Bio + CV
Sagan Yee (they/them) is a media artist and organizer Toronto. Their personal practice includes classical animation, experimental screen-based digital games, alternative controller collaborations, and speculative fiction. They have spoken about inclusivity, community-building and game-making in places like Montreal, Austin, San Francisco, Berlin, and Johannesburg. From 2016 to 2020, they were Executive Director of Hand Eye Society, a video game arts non-profit. Currently, they are pursuing an MFA in Design Media Arts at UCLA.
April 2023: Information on this page may be outdated. Please contact me at hey @ saganyee.com for a recent CV.
Education
Masters of Fine Arts, Design Media Arts
University of California, Los Angeles (2023-2026)
Bachelor of Applied Arts, Classical Animation
Sheridan College (2007-2011)
Art Fundamentals
Sheridan College (2006-2007)
Videogames
WELCOME TO NEW LUX PLAZA (2018)
Vector Festival: Local Host IRL + online exhibit, 2017
LASER BLAST: THE FMV GAME (2016)
w. The Laser Blast Film Society // programming
Royal Cinema
Fantastic Fest, Austin TX
PUNK PRISM POWER (2015)
w. Alicia Contestabile, Nadine Lessio, Lindy Wilkins, Jenn Woodall, Maggie McLean // art, programming, peripherals design
DMG x Vector Fest Killer Interfaces
IndieCade Official Selection: Night Games, LA
RED RIGHT HAND (2015)
w. Nicole Del Medico // design
System.Failure OCAD exhibit
CHEATING PERSPECTIVE (2015)
w. Tara "Kitty" Renwick // illustrations
Indigicade at imagineNATIVE
HAIK0DE (2014)
w. Whitney French
Winter Bit Bazaar
I'M FINE (2013)
Rokashi // illustrations
Bit Bazaar
PSXXYBORG (2013)
w. Hannah Epstein + Alex Leitch // video content, design
Queer Arcade + Vector Fest, 2013
Toronto Long Winter, 2013
Montreal Sight + Sound, 2014
LONG TIME COMING (2013)
w. Nadine Lessio // art, writing
DMG Feb Fatale Jam
Toronto Long Winter
FanExpo
ICARUS (2011)
Difference Engine Initiative
Professional Experience
Hand Eye Society
Executive Director (present)
TAC Leaders Lab
Fellow (2018)
Toronto Arts Council
Juror, Media Arts (2017)
OCAD University
Instructor, Conceptual Game Design (2016)
Ontario Arts Council
Juror, Media Arts: Emerging Artists (2014)
Talks and Workshops
Signal Boosting and Curation: Cultural Intermediaries Panel (2017) Indie Interfaces, Montreal
Hand Eye Society: Who We Are and What We Do (2017) A MAZE Festival, Johannesburg
From Glitch Goddess to Vaporwave: Dreams of a Better Dystopia Keynote (2017) Different Games, Toronto
Video Games Are Boring (2017) SXSW, Austin
PsXXYborg Retrospective (2016) Different Games, NYC
Ripple Effect: How Women In Gaming Initiatives Make A Difference (2016) GDC, San Francisco
Arcade curator, panel moderator, workshop coordinator (2016) Kingston Canadian Film Festival
Game Curious, regional perspectives on game development (2015) Different Games, NYC
Videogames for Community Engagement (2014) Allied Media Conference, Detroit
HES initiatives Game Curious and To The Streets (2014) Jane's Walk: Tech & the City, Toronto
Transcending Boundaries – Standing Out and Taking Up Space (2014) Feminist Art Conference, Toronto
w. Team PsXXYborg
Going Beyond Filmmaking Traditions (2013) Reel Asian Industry Series at AGO, Toronto
Promoting Diversity in the Videogame Community (2013) Canzine Symposium, Toronto
Animation in Art & Digital Storytelling Workshop (2013) Allied Media Conference, Detroit
Press A to Jump: Animation in Games Panel (2012) TAAFI, London ON
Women in Film, Games & New Media Panel + Difference Engine Initiative Showcase (2011) TIFF Nexus/WIFT-T, Toronto
Difference Engine Initiative II (2011) TIFF Nexus, Toronto
w. Una Lee