My first conference was in 2001. At the time, some of my pieces had been accepted into the Art Gallery and I was teaching at Penn State. I went to the Art Gallery to check out the work, and then went to meet up with a friend from the Philadelphia area, Kim Voit, who was working in the Guerilla Studio. As with most people, I was completely enamored by the venue - you can’t help but fall in love with this place. I became kind of like a groupie there, hanging out all week. The next year I was asked to return as a subcommittee member. My first official year was 2002, and that lasted until 2005. Last year I was Guerilla Studio Chair Elect, meaning I would chair this year. Next year, I will be the Conference Art Director and am very excited about it!

How do you choose which installations to bring to the conference?

How do you choose between your favorite children? A lot of it comes from the people. We look for people more than we look for stuff. When we do look for stuff, it often comes with a technician. There are some things that will always be there, such as large format printing and prototyping, but it’s the smaller things that need to be chosen, and that usually happens 18 months earlier.

Is there anything you felt that had to be brought into the Guerilla Studio?

Well, I’m a little biased because I make my work through rapid prototyping and computer aided design. And in the past, as you might know, a lot of people have been interested in getting a model made. Because of this, in previous years this area of the conference closed down early (due to the sheer number of people). So, one of the things we did this year was focus on getting more machines.

How do you choose the theme?

Oh yeah, isn’t that great? This year we have a circus theme. I created a new area called show and tell because people come in the Guerilla Studio and just freeze. They wonder what they should do and where they should start. So, Bob Gould helps them to get things moving and tells them where things are. Originally, the plan was just to have signage. Bob suggested, why don’t we do it like a circus, because that's what we are. Then he was able to get a budget to get all the extra stuff (the animal balloons and pennants, which made it more like a circus). Others contributed as well, such as the Adobe Student Award winners who did our posters. It’s just tied together very nicely this year.

Are there some changes you would like to see for next year?

It’s real easy to get too big with these sorts of things with everyone in their own camps - areas being designated as 2D or 3D. I would love to see the lines between the areas erased and them be more tied together. For example, just having a section for input, a section for output, and computers in between. That way someone doesn't have to come in and choose between being a 2D person or a 4D person. We all do everything, so it would be nice to tie that back into the theme.

Have you found that artists not only discover other artists here, but collaborate as well?

Absolutely. Collaboration as a form of recharge is one of the main reasons artists come here. It allows them to feed off of each other’s energy. Plus they discover new tools and techniques that they can take back to their own studio. It allows artists to start something here and take it back to their studio and finish it as well. Probably, the best type of collaboration is when an attendee comes in and comes up with something with one of our artists. That form of symbiotic relationship is really awesome.

How would a student get involved with the Guerilla Studio?

There are two ways. One is to become a Student Volunteer and being assigned to the Guerilla Studio. The other way is to come into the Guerilla Studio and introduce yourself to next year's Chair. These students come in and stay late. It's hard to deny someone who demonstrates such drive and energy and emails you a week after the conference. Those are often the people we decide we will support.

This is definitely one of the most high energy exhibits.

The Guerilla Studio is very similar in energy to the exhibition floor except out goals are different. We have a lot of the same stuff as on the exhibition floor, except we are all about making art.

Are there other areas you see this expanding into?

Yes and no. It’s hard to decide what is going to be a trend in each year, unless you’re chair for multiple years. It’s really about the people you bring in and what they're interested in. I would be very surprised if there is a radical change for next year. Keep in mind, you don’t want the attendee so overwhelmed that they do nothing.

What were some of the changes you made this year?

This was the first year we brought in the Artists in Residence program. Michael Wright is part of this. The artists were chosen for various reasons. Half of them were chosen because they are very high-tech art makers. The other half were chosen because they are more craftspeople, they may be sculptors or work traditionally. The idea was to put them in a tight spot, like goldfish, for a week, and watch what they do and how they work; they're doing great things. I would like to give them more space and see what other things could be made. I think a lot of them are doing the investigation process here but don't really have the time to finish something. If I had the chance I would continue this program, and I already know that it will return for next year’s SIGGRAPH.

Have you ever considered an apprenticeship program?

I haven’t, that’s a great idea. It is something that happens informally. It does happen naturally when someone goes from SV to Subcommittee. This usually happens when someone latches onto one of the subcommittee members and they are mentored. But that is an excellent idea, to get a Junior Artist in Residence program going. That may be in the not too distance future and an idea I’ll definitely pass on to next year’s Chair.

Could you talk about your own personal art?

Sure. I make wearable objects. I come from a jewelry background. My artwork is CAD rapid prototyping brooches made from ABS plastic in various colors. Right now I am focusing more on the war. I am drawing a parallel between preciousness and lives lost in war I don’t think we should really be involved in. I am also doing commission work. My new series involves baseball. I am a huge baseball fan, especially with the huge controversy that has been going on - there may be a lot of homeruns in that might have been influenced by drugs. Baseball to me is the perfect thing – it has strategy, excitement, it can have a lull to it, and it’s just poetic. To make a comment about baseball, as a younger woman, in this field, is something unique.

Thank you.

Thank you, this was great.