DR. MILENA POPOV - NENA

Dr. Milena Popov ("Nena") is a Yugoslavian-born, New York City-based interdisciplinary artist and scholar. She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, Theory of Arts and Media from the University of Arts, Belgrade. She earned an MFA and a BFA in Painting and Art Education from the Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, and also studied at the Summer Academy at the University of Amsterdam, and at the New Bulgarian University for Performing Arts in Sofia. Popov has been an university professor since 2007. Currently, she teaches a course on fashion and power at NYU in New York, a course on emerging digital media and culture at Fordham University, as well as art, and interdisciplinary sustainability and environmental justice courses at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York. She is a founding member of the Environmental Justice and Sustainability Minor (EJS) at John Jay College. Popov has an extensive experience in merging art and science fields together in her research, teaching and artworks. Few years ago, for John Jay College she has developed and teaches an interdisciplinary course called Eco Art and Design, a studio art course that is bridging art and environmental sustainability studies in various ways, as well as linking two college departments and two minors (EJS and ART). Popov has written and published texts on art, media and culture, held many lectures, and participated in numerous panels and conferences. She is the founder, organizer, and moderator of the Intellectual Salon (since 2012) and the co-founder of multimedia art group Aufwiedersehen (in 1997). As an artist she is also a member of few art associations such as International Eco Art Network. Her work is included in both public and private collections around the world, including Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina in Novi Sad (Serbia). Popov is the recipient of several grants, honors, and awards, and has exhibited her artworks at 26 solo and over 70 group exhibits worldwide.

Some recent exhibits and art presentations:

2023 Unpsychology: Imaginings (2023). Issue 9.2, p 27, www.unpsychology.org

2023 Four Seasons, solo exhibition, Cultural Center, Zrenjanin, Serbia

2022 Buzzing Calligrafitti, StreetNotes journal, Volume 29, “New York City in Transformation” special issue edited by LinDa Saphan and Jennifer

M. Pipitone, eScholarship University of California, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rv133kf

2021 Crevice Communities, online exhibition curated by Jennifer Munday and Elizabeth Wulff, Charles Stuart University, Bathurst, Australia,

https://creativepracticecircle.csu.domains/2021-program/exhibition-2021/

Becoming, curated by Camilla Nelson, Vienna Biennale for Change 2021: PLANET LOVE. Climate Care in the Digital Age, Vienna, Austria

Biotransformation, solo exhibition, Galerija Terra, Kikinda, Serbia

Unpsychology: Climate, Complexity, Change (2021). Issue 7, pp. 70-79, www.unpsychology.org

2020 DIY Fashion, online presentation, Evolutionary Studies Collaborative, St. Frances College, Brooklyn, USA

Polycentric, Dialogical, and Relational, virtual exhibit, curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos, https://www.polycentric.art/polycentric/

Becoming Human, Soundart Radio, Totnes, UK - November 2020, http://www.soundartradio.org.uk/tomorrows-transmissions/becoming/

Art Hole: 3 magazine, August issue, London, UK, www.ahole.co.uk

Art-in-Place, curated by Cortney Lederer, online exhibition, https://www.cnlprojects.org/artinplace

Becoming Fungus, Soundart Radio, Totnes, UK, http://www.soundartradio.org.uk/tomorrows-transmissions/becoming/,

https://soundcloud.com/camilla-nelson/becoming-fungus

Unpsychology: Other-than-Human Anthology, Issue 6, London, UK, pp. 98-107, www.unpsychology.org/latest-issue

2019 Phenomenal Woman, online exhibit, Still Point Art Gallery,

https://www.shantiarts.co/SPAQ/SPAQ36/files/exhibition.pdf

Extinct Species Memorial, performances curated by Elizabeth Demaray and Sophy Tuttle,

entrance stairs of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA

Scratching Out Tabula Plenus of the Global Cloud Feudalism: Waves, Seventeenth International Conference

on New Directions in the Humanities,University of Granada, Granada, Spain

Transformative Potential of Non-Toxic and Eco Ephemeral Art in Nature: Communication with Nature,

