Q&A: Misbits Merges Art and Technology

For over a year, Misbits: A New Media Art Space has been filling up the lobby and gallery space at the Edison with appreciators of both art and innovation. The brainchild of Valerie Guinn Polgar, Misbits combined artistic expression with cutting-edge tech.

Recently, Misbits announced it was leaving its normal haunt next door to the Powerhouse and changing its focus and approach. We caught up with founder Valerie Guinn Polgar to reflect on the success of the first year and gain insight into what lies ahead.
HottyToddy.com: First off, who is Valerie Guinn Polgar, and how’d she get to Oxford?
Guinn Polgar: I moved to Oxford with my family almost three years ago because my husband (Paul J. Polgar) was offered a tenure track job in the Ole Miss history department. We have moved around quite a bit, and I had never run into problems finding work. I am a new media artist and educator. Since moving to Oxford, I have also become a founder/director of an arts entity and a film festival programmer.
HottyToddy.com: What was the goal behind Misbits? What has it provided the students/artists?

Guinn Polgar: The goal was to add to the already thriving art community that Oxford has by promoting an aspect of art that I was not seeing when I first moved here. When I first arrived – and I would describe myself as a new media artist – many would assume that I meant graphic designer. Now I feel that there is a wider awareness of what a new media artist is. The best story that I have involving students is from recent MFA grad Hailey Hodge from the art department here who took my LED workshop and held her own solo show (inspired by the “misbits challenge” where artists were asked to create an art making event where visitors could follow instructions in order to build a community art piece). Both of these experiences helped her in realizing her thesis project, both thematically and technically. Misbits also provided the opportunity for seven artists to hold their own solo shows. For five of those artists, it was their first solo show experience. It also brought people, ranging from New York City to Hawaii, who had never visited the South, to Oxford, Mississippi, and each one of them had a very positive experience.

HottyToddy.com: Where did the idea for Misbits come from?
Guinn Polgar: Misbits started out of desperation after moving to a place where I was seemingly unemployable. I could not find work so I made myself a job doing what I was the most passionate about, which is promoting and educating on new media art. I wanted to create a space that promoted art created through the use of technology and collaboration by providing workshops where “high-tech” tools could be demystified while being used to create artwork. I also felt that it was important to show new media art that was currently being produced, which is why my space would transform into almost monthly solo shows.
HottyToddy.com: You’ve moved out of the Edison. What’s the plan now?

Guinn Polgar: I am going to be putting on less frequent yet larger events. I have moved into a private studio, so I no longer have to move all of my personal work in and out of one space as shows come and go. I am partnering with the Oxford Film Festival in order to put on a yearly media arts exhibit, the first of which will be for the upcoming festival in February of 2019 and will be housed within the Powerhouse. It will include installation work as well as an interactive cinematic performance piece. In partnering with the Arter Limits Fringe Festival, I will also be holding a yearly community art making event. This year, I will be organizing a Fluxus workshop, and that too is still coming together.
HottyToddy.com: How has the digital revolution changed our way of life in general?
Guinn Polgar: In almost every way possible. It has opened up endless creative possibilities that are becoming more and more accessible as well as a wealth of resources for education. The downside is that tools meant to make our lives easier have made our lives harder in some ways because we are always on, in a sense. We are all more connected, yet more disconnected. For me personally, it means that I truly can live anywhere without having to give up my passions and that resources for further educating myself did not end with my formal education.
For more information, follow Misbits on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misbitsnma/
Or visit them on the web: https://misbitsnma.com

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By Daniel Perea
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