Jacob Koestler

Jacob Koestler is a Lecturer in the Studio Art Department at Oberlin College, where he oversees the media lab and 4D technology resources. Previously, he served as a full-time Lecturer at the Cleveland Institute of Art's Photography + Video Department. He holds an MFA from Ohio University's Photography and Integrated Media program. His interdisciplinary practice spans photography, film, and multimedia installation, focusing on themes of memory, impermanence, and landscape transformation.

Notable projects include Casual Water (2019), an exhibition exploring an abandoned golf course's layered histories, and We Will Speak (2023), a documentary on Cherokee language preservation. Koestler is a co-founder of Blurry Pictures, a collaborative filmmaking collective. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Print Center (Philadelphia), Transformer Station (Cleveland), and the CAN Triennial. Awards include the Ohio Art Council’s Individual Excellence Award and multiple festival recognitions for his films.

He teaches courses such as Capstone C: Exhibition Practice and Intro to 4D: Rendering Image, Time, & Motion. His research integrates experimental techniques like cyanotype printing and mixed-media approaches to question photographic subjectivity and documentation’s limitations. Current projects continue to interrogate human-environment intersections and cultural preservation through artistic mediums.