Art in the Anthropocene conference, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

2018 Green Habitat, curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos, President’s Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice,

New York, USA

Passion Continued, Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center, New York, USA

Wearing Memories, online exhibit, FIT, New York, USA - May 29 to November 17, 2018,

https://museumatfit.tumblr.com/post/182461800763/wearing-memories-black-dress

Media Crossing, (with group Aufwiedersehen and Majamisty TriO), Contemporary Gallery Subotica, Subotica, Serbia

2017 Passion. Connected, Gallery Korea, New York, USA

Eco Fashion Show, John Jay College, The City University of New York, New York, USA

Clotheline Project, John Jay College, The City University of New York, New York, USA

Close Your Eyes and See, The Tenth Global Studies Conference, National University of Singapore,

Singapore, Singapore

2016 3D Steet Art, 6. Korzo fest, Zrenjanin, Serbia

2015 Was ist Kunst/ kunst is was/, KruparArt art residency, Backo Dusanovo, Serbia

2014 Social Justice and the Right to be Human, conference and exhibition curated by Bill Pungburn and Thalia

Vrachopoulos, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece

Here. Now. Where?, curated by Saout Radio, sound art, Marrakech Biennale 5, Marrakech, Morocco

The Middle of Nowhere, photo-installations, Cultural Center Rakovica, Belgrade, Serbia

DigitalBigScreen 2014 festival, sound art, Trbovlje, Slovenia

KruparArt art residency program, painting, Krupara, Backo Dusanovo, Serbia

Chat with Paolina and Rain Dots, photo-installation and sound art exhibited at the Communication Breakdown:

Ksenija Kovacevic, gallery Likovni susret, Subotica, Serbia

Bringing the Hidden into View, installation and video, the Environmental Film Festival,

John Jay College, The City University of New York, New York, USA

2013 Inventia Inclusiva, Triennial of Expanded Media, photo-installation, Pavilion Cvjeta Zuzoric, Belgrade, Serbia

History! Hauntings & Palimpsests, 2 channel video, Anya & Andrew Shiva Gallery, New York, USA

2012 Art in the Open Space, Ada Art fest 2012, photo-installation, Belgrade, Serbia

Drawn to Red, photographs, Villa Rosa, Muizenberg, Cape Town, (South Africa

Group Aufwiedersehen presentation, ArtWiki, 7th Berlin Biennial, Berlin, Germany

2011 Acquisitions, Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia

Remembering the River, watercolors, Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia, New York, USA

2010 Update: Your Own Female Profile, photo-installation, O3on galerija, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Serbia

Art Residency in Plavne, paintings, gallery of Castle Dundjerski, Kulpin, Serbia

2009 Dear Country Men and Country Women, video-installation, Gallery MC, New York, USA

Queens Sky, mail-art, Local Project gallery, New York, USA

2008 Museum Night, video, Savremena galerija (Contemporary Gallery), Zrenjanin, Serbia

January Salon, photo-installation, Williamsburg Art & Historic Center, New York, USA

Chat with Paolina, Savremena galerija (Contemporary Gallery), Zrenjanin, Serbia

Side View, multimedia-installation, Kulturni centar (Cultural Center), Zrenjanin, Serbia

2007 The Night of 1000 drawings, drawings, Artists Space, New York, USA

Secrets of Queens, Local Project gallery, New York, USA

Lollipop, Body and Consumption, Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia

Dokumenti, photo-installation, HDLU, Gallery MC Luka, Pula, Croatia

namaTRE.ba, photo-installation, Modern Gallery, Trebinje, Bosnia

Some recent and upcoming conferences, talks, workshops:

2024 “Creating with Generative AI: Fashion, Art, Sustainability” Intellectual Salon online, New York, USA

“Exhibition Four Seasons” interview, Santos TVstation, Zrenjanin, Serbia

2022 “Eco Artistic Dialog in Public Parks and Beaches: Transformative Potential of Non-Toxic and Ephemeral Art” (paper accepted but

presentation cancelled due to pandemic), Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society, Zaragoza, Spain

