jessa gillespie

hi, i'm jessa gillespie! i’m an engineer and creative technologist. i specialize in real-time systems and graphics programming, and frequently collaborate with other artists, educators, and non-profits to create software tools and interactive media.

education

2022-2025	master of science in computer science with distinction	depaul university, chicago
2013-2018	bachelor of fine arts with distinction	university of alberta, edmonton

professional experience

2019-2024	software engineer & graphics developer for stephanie dinkins studio Not the Only One, a custom AI-driven avatar built in Unity Secret Garden, a web-based interactive oral history project	brooklyn, new york
2017 - present	creative technologist for mere human studio front-end developer for walter gordon's interactive digital edition of shirley graham's play, "dust to earth", 2021 front-end developer for latitude 53 & megan gnanisihamany's online exhibition, "after the end", 2021 front-end developer for the Intersections of Gender Researcher Directory at the University of Alberta, 2021 vr developer for mapa de cuauhtinchan project in collaboration with davíd carrasco, laana carrasco, and stewart bird, 2019 vr developer for brad necyk studio, 2017-2019 game developer on "the lost garden" with scott smallwood and nicolás arnáez, 2017-2019	berkeley, california
2018-2020	graphic designer for bar laika by e-flux	brooklyn, new york
2017-2018	gallery assistant for dc3 art projects	edmonton, alberta
2016	intern for neue galerie berlin	berlin, germany

professional development

2018	guest lecturer at the university of alberta art and/in the anthropocene taught by natalie loveless	edmonton, alberta
2016-2018	member of the research-creation and social justice colab led by natalie loveless	edmonton, alberta
2017	member of the interactives group at the university of alberta led by scott smallwood and geoffrey rockwell	edmonton, alberta
2013-2017	founding chairperson of the young edmonton grants program through the edmonton community foundation	edmonton, alberta
2015-2017	vice president external of the visual arts students association, social events coordinator of the visual arts students association	edmonton, alberta
2014-2017	editorial board of the women's and gender studies undergraduate journal - spaces between	edmonton, alberta
2015-2016	graphic designer & executive member of the feminists at the university of alberta	edmonton, alberta

curation

2020	community presentation series an experimental lecture series held in the upstairs of the historic ear inn	new york city, new york
2018	material^tm an exhibition co-curated with daniel walker at latitude 53	edmonton, alberta
2017	self disclosures an exhibition co-curated with daria nordell that took place at the works art & design festival, with works by 19 international artists	edmonton, alberta

scholarships & awards

2022	ms pathways to computing scholarship, depaul university	depaul university
2018	edmonton arts council artist project grant
2017	nominee for the bmo 1st national art! competition
2016	roger s. smith research award	university of alberta
2016	natalka horeczko scholarship in painting and print design	university of alberta