We would like to share with you that Roddy Schrock, who has led Eyebeam for a decade, will step down on June 30 to pursue a new venture.

Roddy began a conversation with us nearly two years ago about his desire to explore a new interests, which he writes about in a special message on eyebeam.org, here.

An artist, and a champion for artists, we are grateful to Roddy for his vision, imagination, and tenacity. His leadership is distinguished by an adventurous, ambitious arc of support and nourishment for artists, and bold initiatives. He has left an indelible mark on our young history, beginning with a recentering the focus of the organization in the 2010s on providing direct financial support to artists, while increasing the number of artists who receive fellowships. We are a more established, and publicly recognized organization because of his tireless energy, as he expanded on our early, experimental ethos and helped transform Eyebeam into an agile, dynamic resource for artists with a sense of urgency about how we live today.

Roddy arrived at Eyebeam in 2009, at a time when we were located in West Chelsea, a neighborhood that rarely made space for digital work. He soon led a new chapter for Eyebeam from our former street level public storefront, including exhibitions, community public programming, and initiatives to give artists a voice in a changing world. He successfully steered Eyebeam through the pandemic and ultimately expanded our support to a broader and more diverse community of artists, technologists, engineers, anywhere in the world.

Eyebeam is a living, breathing organization, an organization that is “constantly becoming.” We are also a community. As we begin to envision our next chapter, and in ways that are thoughtful, grounded, and meaningful to all whose lives and work we touch, we want to listen. That is why we are delighted to share with you that we have engaged with FLOX Studio, a community design and strategy consultancy rooted in Black feminist theory, Afrofuturism, and social justice, to assist us in alumni and community listening to ensure that our next chapter continues to support and nourish experimentation, innovation, and creativity.

Roddy believes art and invention can make a better world, and he has helped to center artists who both delight in tech and are wary of it. Join us in thanking Roddy for his decade of service to Eyebeam and art making. We wish him well, and we look forward to our next chapter together with you.

Emma Canarick
Chair

Kenyatta Cheese
Vice-Chair