Deborah Oliver

Deborah Oliver is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Art at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), within the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Her work bridges education, curation, and interdisciplinary art, focusing on performance art history, pedagogy, and audience engagement. She founded Irrational Exhibits, an immersive performance series launched in 2001, and co-founded The Art of Performance in Irvine at UCI’s Experimental Media and Performance Lab. Oliver holds an MFA and BFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

• Education:
• MFA, California Institute of the Arts
• BFA, California Institute of the Arts

Her research explores the intersection of performance art, curatorial practices, and public space. Notable projects include Un-Space Ground (a site-specific public event for the College Art Association) and R.A.W. (a multimedia performance at the Pasadena Arts Alliance). Oliver’s work emphasizes collaborative pedagogy, with over 40 public student performances since 1998.

• Awards:
• 2017 Metabolic Studio Grant
• 2015 & 2005 UCIRA Grants
• 2008 UCI Outstanding Professor of the Year
• Multi-year LA Cultural Affairs Grant

Her grants and fellowships include Rockefeller Foundation and NEA support. Oliver has curated over 150 artists across 9 exhibitions of Irrational Exhibits, blending performance, installation, and audience interaction. She also co-organized the 10th Anniversary Exhibition at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (2017).

Lab/Team Affiliations: Experimental Media and Performance Lab (UCI), Irrational Exhibits.