George Fifield
George Fifield
George Fifield was a media arts curator, writer and teacher. He founded Boston Cyberarts Inc in 1999, which produced the annual Boston Cyberarts Festival from 1999 until 2011.
The festival was a biennial gathering of artists working in new technologies. Events featured exhibitions, music, dance, theatrical performances, film and video presentations, educational programs and symposia.
Early Life and Education
George Fifield, the founder of Boston Cyberarts Gallery and pioneer in digital art, served as Curator of New Media at DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts from 1993 to 2006.
He is an adjunct faculty member of Rhode Island School of Design’s Digital + Media graduate program and has written for several publications such as Artbyte, Communication Arts, Digital Fine Arts, Sculpture Magazine and Art New England on media-related topics.
In 2006, the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) Boston Chapter honored Fifield with their First Annual Special Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Boston Arts Community. He also founded the Boston Cyberarts Festival which showcased international artists working in computer-related art.
Professional Career
George Fifield is a media arts curator, writer, teacher and artist. He founded and directs Boston Cyberarts Inc., a nonprofit organization that programs numerous art and technology projects.
He was also co-producer of The Electronic Canvas, an hour-long documentary on the history of media arts that aired on PBS in 2000. Additionally, he curated numerous exhibitions related to media arts practices.
In 2011, he opened Boston Cyberarts Gallery in Jamaica Plain, where he continued to support artists’ works. Experiments with lasers, film projections, computer programs, artificial intelligence and virtual reality would always find an enthusiastic audience at his venue.
Achievements and Honors
Fifield was driven by an intense curiosity about art and technology throughout his life. He approached his work with an infectious sense of playfulness that was complemented by an uncanny sense of serenity.
He was an early pioneer of new media art and the founding director of Boston Cyberarts Inc., which produced the Boston Cyberarts Festival from 1999 to 2011.
As co-founder of VideoSpace, a collective of video artists, he organized and curated numerous exhibitions and screenings throughout New England. Additionally, he produced the hour-long PBS documentary The Electronic Canvas in 2000.
He was an accomplished author and lecturer on media, technology, and art topics. Additionally, he served as adjunct professor for Rhode Island of Design’s Digital + Media graduate program and Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Personal Life
George Fifield was an inspiring artist, curator, thinker, and visionary who championed advances in art and technology. As founder and director of Boston Cyberarts – a nonprofit arts organization that programs numerous art-tech projects – George was truly one-of-a-kind.
He was an accomplished author, international lecturer, and inspiration to young artists and curators from around the United States and beyond. Additionally, he served as adjunct professor in the graduate programs of Boston University’s Graduate School of Design (RISD) for many years.
Fifield served as Curator of New Media at DeCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts for thirteen years, helping to introduce digital art to a wide audience. In 1999 he established the Boston Cyberarts Festival which featured exhibitions of visual arts; music, dance, and theatrical performances; film/video presentations; symposia; and lectures.
Net Worth
George Fifield is an esteemed figure in the digital arts field. He co-founded VideoSpace, a Boston Cyberarts project, and has contributed to various media and technology publications like Artbyte, Bomb, Communication Arts, Digital Fine Arts and The Independent Film & Video Monthly. Additionally he serves on the Boston Arts Commission and teaches at Rhode Island School of Design as faculty.
He was born in Wisconsin and educated at an experimental college. His interests ranged from history and anthropology to visual beauty. As a rare individual with no hard edges in his interactions with friends and strangers, he could communicate effectively in lyrical prose. Furthermore, he had extensive knowledge about modern technologies and their application to art forms.