Gail Rubini, Professor Emeritus of Art and Design from Florida State University, is an artist and designer working in the field of new media and publishing in interactive media. She has an interest in collaborative projects in visualization and public installation work that includes video and sound.
Gail Rubini worked with FSU for over 20 years. She was Chair of the Art Department for her first six years and moved into the classroom to teach design courses in 1995. Gail felt that designers are an integral part of our lives, and expanding use of design has come to dominate public space. She felt that her time here was a wonderful opportunity to teach students design and Gail saw many of them become successful professionals in the field.
Before coming to FSU, Gail worked for many years in New York City with professionals as clients, in workshops, seminars, and conferences. She brought to FSU her experience and a commitment to the relationship of designers to the world and how maintaining that relationship is a continuous learning process. In her teaching, she encouraged students to adapt information into a way of seeing and to develop an approach that leads them to understand our rapidly changing society. It inspired her to see students develop a method for solving problems, to think critically and to develop a personal visual style of design.
“Throughout her career, Gail Rubini has worked in publishing and media art forms. As indicated by her resume, Gail’s artwork is included in many of the top collections in the country in her area. Gail has received numerous grants for her work and for the work of related arts activities. This is an indication of the high quality of her work and the projects she is involved in. – Marsha Orr, Art Consultant
She completed My Alaska, too, a 27 foot media installation piece in Anchorage, Alaska. For the past few years she worked on several pieces about the Delaware River – Trickles to Transport and Delaware River Project #1 and series of digital prints called Taken, interpreting street art and print space. v1b3, the second area, uses video and sound projections in urban environments. Her design projects include: Project Leader for a European Graphic and New Media Design Program in London; designX: critical reflections, an exhibition, website and publication discussing the current role of design in our culture; The Future of the Book of the Future, a series of exhibitions, publications and an award-winning web site that examined the future forms of the book and the dissemination of ideas; Silent Invaders, a website for middle school students to explore effects of invasive plants and animals in North American ecosystems; Burning Issues 2 and Fire at Wildhorse Basin DVD and web site that explores the use of fire management in North America public lands; and Personal Media – Public Good, 5 short video and flash pieces designed for cell phone delivery that explored ways that mobile media interaction can be used to enhance the social quality of life.
She comes to design and new media with a B.A. in Math and Fine Art (Honors) from the University of California at Los Angeles, an M.F.A. in photography and glass art from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an MBA specializing in finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago. At Florida State University she chaired the Fine Art department, proposed and developed new academic programs and curricula, collaborated on programs, and served as an evaluator for NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) She has worked in the media for over 25 years and often involves students in special projects ranging from experimental artwork to corporate work benefiting community causes.
