Selected Work

About

Jessie Contour is an educator and mentor. Her teaching methods center on project-based, concept-forward explorations of technology. She is a full time Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin within the College of Fine Art’s Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET) program. In AET Jessie is a subject matter expert in physical computing, immersive media, experience design, and technical art.

Jessie is also a designer, maker, and creative technologist. She makes interactive pieces that focus on play and use unique controls. Her process includes research, storytelling, rapid prototyping, collaboration and iteration. She has worked with AAA video game studios, museums, educational programs, and startups. Within these fields her focus has been on creating interactive experiences for art, play, and education. She has built digital tools for community engagement, designed a permanent exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History to teach children about earthquakes, and launched video games as part of a global team. She also enjoys creating public art and has worked on two projects with the NYC Department of Transportation to beautify public spaces.

Outside of teaching Jessie is an owner of and coach at Home Barbell Club, a strength gym in North Austin. She has almost a decade of experience training in powerlifting and has competed at USAPL Raw Nationals.

Experience

  • Home Barbell Club, 2022 - Present: Owner
  • University of Texas at Austin, 2020 - Present: Assistant Professor of Practice
  • BlueStamp Engineering, 2018 - 2020: Director
  • Parsons School of Design, 2016 - 2020: Adjunct Professor
  • Hunter College, 2017 - 2020: Adjunct Assistant Professor
  • Decoded, 2017 - 2018: Workshop Facilitator
  • American Museum of Natural History, 2016 - 2017 Bridge Up: STEM Helen Fellow
  • Avalanche Studios, 2014 - 2015: 3D Technical Animator
  • Turbine Inc, 2013 - 2014: 3D Technical Content Artist
  • Lesley University, 2014: Adjunct Professor
  • Northeastern University, 2013: Adjunct Professor

Education

  • MFA Design & Technology, Parsons School of Design. Distinguished Honors
  • BFA Digital Art & Animation, Northeastern University. Summa Cum Laude

Public Speaking