknowing (2020–present) - script
Feature-length AI-assisted essay film, multi-channel installation, and live performance
Premiered Tribeca Immersive, 2025

AI humanities research project analyzing U.S. mass-shooting news archives (1960s–present)
Employs bespoke AI model trained on abolitionist, feminist, disability, and cultural theory
Examines surveillance, media spectatorship, and choreographies of retreat
Supported by: MIT Open Documentary Lab (Fellow), Onassis ONX Studio (Fellow), Headlands Center for the Arts, MacArthur Foundation, Arizona State University

(Upcoming) Choreographies of Retreat (2027) - deck

This project is funded by the Doris Duke and Mozilla Foundations
Employs AI detection for a live ensemble and multi-media performance
Builds off of research conducted for The Innocence of Unknowing

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Choreographies of Retreat — Reisig and Taylor Contemporary, Los Angeles, 2026

Empirical Reality — NGallery, Athens, 2021

It’s Tricky — SEVENTH Gallery, Melbourne, 2019

Cover Me — Garden, Los Angeles, 2018

Potentially Dangerous Contraptions — Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, 2018

Scroll — The Reef, Los Angeles, 2018

This Parasitic Plant is a True Serial Killer — CalArts, Los Angeles, 2016

Familiar Discipline — CalArts, Los Angeles, 2015

May Our Civilities Never Be Too Civil — 312 W. Princess St., Glasgow, 2013

Death in Three Chapter — Studio 41, Glasgow, 2013

Tenuously Submerged — New City Space, Glasgow, 2012

SELECT JURIED EXHIBITIONS / PERFORMANCES

(Upcoming) The Innocence of Unknowing — Performance Art Museum, curated by Anuradha Vikram, Los Angeles, 2026

The Innocence of Unknowing — Ars Electronica, curated by Daniela Duca, Linz, Austria, 2026

The Innocence of Unknowing — New Images, curated by Michelle Ziegler, Paris, France, 2026

The Innocence of Unknowing — Tribeca Immersive Film Festival, In Search of Us, curated by Jazia Hammoudi and Casey Baltes, New York, NY, 2025

grip —Human Resources, other others | rehearsals in the skin curated by Nina Sarnelle and Selwa Sweiden, Los Angeles, CA, 2025

grip— The Lab, MIMESIS Magazine Volume 2 launch, San Francisco, CA, 2025

Potentially Dangerous Contraptions —2220 Arts, Communicator Series, curated by Emji Saint Spero, Los Angeles, CA, 2024

Collision Practice — A Place to Stay, curated by Pau S. Pescador, LGBT Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2023

Collision Practice — Human Resources, curated by John Birtle, Los Angeles, CA, 2023

growth lies, pack of truth — ReflectSpace Glendale Public Library, Tactics of Erasure, curated by Prima Sakuntabhai, Anahid and Ara Oshagan, Los Angeles, CA, 2023

growth lies, pack of truth — Craft Contemporary Museum, Tactics of Erasure, juried exhibition by Prima Sakuntabhai and Holly Jerger, Los Angeles, CA, 2022

Spillover (Live) —Durden and Ray Bendix Building, Los Angeles, CA, 2022

It’s Kind of a Scary Feeling — LAXART, X-TRA Summer Launch Party, curated by Nora Khan, Los Angeles, CA, 2022

growth lies, pack of truth —Coaxial Arts, X-aMEN-ing Masculinities, curated by Anuradha Vikram and LAFreewaves, LA Queer Biennial, Los Angeles, CA, 2021

The picture once described — Bangkok Biennial MAHA PAVILLION, curated by Prima Sakuntabhai, Bangkok,Thailand, 2020

Sick Speech — My_____________Space, curated by Daniel Wroe, Los Angeles, CA, 2020

It’s Kind of a Scary Feeling — Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Arts and Digital Transformation Summit, curated by Jean MacPherson, Banff, Canada, 2019

Sick Speech — Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Arts and Digital Transformation Summit, curated by Jean MacPherson at the, Banff, Canada 2019

And Laid Him On The Green — Gertrude Contemporary, Octopus 19: Ventriloquy, curated by Joel Stern, Melbourne, Australia, 2019

