Tiffany Calvert

Tiffany Calvert is an Associate Professor and Chair of the MFA in Visual Art program at Washington University in St. Louis’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Her work merges traditional painting techniques like fresco and oil with digital technologies such as AI-driven image generation (StyleGAN) and 3D modeling. She explores themes of algorithmic aesthetics, historical art recontextualization, and the intersection of art and capitalism.

Education:

• MFA in Visual Art, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (2005)
• BA in Studio Art, Oberlin College (1998)

Research Interests: Calvert investigates how artificial intelligence and data manipulation reshape painting’s legacy. Her Machine Vision series employs machine learning trained on historical still lifes, creating hybrid works that critique economic speculation (e.g., tulip mania) and digital reproduction’s impact on artistic value. Her practice bridges gendered art histories and contested boundaries between human and algorithmic creativity.

Awards & Grants:

• Great Meadows Foundation Professional Development Grant (2024)
• University of Louisville Inaugural Creative Works Award (2023)
• Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2010)
• Geraldine R. Dodge Fellowship (2010)

Advising & Labs: As MFA Director, she oversees WashU’s graduate visual art program. Her studio practice incorporates advanced digital fabrication tools and interdisciplinary collaborations. Upcoming projects include a 2024 solo exhibition at KMAC Museum exploring AI-driven “adversarial nature” themes.

Exhibition Highlights: Recent shows include Living Arrangements (Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, 2023) and Adversarial Nature (Tinney Contemporary, 2023). Her work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Evergreen Review, and Majuscule magazine.