Tanya Rubbak

Tanya Rubbak is an Adjunct Associate Professor and Graphic Design Minor Area Head at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, specializing in publication, identity, web, and exhibition design for cultural and commercial collaborators. Her dual expertise bridges academic instruction and professional practice with significant institutional partnerships.

Her educational background includes:

• MFA in Graphic Design from CalArts (2007)
• BA in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania (1997)

Rubbak's research critically examines cultural landscapes through language and design, emphasizing diasporic identities, Soviet nostalgia, virtualization of reality, hauntology, hyper online aesthetics, and politics. She investigates how improvisation, humor, and play enable transformative narrative approaches, extending to pop culture, human connection, and AI characterization in media. Her work consistently explores hidden structures of desire within contemporary design frameworks.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Otis Faculty Development Grant (Fall 2014)

Her professional collaborations span major cultural institutions and academia, including the Getty Museum, Hammer Museum, SF MOMA, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Pennsylvania State University, Arizona State University, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Notable projects encompass the religion-performance series Signigy/Sanctify/Believe, NS Journal with Brian Getnick (resulting in Final Transmission: Performance Art and AIDS in Los Angeles), and co-curation of Communication by Seduction Project with Nora Beckman (2019). Rubbak maintains active industry engagement while leading curriculum development.