Hook & Loop — Walt Disney Concert Hall, BreathWatchListenTouch, A Pre-Concert Tribute to Yoko Ono, curated by Femmebit for the LA Philharmonic, Los Angeles, CA, 2019

Potentially Dangerous Contraptions— the Akademie Schloss Solitude, curated by Elke aus dem Moore, Stuttgart, Germany, 2018

Epicurus’ Conundrum — Materials & Applications, Privacies Infrastructures curated by Aurora Tang and Jia Gu, Los Angeles, CA, 2018

The ground beneath her feet —Coaxial Arts, curated by the wulf, Los Angeles, CA, 2017

Station 2 — Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Mystic hyperstitians in the heart of empire, curated by Joey Cannizzaro, Indianapolis, IN, 2017

Hook & Loop — REDCAT, Studio Program, curated by Edgar Miramontes, Joey Cannizzaro, Stacy Dawson Stearns, Los Angeles, CA, 2016

For Purposes Hereof — Human Resources, Exit Interview, Los Angeles, CA, 2016

Bearing — California Institute of the Arts, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, 2015

May Our Civilities Never Be Too Civil —The N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, DLectricity, curated by Michaela Mosher, Detroit, MI, 2015

Learning to tie a rope —Wintergills, Quick and Dirty, curated by John Da Wan, Glasgow, Scotland, 2013

Learning to tie a rope — Transmission Gallery, Prismism, Glasgow, Scotland, 2013=

The Auction of 48252 Binghampton Ct.— New City Space, Perfectly Hidden, curated by Joo Choon Lin, Glasgow, Scotland, 2012

May Our Civilities Never Be Too Civil — Printed Matter, Let’s Talk About Love Baby, curated by Chido Johnson, New York, NY, 2012

Afternoon at the park —Glue Factory, BYOB Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, 2012

Hot Dogs and Hummus — Russell Industrial Center, Music in the Hallway,Detroit, MI, 2011

BRB Total ID Pigs — Re:View Contemporary, curated by Simone DeSousa, in collaboration with Ian Swanson,Detroit, MI, 2011

SCREENINGS

The Innocence of Unknowing — Khoj, Are You Human?, New Delhi, India, 2026
grip — Human Resources, Human Resources, other others | rehearsals in the skin curated by Nina Sarnelle and Selwa Sweiden, Los Angeles, CA, 2025
Hook and Loop (Stills) —Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin Headlands, CA, 2023
growth lies, pack of truth — Coaxial Arts, X-aMEN-ing Masculinities, curated by Anuradha Vikram and LAFreewaves, Queer Biennial, Los Angeles, CA, 2022
An Articulated Image —Space One, curated by Dahn Gim and Kelly Sun Kim, Seoul, South Korea, 2022
Epicurus’ Conundrum —University of Melbourne, curated by Lauren Bliss, Melbourne, Australia, 2019
Hook & Loop (Stills) — Projections, curated by Lauren Bliss and Giles Fielke, Melbourne, Australia, 2019
Epicurus’ Conundrum — Bus Projects, curated by Nina Mulhall, Melbourne, Australia, 2019
Epicurus’ Conundrum — Femmebit Festival, curated by Dahn Gim, Los Angeles, CA, 2019
Epicurus’ Conundrum — Glasgow International Biennial, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018Epicurus’ Conundrum —Garden, curated by Britte and Zach Karol Gold, Los Angeles, CA, 2018Coinfection — Echo Park Film Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2017

FILMOGRAPHY

Choreographies of Retreat —Short film, single-channel, volumetric film, 8 minutes and 39 seconds

The Innocence of Unknowing — Feature film, 4-channel video installation, 92 minutes and 34 seconds, 2025

Drawing Chalk —Looped HD video, single channel installation, 15 minutes and 38 seconds, 2023

growth lies, pack of truth —Short film, single-channel archival and compilation film, 12 minutes and 49 seconds, 2022

Spillover — Feature film, 5-channel video installation, 87 minutes and 16 seconds, 2021

Sick Speech — Video and lecture performance, single-channel, 23 minutes and 33 seconds, 2019

And Laid Him On The Green — Video installation with live vocalists, 3-channel video, 45 minutes and 38 seconds, 2019

