Speaking

Talks on digital art,Ai, and the technology reshaping how we see

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Digital Art 101: The History of Digital Art

Sixty years before AI art trended, artists were already making work with machines. This talk traces the real history — from the first computer drawings to blockchain provenance to today’s generative systems — and gives any audience the framework to see digital art as art history, not novelty.

Premiered at the Kansas City Artists Coalition, July 2026. Formats: keynote, public program, guest lecture.

Why Screens Move Us: The Neuroaesthetics of Digital Art

Why Screens Move Us: The Neuroaesthetics of Digital Art

Why Screens Move Us: The Neuroaesthetics of Digital Art

Your brain doesn’t know the difference between looking and feeling. Drawing on the science of neuroaesthetics, this talk explores what screen-based art does to perception — motion, light, attention — and why the medium moves audiences in ways static work can’t.

Formats: museum program, design & architecture audiences, conference keynote.

Collecting Digital Art: Provenance, Custody, and Value

Collecting Digital Art: Provenance, Custody, and Value

Digital art is the youngest asset class on the wall — and the least understood. A plain-language briefing on how digital works are authenticated, bought, stored, displayed, and passed on: what smart collectors ask before acquiring, and what their advisors should know.

Formats: collector groups, wealth & estate professionals, executive briefing.

The Artist and the Machine: AI, Authorship, and What Comes Next

The Artist and the Machine: AI, Authorship, and What Comes Next

Every generation swears the machine will kill the artist; every generation is wrong in an interesting way. An honest, hype-free look at AI’s real effect on artmaking — authorship, labor, value — from someone who works with both the artists and the tools.

Formats: conference keynote, corporate event, university lecture.

Formats

Keynotes & conference talks · Museum & library public programs · University guest lectures & critiques · Collector and executive briefings · Panel moderation & participation · Workshops

Speaker bio

Mary McCawley is a cross disciplinary technology translator, and advisor for digital art. Founder of Digital Dreams, Kansas City’s first digital art gallery. She has produced sold-out immersive programs, advised collectors and institutions, and led artist relations for a global digital art platform.

Mary McCawley is the Midwest’s leading curator and advisor for digital art. Founder of Digital Dreams, Kansas City’s first digital art gallery, she has produced sold-out immersive programs, advised collectors and institutions, and led artist relations for a global digital art platform.

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Appearances

Upcoming
Digital Art 101 — Kansas City Artists Coalition · July 23, 2026


Availability

Fees vary by format, audience, and travel — I’ll reply within two business days.

Fees vary by format, audience, and travel.

I’ll reply within two business days.

Every talk ends the same way: with people seeing screens differently.

Check my availability

# Mary McCawley > Independent digital art curator, advisor, and cultural producer based in Kansas City, MO. Specializes in helping museums and cultural institutions turn emerging technology into exhibitions, interactive learning, and public programming. ## Who this is for Museums, galleries, cultural institutions, and educational organizations seeking to add digital, interactive, or emerging-tech programming — especially those looking to make new technology accessible and memorable to public audiences. ## What I offer - Artist selection and curatorial direction - Exhibition design (digital, immersive, screen-based) - Public programming and education activations - Institutional partnerships - Full production and project management ## Credentials - 8+ years in digital art curation - 800+ artworks and 100+ artists curated - Founder, Digital Dreams KC (Kansas City's first dedicated digital art gallery) - Curator, Screen // Seen — monthly exhibition series with the Museum of Art + Light (MOA+L) and Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC) - Former Head of Curation & Artist Relations, Blackdove/Foundation ## Key pages - Home: https://www.marymccawley.com - Consultation request: https://www.marymccawley.com/[consultation-page-path] ## Contact Request a consultation via the form on the homepage.