Director of Operations

Being born and raised in the Silicon Valley created a palpable relationship with the digital world for Tana Sprague. Early academic and social exposure to the potential future of home computing contributed significantly to her adaptability, and ability to imagine possibilities that reach beyond our current means. During childhood she would frequently spend time writing computer programs at school, exploring the beaches and mountains of Santa Cruz, roaming the work areas of HP with her mother, and lying in front of speakers deeply listening to music with her grandfather. Through this environment and experience she developed an appreciation of the beauty in micro details, and the desire to negotiate a balance between nature, art, and technology.

Her foundation in new media theory and practice was constructed while earning a BA degree in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) at the University of California at San Diego. During this time she was awarded two consecutive fellowships at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, investigating Sonification and Visualization, and Networked Audio-Visual Performance. The culmination of this work earned her the ICAM Artistic Achievement Award in 2004. She completed her formal education at Mills College, receiving a MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media.

Since 2004 she has worked alongside RML’s founder and Director Naut Humon; performing various roles including research and development intern, performance systems specialist, production manager, audio-visual engineer, event coordinator, international relations delegate, and most recently as Associate Director. In January of 2009 Naut Humon gave her the opportunity to lead the partnership development with GAFFTA.

Regardless of temporal situations and circumstance, Tana’s professional, artistic, and personal development remain inseparably guided by her passionate dedication to exploring and facilitating open-ended possibilities for creative exchange.