Hook & Loop (Stills) — HD video, single channel video, 8 minutes and 22 seconds, 2019

Epicurus’ Conundrum — HD and archival video, single channel video, 47 and 36 minutes, 2018

An Articulated Image —HD video, single channel video, 5 minutes and 10 seconds, 2018

(Coin)fection — HD video, single channel video, 27 minutes and 22 seconds, 2016

grip —HD video, single channel video, 5 minutes and 53 seconds, 2015

Parade for an Ordinary Occurrence —HD video, 2 channels video, 10 minutes 29 seconds; 8 minutes and 3 seconds, 2013

May Our Civilities Never Be Too Civil — HD video, single channel video, 18 minutes and 4 seconds, 2012

PUBLICATIONS

“Workers Fleeing the Factory” —MIMESIS Magazine, 2025

“Maryam Keshavarz with Ryat Yezbick”— Lineage Gertrude Press, 2020

“We Are Critic: Made in L.A. 2016”—The Best Friends Learning Gang, Temporary Art Review, 2016

“The Modernist Gaze and Interchangeable Labor: Clarissa Tossin at Samuel Freeman” —Infinite Mile Journal of Art, 2016

“Sanctioning Arabness for a Post 9/11 America” Arab Detroit 9/11: Life in the Terror Decade — Wayne State University Press, 2011

GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS

Personal / Research

(Upcoming) Doris Duke Foundation and Mozilla Foundation Artist Make Technology Fellowship and Grant - $150K Award, October 2026
Lumen Price Legacy Award Finalist for The Innocence of Unknowing, August 2026
Ars Electronica Honorary Mention for New Animation -The Innocence of Unknowing
Colombia Digital Storytelling Lab Breakthrough in Storytelling Award - The Innocence of Unknowing
Onassis ONX Fellowship, 2025-2026
MIT Open Documentary Lab Fellowship, 2023–25
Center for Cultural Innovation Grant, 2021
Radcliffe Accelerator Workshop Grant, Harvard University, 2019
Australia Council for the Arts Grant, 2019
Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant Nominee, 2019
Mary E. Hofstetter Legacy Scholarship for Excellence in the Visual Arts, Banff, Canada, 2018
Vermont Sculpture Studio Grant, 2017
Chiquita Canyon Found Art Prize, 2016
Graduate Scholarship, CalArts, 2014-2016
Full Ride Scholarship, Michigan State University Center for International Business Education and Research, 2007-2009
Research Development Grant, Michigan State University Center for International Business Education and Research, 2008
Tower Guard Scholarship, Michigan State University, 2005

Programmatic / Institutional (Co-PI) for ASU Narrative and Emerging Media Program

ASU Presidential Award — $1M (2024–28)
MacArthur Foundation — $800K (2023-2027)
Rockefeller Foundation — $100K (2025)
Agog LLC — $180K (2025)
Villa Albertine — $10K (2024)
Conectado Gift — $50K (2024)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Arizona State University | Graduate-level courses taught include

Immersive Documentary
Portfolio & Professional Practice
Pre-Production for Emerging Media
Ethics and AI

Course Areas Prepared to Teach

Photography & Lens-Based Practices
Video & Experimental Documentary
Production and Pre-Production
Portfolio
Interdisciplinary Studio
Surveillance, Media & Power
AI, Archives & Visual Culture

INVITED LECTURES, PANELS, JURY PARTICIPATION

(Upcoming) Twenty-Fifth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities: Archipelagos of Meaning - The Innocence of Unknowing presentation, Split, Croatia, 2027

(Upcoming) 34th International Conference on Learning: Democratic Education in the Age of AI - The Innocence of Unknowing presentation, Thessonoliki, Greece, 2027

(Upcoming) 2026 Imagining Creative Worlds - Common Ground Imagining Futures Series - The Innocence of Unknowing presentation for Arts in Society Research Network, Online, 2026

(Upcoming) Ars Electronica - The Innocence of Unknowing panel presentation, Linz, Austria 2026

AI x Journalism Forum, Hacks and Hackers — The Innocence of Unknowing presentation, Los Angeles, 2026

