YUTING TAO
AS A MEDIA ARTIST, EDUCATOR, AND TEACHING RESEARCHER, I AIM TO MAKE INNOVATIVE EDUCATION MORE ACCESSIBLE.
My goal is to continue exploring the intersection of technology and education, finding new ways to empower learners and educators alike by creating a more inclusive learning environment. Drawing from my background in the non-profit sector and leveraging my network of art educators, I am driven to make art education more accessible and creatively liberating. My ambition is to use the latest technologies, such as AI EduGPT and XR, to break down these barriers, ensuring that students, regardless of their backgrounds, can access an art education that celebrates their individual creativity.
MEDIA ARTIST
In my design philosophy as an experimental media artist, emerging technologies like AR, VR, and AI assist me to create immersive experiences that provoke thought on societal and cultural issues, including those in education. The concept of dreams stands as a central metaphor, representing the projective and mnemonic medium that immerse the audience and provokes thoughts on societal and cultural issues. Just as dreams are constructed subconsciously from the fragments of our experiences, perceptions, and emotions, I delve into the subconscious of society and culture, using technology as a medium to weave together various elements of reality into an immersive experience, where audiences - the dreamers - can step into a dream-like reality to engage with and reflect upon societal and cultural themes, even after they wake up from the dream.For instance, Consciousness Island, my venture into VR game design, explores issues within the Chinese education system, urging reflection on the mental health struggles of young students in contemporary society.
EDUCATOR
My journey into education is grounded in the joy I found in helping learners grasp tools that I had once explored in my own artworks. It began with my internship at Houdini.School, where I helped develop a curriculum that integrated interactive multimedia content and hands-on exercises to teach 3D-animation skills in the online course Natural Morphologies. I found it incredibly fulfilling not just as an artist, but as an educator who empowers students to express their creativity through technology. This ignited my passion for educational technology and led me to make AI-powered generative art, a key area of my artistic exploration, more accessible.
At Harvestworks, a non-profit arts organization committed to helping artists integrate technology since 1977. Here, I conducted a two-hour live streaming workshop on AI-powered generative art, co-hosted by Harvestworks and UCLA Art Sci Center. I
was fascinated by how technology makes learning more accessible and engaging for a diverse audience.
Subsequently, learners of various ages and backgrounds sought further learning. In one-on-one sessions, I customized my teaching to their diverse technological proficiency levels and ages. Through this journey, I evolved as a more mature educator, becoming acutely aware of the technological divides across age groups and social backgrounds, which motivated me to explore inclusive pedagogies tailored to individual backgrounds and experiences.
Selected Workshops:
AI for Audio / Visuals, UCLA Art|Sci & Harvestworks, online, November 28, 2023
Entry-level Midjourney Tutorials for Young Artists, online, December, 2023 (40+ hours)
Entry-level Blender Tutorials for Retired Artists, New York, December, 2023 (10+ hours)
Yuting Tao has recently hosted a series of online workshops about AI for Audio / Visual Arts under instructions of UCLA Art |Sci and Harvestworks Digital Media Art Center.
AI visualizations in art represent a digital renaissance, blending precision of algorithms with imagination of artists. The process of prompt input and interaction between artist and machine is a testimony of new artistic frontiers. This workshop will explore various AI-powered software tools for generative art creation for images, videos and audio. We will focus on practical skills, including crafting effective prompts to produce optimal generative artworks. Interactive sessions will provide hands-on experience, enabling attendees to develop and refine their AI-generated art pieces with precision and creativity. Discover the transformative potential of AI in both artistic expression and professional applications, and envision the future shaped by advancements from OpenAI and more.
Info
TEACHING RESEARCHER
My current internship at the
UNESCO | International Center for Engineering Education
further fueled my passion for educational technology. I transitioned from a practitioner to an EdTech product researcher. I came to realize the critical role of data insights in customizing pedagogical strategies as I delved into data analysis to inform the development of AI-integrated training modules for educators in vocational schools and junior colleges to integrate educational technologies into their educational practices. The insights gathered from my research have been instrumental in shaping the training programs to be offered on our upcoming EdTech product, an AI-integrated platform aims to empower diverse educators and broaden the impact of educational technology by enabling a more diverse group of learners to benefit through their teachers' enhanced skills. All these efforts in working with these various institutions marked a significant shift in my career, as I moved from solely creating art to actively shaping educational opportunities in the field of technology and art.