Candidate for Visiting Professor of Media Arts & Technology at New Mexico Highlands University

Jess Lanham’s Portfolio

1.

Found in the overflow

An MFA thesis exhibition at the Dwan Light Sanctuary

Found in the overflow focuses on the aftermath of the 2022 Hermit’s Peak and Calf Canyon fires. I’m captivated by the intertwined complexities of the fire's impact on our notion of home. The show featured installations of videos projection mapped onto wildfire ash substrates, zooming into subtle details of a changed landscape.

2. Shared Futures

Role: Artist and Lead Fabricator

Shared Futures is an artist-scientist collaboration culminating in an exhibit at Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

About Project:

I collaborated with a hydrologist conducting research in the watersheds affected by the Hermit’s Peak / Calf Canyons fires. The watersheds were severely compromised by debris flow from the fires.

Wildfire & Watersheds: Interwoven Futures is an interactive water sculpture based on the concept of turbidity.

Viewers pushed down on a seesaw mechanism to activate turbid water containing sediment and ash, which then washed over a laser-etched map of the Gallinas, Mora, Sapello, and Pecos watersheds.

3. Stateful

Role: Branding, Art Direction, & Website Design

Stateful helps software developers build sustainable work habits. Their platform enables critical infrastructure teams to discover, run, share, and test operational docs.

I worked closely with the founder of Stateful on the brand and website redesign. He wanted a modern, tech-forward look, so I developed an art direction inspired by space and glowing solar flares, and carried this motif throughout the site’s graphics.

Stateful brand color palette

Sage Green

#8BCEB6

Soft Yellow

#F7E298

Coral

#FF906E

Sky Blue

#96B9FD

Sand (background)

#FFF6EA

Midnight (background)

#010A17

Stateful brand typography

Typography | Inter

4. TRACE by Nevados

Logo design, Brand & Campaign Development

Nevados Solar is a renewable energy company that designs and manufactures all-terrain trackers for solar panels.

Nevados needed a logo and branding for their All Terrain Tracker, TRACE so I designed a logo that emulates the curve and topography of the land the solar tracker can accommodate.

Nevados asked for a visual audit and a new approach to TRACE’s brand assets. I created a series of campaign materials to promote TRACE, including diagrams, slide decks, and brochures.

5. Portrait of a River

Community-engaged project & letterpress workshop

UNM graduate, daniela del mar, and I collaborated on a project about the Gallinas River. I see the Gallinas as an old friend, and we were curious how others view their relationship with this river. In Portrait of a River, we asked local residents to help us create this work by sharing their feelings about the Gallinas River. We held a letterpress workshop where local community members used wildfire charcoal to print their responses on vellum and incorporate them into a large sculpture.

The sculpture was made from silk dipped in the Gallinas, laid on rocks, and painted with a cornstarch solution to hold their form.

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