This program was made possible by the NYC Coalition for Theaters of Color, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York City Council.

The Panelists

STEPHANIE DINKINS is a transdisciplinary artist whose work intersects emerging technologies and our future histories. Her art practice is deeply committed to creating platforms for dialogue about A.I. as it intersects with critical issues of our time. Dinkins leverages technology and storytelling to challenge and reimagine the narratives surrounding underutilized communities, particularly those of Black and brown individuals. Through her installations, digital platforms, and community-based projects, Dinkins seeks not only to question the current paradigms of AI development but also to forge paths toward more equitable and inclusive technological futures. Her work emphasizes the importance of incorporating diverse voices and perspectives into the design and application of AI systems, advocating for a future where technology uplifts and amplifies narratives of the global majority, fostering a tech ecosystem that is truly beneficial for all.

Dinkins is the Kusama Endowed Chair in Art at Stony Brook University and a Schmidt Futures AI2050 Senior Fellow. She exhibits and publicly advocates for inclusive AI internationally at a broad spectrum of community, private, and institutional venues.

Dinkins’ work has recently been exhibited at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Ford Foundation Gallery, the Västerbottens Museum, Museum Brandhorst, and ZKM|Center for Art and Media. Her work has also been featured at the Guggenheim Museum, the Ulsan Museum of Art, the Riga Photography Biennial, the Västerbottens Museum, the Queens Museum, the Esker Foundation, and the University of Michigan.

In 2025, Dinkins will contribute to exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Bronx Museum of Art, the Institute for Contemporary Art San Jose, and is developing a major public art project in association with More Art Inc.

DR. NETTRICE GASKINS  is an African American digital artist, academic, cultural critic and advocate of STEAM fields. Dr. Gaskins earned a BFA in Computer Graphics with Honors from Pratt Institute in 1992, an MFA in Art and Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994, and a doctorate in Digital Media from Georgia Tech in 2014. She has taught creative AI, robotics, multimedia, visual art, and computer science to students from middle school to college.

Dr. Gaskins is an alum of the Ford Global Fellowship program and the assistant director of the Lesley STEAM Learning Lab at Lesley University. Her first full-length book, Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Innovation is available through The MIT Press.

Dr. Gaskins makes art using algorithms and machine learning. Her AI-generated artworks can be viewed in print, galleries, museums, and on the Web. Her series of ‘featured futurist’ portraits were on view at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building from late 2021 through early July 2022. Her Greg Tate and Faith Ringgold portraits were installed as outdoor murals in Brooklyn, NY by the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art.

Gaskins served as Board President of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (The Alliance) and she was on the board of the Community Technology Centers Network (CTCNet) and Artisan’s Asylum.

JAMES ALLISTER SPRANG is the son of Caribbean immigrants, who considers his relationship to Diasporic timelines while weaving together his multimedia work, to create sensory poems for the spirit. This work is informed by the Black interior as well as radical and experimental traditions. Sprang’s work lives in gallery spaces, theater spaces and the space between the ears. In 2022, Sprang was awarded both the Pew Fellowship and the Knight Foundation Art + Tech Fellowship for his work with the only 4DSound system in America.

A graduate of the Cooper Union (BFA) and the University of Pennsylvania (MFA), Sprang has completed numerous residencies domestically and internationally including MONOM, Shandaken, YoungArts, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Public Theater, BHQFU, Fountainhead, FringeArts and The Kitchen. Sprang has shown and/or performed at The Brooklyn Museum, TATE Museum, PAFA Museum, The Aldrich Museum, The Kitchen, Storm King Art Center, The Public Theater, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Margulies Collection, David Nolan Gallery, The Apollo Theater, Pioneer Works, On The Boards, Northwest Film Forum, Knockdown Center and The Painted Bride Art Center.

JOHN PASMORE is the founder and CEO or Latimer.AI, an Artificial Intelligence company built to be the premier Large Language Model focused on accurate historical information and bias-free interaction for Black and Brown audiences and anyone who values precision in their data.He recently served as a partner at the Family Office, TRS Capital and at Movita Organics, an organic supplement company led by filmmaker and social activist, Tonya Lewis Lee. John sits on the Board of Directors of Outward Bound USA. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from SUNY and a B.A. in Computer Science from Columbia University.