For groundbreaking immersive artist and educator Trish Gianakis, VR, AR and XR are additional creative tools.

Trish’s passion is blending sculpture with digital technology, to create engaging immersive experiences. But mixed media fine art, computer art installations, video art and digital art are also among her areas of professional expertise.

And she continues to explore new avenues in which to innovate at the intersection of art and technology. In the photograph above, her tote bag shows one of her paintings in LED lights!

As a student, Trish was one of the first artists in New York City to create a virtual-reality art experience, She now has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts Computer Art and Art Installation from New York City’s School of Visual Arts. Among the accolades her work has received are an Emmy Award for “Best On-Air Graphics”, a Golden Addy Award for “Best Interactive Web Design” and the “Best in Show” award at Tempe, Arizona’s “Mill Avenue Artist Festival”, two years in a row.

Currently, she is serving as Artist in Residence at Bronxnet TV, in “Creatives Rebuild New York“, a first-of-its-kind program. She also teaches undergraduate classes at St. Peters University in Jersey City, New Jersey. And she’s preparing for an upcoming solo show, has created a don’t-miss immersive art gallery on Spatial, AND will be featured as both a track presenter and a session speaker at AWE USA, which happens in Long Beach, California from Tuesday, June 18th through Thursday, June 20th.

Trish shared the story of her career, offered a closer look at several of the works in her immersive gallery and previewed what’s next!

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• What first inspired Trish to become an artist;

• How she first discovered digital technology as an artistic medium;

• Her experience, creating her first VR installation;

• An imaginary “walk” through her immersive-art gallery on Spatial;

• How a life event re-connected her with creating art;

• Some of her favorite resources for fellow artists who might like to know more about creating digital art;

• A lesson she gives her students, on creating an effective user experience;

• A closer look at the “Creatives Rebuild New York” program in which she’s involved;

• A preview of her AWE presentation, scheduled for June 20th;

• Her advice to students on finding professional opportunities as artists;

• Some of the new technologies with which she’s looking forward to working;

• How NFTs work for her, as an artist.