Jean Ippolito

Professor Jean Ippolito is an art historian at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo specializing in new media art of Japan and China, with a focus on non-narrative interactive and performance art in digital contexts. She has published a book, The Search for New Media: Late 20th Century Art and Technology in Japan (2012), and peer-reviewed articles on digital abstraction of traditional aesthetics.

• Education: BA in Art History (Arizona State University, 1979), MA in Art History (University of Washington, 1985), PhD in Computer Graphics and Animation (Ohio State University, 1994)

Her research bridges traditional East Asian art practices with digital media, analyzing how historical techniques inform contemporary algorithmic art. She has curated exhibitions like Naoko Tosa’s New Media Art (2023-24) and collaborated with international artists such as Hung Keung (2022) to explore cultural philosophy in new media. Recent work examines time-space alterations in digital art and the role of Chinese characters as conceptual art forms.

Notable awards include a Fulbright Dissertation Grant (1992-93) for research in Japan. She organized student field trips to India, Kenya, and Europe during a Semester at Sea voyage (2023), integrating cultural studies into art education. Her exhibitions were funded by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, highlighting interdisciplinary collaborations between technology, literature, and performance art.