New Images Jury Committee — Paris, France, 2026

WORLDING Jury Committee and Mentor — MIT Co-Creation Studio, Boston, 2026

21st International Conference on the Arts in Society — The Innocence of Unknowing panel talk for the Modeling Life Systems Art, Algorithms and Society Symposium in Athens, Greece

Ammerman Center for the Arts & Technology Symposium — The Innocence of Unknowing panel talk for the 18th Triennial Symposium for Arts and Technology, 2026

Tribeca Immersive —”In Search of Us” panel, 2025

Arizona State University — Reclamation workshop facilitation Narrative and Emerging Media, 2024

PEN America — Presented The Innocence of Unknowing research, 2023

The Guild of Future Architects —Facilitated workshop for The Rockefeller Foundation Vision Food Prize Fellowship, 2022

The Guild of Future Architects —Facilitated Building Bridges for the Doris Duke Foundation, 2021

The Los Angeles Artist Census —Workshop facilitator for Women’s Center for Creative Work, 2020

Harvard University —Radcliffe Accelerator Workshop, The Politics of Immersive Experience, workshop co-organizer, 2019

Sundance Institute — Rethinking Performance for the New Frontier Story Lab, 2018

Sundance Institute — Introductions and Q & A’s at New Frontier Sundance Film Festival, 2018

Sundance Institute — Edge of Art at New Frontier Story Lab, 2017

Sundance Institute — Discussion with artists Amelia Winger-Bearskin and Callum Cooper, New Frontier Story Lab, 2017

Eastern Michigan University —Visiting Artist, Graduate critique, 2013

University of Michigan — Guest lecture, Concept Form and Context Studio I, 2013

Washtenaw Community College — Guest lecture, ART 150: Monuments and Culture, 2011

University of Michigan — Guest lecture, Concept Form and Context Studio II, 2010

Michigan State University — The Costs of Full Citizenship: Navigating Sites of Contradiction in Arab Detroit Post 9/11, 2009

Michigan State University — Contextualizing Identity Shifts in Arab Detroit Narratives, 2009

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Katerina Cizek, Tribeca Immersive 2025: Better Off Together, International Documentary Association (June, 06, 2025)

Kent Bye, “#1572: ‘The Innocence of Unknowing’ Uses Socratic Dialogue with AI & Video Essay to Deconstruct Root Cases of Gun Violence”, Voices of VR (July 18, 2025)

Kelcey Edwards, In Search of Us: The 2025 Tribeca Immersive Program, Noah Becker’s White Hot Magazine of Contemporary Art (July 18, 2025)

Sakhuntabhai, Prima, Tactics of Erasure Interview: Alberto Lule, Miller Robinson, Ryat Yezbick, and Fafnir Adamites, Craft Contemporary Museum (March 5, 2022)

Kent Bye, Tribeca Immersive Curators on the 2025 Selection of Impact Projects Curated by Onassis ONX, Agog, & Tribeca, Voices of VR (June 4, 2025)

Jazz Tangcay, Matt Minton, Abigail Lee, and Lauren Coates, Tribeca Festival Launches Immersive Technology Exhibit ‘In Search of Us’ – Film News in Brief, Variety (April 24, 2025)

David Morgan, At 2025 Tribeca Festival VR, augmented reality, and AI showcase immersive storytelling, CBS News (June 11, 2025)

Sydney Skybetter, How Dance Experts are Imagining the Post-COVID World, Dance Magazine (October 14, 2021)

Anuradha Vikram, Creating Art in Public Space during COVID for How To Change, KCET (December 21st, 2020)

Maeve Hanna, Known/Unknown: Rachel Yezbick’s ‘Sick Speech’ and the Exploration of Performing the Self and Queer Aesthetics in the Life, Death and Work of Nasim Aghdam, BlackFlash Magazine, Issue 37.2 (September 3,2020)

Thomas Ragnar, MOUTHING: Octopus 19: Ventriloquy, Gertrude Contemporary Naarm/Melbourne, 31 May - 20 July 2019, unprojects (August 29, 2019)

Toby Julif, Octopus 19: Ventriloquy, Art + Australia (September 10, 2019)

Georgia Sydney Lassner, Willing to fail at eating your own chocolate face, Rachel Yezbick’s “Cover Me” at Garden, Unpublished (May 11, 2018)

