Celine Wong Katzman

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The Longest Whistlegraph Ever (so far)

May 14, 2022

I commissioned The Longest Whistlegraph Ever (so far), a composition by the artist collective Whistlegraph, which debuted in New York as a live performance at the New Museum on May 14, 2022.

Whistlegraphs are audio-visual digital artworks performed manually by drawing and singing. Every whistlegraph results in a poetic image through the performance of a reproducible score.



Video of a subsequent performance, recorded in Ashland, Oregon, was published online alongside materials from the composition process, including manuscripts, recordings, and a full graphic score. In addition, I worked with Whistlegraph to develop and administer online workshops for kids, where participants learned about computer software and art history while creating their own artistic compositions. Reflections and documentation from these workshops are viewable on Rhizome.

Alex Freundlich, Camille Klein, and Jeffrey Scudder draw, sing, and make videos together as Whistlegraph. Since forming the group in 2020, they regularly share their work on their TikTok account, @whistlegraph, where they have over two million followers. Over the past few years, they have honed a distinctive style and practice that speaks to embodied cognition, art education, and experimental composition for live performance.

Online Artist Statement Class at the School for Poetic Computation

May 3, 2020

I'm offering an online artist statement class with the School for Poetic Computation starting on June 1st, 2020. There will be 5 sessions, 3 hours each.

Enrollment is open to anyone including artists, designers, creative technologists, engineers, architects, and others whose practices are difficult to define.

Much like a user guide helps non-technical readers understand a system, an artist statement introduces an unfamiliar audience to the artist’s practice and informs them about the references, questions, and thought processes behind the artist’s work. We will consider the artist statement as a practical communication tool (for grant and residency applications) as well as a more intimate map for guiding the direction and values of one’s practice.

Students will:

☆ give thoughtful presentations of their own work and feedback to others
☆ participate in writing exercises and one-on-one editorial meetings
☆ read and discuss texts written by artists
☆ engage in group discussions about the challenges of maintaining an honest practice
☆ imagine alternatives to capitalist institutions as the context for our creative work

By the end of the class, students will cultivate clear and compelling artist statements.

Applications are open until May 20, 2020. More info here!

Lecture in Asian American Art History and Literature Seminars at Bard College

April 3, 2019

I will be a guest lecturer at Bard College for two seminar classes in Asian American Art History and Asian American Literature taught by Tom Wolf and Dr. Nathan Shockey, respectively. The courses explore a range of artistic and literary works associated with the contested category “Asian American” and consider the ways in which these works are inextricable from historical context; the experience of exclusion, internment, war, (post)colonialism, and political activism.

Lecture in Digital Non-Fiction
at Brown University

April 23, 2018

I will be a returning guest lecturer in Michael Stewart's advanced English class, Digital Non-Fiction, at Brown University. The class examines how digital environments and platforms enrich as well as challenge traditional narrative strategies.

Lecture in Digital Non-Fiction
at Brown University

March 6, 2017

I will be a guest lecturer in Michael Stewart's advanced English class, Digital Non-Fiction, at Brown University. The class examines how digital environments and platforms enrich as well as challenge traditional narrative strategies.