^{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)

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}}

^{SOLO EXHIBITIONS}

^{(Upcoming) Untitled — 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, 2015

Familiar Discipline — CalArts, Los Angeles, 2014

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}

^{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 —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

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, QueerBiennial, 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, 2018

Epicurus’ Conundrum — Garden, curated by Britte Geijer and Zach Karol Gold, Los Angeles, CA, 2018

Coinfection — Echo Park Film Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2017}

^FILMOGRAPHY

^{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

(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}

^{Onassis ONX Fellowship, 2025}
^{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:

^{Ethics & AI in Narrative Media}
^{Immersive Documentary}
^{Portfolio & Professional Practice}
^{Pre-Production for Emerging Media}}

^{Prepared to Teach}

^{Video & Experimental Documentary}
^{Interdisciplinary Studio}
^{Surveillance, Media & Power}
^{AI, Archives & Visual Culture}
^{Production and Pre-Production}
^Portfolio

INVITED LECTURES & PANELS

^{(Upcoming) 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

^{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)

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, MSN (April 24, 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

^{Program Architect, City of Awe (ASU)

Founder, Creative Fields Consulting LLC

Former Public Programs Manager, Sundance New Frontier

Program Lead, Guild of Future Architects}

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

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Radcliffe Center, Harvard University}

portfolio

RYAT ˈrī-ət

RYAT YEZBICK | CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

RECENT RESEARCH & CREATIVE PRACTICE

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

SELECT JURIED EXHIBITIONS / PERFORMANCES

SCREENINGS

FILMOGRAPHY

PUBLICATIONS

GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS

Personal / Research

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

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Prepared to Teach