Lara Salmon, Rachel Yezbick, Cover Me at Garden, Art and Cake (April 16, 2018)

Paul Muller, The Ground Beneath Her Feet at the wulf, Sequenza 21 (October 18, 2017)

Alexandra Weiss, Don’t Worry, There’s an Art Museum Coming to the Moon, Bullett (February 28, 2017)

Rosie Sharp, Envisioning an Art Museum on the Moon, Hyperallergic (February 24, 2017)

Barbara Aswad, Book Review – Arab Detroit 9/11: Life in the Terror Decade, The American Institute for The American Institute for Progressive Democracy (May 5, 2013)

Craig Fahle, Arab Detroit 9/11: Life in the Terror Decade, The Craig Fahle Show (April 17, 2012)

RESIDENCIES

Headlands Center for the Arts, 2023

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 2018

Akademie Schloss Solitude (Visiting Artist), 2018

SERVICE, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, PUBLISHED REPORTS

Program Architect, City of Awe (ASU)

Co-designer of the City of Awe, PSIF funded initiative
Designed structure of the three-tiered program in conjunction with Nonny de la Peña
Implemented and executed all three programs within three-year time-period

Founder of Creative Fields Consulting, LLC

Conducted the research and development for a new Global Storytelling Initiative at Hunter College and provided R and D to Sinclair Futures for program development at New York University and John Hopkins University
Developed New Media Lab, PROSPECTIVES, for The Music Center, Los Angeles, which partnered with ASU NEM for the Lab
Researcher and co-author for a Omidyar Network 2021 Business Report, Portals to Beautiful Futures
Researcher and co-author on Latinos in AI Report, 2024
Additional clients included: the Rockefeller Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation, the Guild of Future Architects, and the Rap Research Lab

Former Public Programs Manager and Assistant Curator, Sundance Institute New Frontier

Assisted Chief Curator in the curation process for New Frontier Exhibition at the Sundance Film Festival
Researched and tracked latest in cutting-edge VR/AR tech with a focus on work coming from the art world, and performed routine outreach to key artists, companies and technologists to cultivate New Frontier community
Developed optimal workflow within department to meet changing departmental needs
Consulted with artists on story development at New Frontier Story Lab
Presented VR works and conducted Q & As at the Sundance Film Festival
Moderated panels at the New Frontier Story Lab
Hired and managed New Frontier Assistant and New Frontier Panels Programmer
Managed New Frontier submissions process and oversees successful viewing of VR, AR, video and performance programming
Liaised with high priority stakeholders and artists at the festival

Program Lead for Shared Futures, Guild of Future Architects

Oversaw Shared Futures, Community of Practice, and Member Benefits
Provided digital meetups for members
Developed and facilitated project development work sessions for Shared Futures
Researched and analyzed program benefits for all member programs
Briefed executive team and board on program costs and benefits
Wrote and updated member agreement based upon member research
Oversaw development of fiscal sponsorship program
Managed CoP manager
Conducted member interviews
Created prototypes for new program implementation
Facilitated member-led meetings

TECHNICAL & METHODOLOGICAL EXPERTISE

AI humanities model training

Gaussian Splat / volumetric capture

Experimental documentary workflows

Archival research & ethnographic methods

XR, installation, performance

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Guild of Future Architects

Onassis ONX Studio

Onassis Foundation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Ryat Yezbick Studio, LLC, shall be deemed to be the owner of any and all intellectual
property rights relating to the products, images, projects, published writings and text which
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intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to, ideas, discoveries, inventions,
documents, designs, drawings, schematics, electronic media, images, calculations, source
code and descriptions relating to the products, projects, photographs and narrative
appearing on this site (“IP Rights”). Website User further agrees not to reverse engineer any
product appearing on this site. Yezbick owns all IP Rights in perpetuity, worldwide, royalty
free and freely assignable from the time of their creation and to the fullest extent permitted
by law. Website User agrees that Yezbick shall have the irrevocable right to use and exploit
such IP Rights and to exercise any moral rights therein on their behalf to the fullest extent
permitted under applicable law, including without limitation the right to create derivative
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RYAT ˈrī-ət