Caitlin Foley

Caitlin Foley serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Art and Design within UMass Lowell's College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Her practice bridges traditional art forms with digital innovation through participatory installations that engage communities in social and political discourse.

Her academic foundation includes:

• B.A. in Fine Arts from Alfred University
• M.F.A. from Syracuse University

Foley's research explores how interactive media transforms passive viewers into active participants. Projects like Worries Bash—where audiences physically interact with papier-mâché sculptures to surface recorded anxieties—demonstrate her focus on emotional cycles and collective release. Her work consistently merges printmaking and sculptural techniques with data visualization, creating platforms for public dialogue on topics from debt economics to microbiome diversity.

Her creative contributions have been recognized with:

• NEFA Creative City Grant
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Immersive Scholar Award
• Artist-in-Residence at ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark

Funding from these awards supports large-scale public projects exhibited internationally across Europe and North America. Her collaborative approach extends to partnerships with scientific institutions like King's College London for microbiome-focused installations.

Through the Caitlin & Misha lab, she produces boundary-pushing work including the Mobile Sauna's neighborhood intimacy experiments and 5 Quadrillion's ecological valuation models. The lab maintains an active online presence at caitlinandmisha.com while realizing physical installations that tour globally, consistently prioritizing audience co-creation as central to the artistic process.