2021 ‘Earth Law & The Right of Nature: A New Generation of Laws Built for Nature” (on-demand virtual workshop), Global Conference on

Sustainability in Higher Education, online conference, Philadelphia, USA

“Transformative Potential of Eco Drawing and Singing: Drawing with Sun, Plants, and Audience” STREAMS:

Transformative Environmental Humanities, Stockholm, Sweden (presentation cancelled due to pandemic)

“Learning from Polar Observations: Sea Level Rise, Forever Chemicals, Indigenous Knowledge” (poster presentation with Stephen

Pekar and Paul Bartlett), CUNY Conference on Climate Change Education, New York, USA

Workshop co-organizer (with Paul Bartlett): “Climate and Environmental Justice Problem and Project-Based Teaching in Graduate

Education” Graduate Education at Work in the World conference, Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, USA

2020 “Cyborg Fashion” Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices, Pratt Institute, New York, USA

Online workshop leader (collaborated with Paul Bartlett and Karen Malpede): “Pandemic Student Experience

as Foundation for Engagement with Sustainability and Solutions,” Eighth Annual International Conference on

Sustainable Development (ICSD), Columbia University and United Nation Sustainability Network, New York, USA

“Evolution of Fashion: From Environmental Problem to Solution” online workshop, Evolutionary Studies

Collaborative, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, USA

Online workshop leader (collaborated with Paul Bartlett and Karen Malpede) and presenter: “Teaching

Sustainability, Resilience, and Environmental Justice, and Resilience Based on Student Pandemic Experiences,”

Faculty Development Day, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, New York, USA

2019 “Futurism” round table, Fashion Now and Then conference, LIM College, New York, NY, USA

Seventeenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities,University of Granada, July 3-5, Granada, Spain

Fourteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society, Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, June 19-21, Lisbon, Portugal

Twelfth Global Studies Conference, Jagiellonian University, June 27-28, Krakov, Poland

Art in the Anthropocene conference, Trinity College, June 7-9, Dublin, Ireland

Invited project consultant “Fashion and Environment,” Climate Science class, Fordham University, April 19, New

York, USA

38th Social Research Conference (SENCER) "Unknowability: How Do We Know What Cannot Be Known?,"The New School, April 4-5, New

York, USA

Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices, St. Petersburg University, March 7-9, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Invited talk “Fashion and Environmental Justice,” Sustainability and the Future of Fashion class, LIM College, February 11, New York, USA

Fifteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability, UBC Robson Square, January 17-19,

Vancouver, Canada

2018 Invited talk “Vulnerability and Sustainability of the New York City Waterfront,” Climate Science class, Fordham University, November 25, New

York, USA

Fashion Now and Then conference, LIM College, October 18-20, New York, USA

Fifth International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD), Columbia University, September 25-27, New York, USA

Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies, October 18-19, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences,University of Granada, July 30-31, Granada, Spain

Invited artist talk “My Non-Toxic Paintings at the Green Habitat Exhibit,” Ecology of the 5 Boroughs class, President’s Gallery, John Jay

College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, May 11, New York, NY, USA

First Radical Relevances Conference, Aalto University, April 14-16, Espoo, Finland

Fourteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability, The Cairns Institute, James Cook

University, January 17-19, Cairns, Australia

Workshop co-organizer (with Paul Bartlett) and presenter: “Sustainability and Environmental Justice Across the Curriculum,”

Faculty Development Day, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, January 25, New York, USA

2017 Communication and Media Studies Conference, University of British Columbia – Robson Square, November, Vancouver, Canad

Fashion Now and Then conference, LIM College, October 18-22, New York, USA

Fifteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, July 5-7, Imperial College London, London, UK

The Twelfth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, July 26-28,

International Conference Center Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

Twelfth International Conference on the Arts in Society, June 14-16, The American

University of Paris, Paris, France

The Tenth Global Studies Conference, June 8-9, National University of Singapore,

Singapore

Juror at the NYCSEF (New York City Science & Engineering Fair), March 1, The City College of New York, CUNY, New York, USA

2016 Communication and Media Studies Conference, University Center Chicago, September, Chicago, USA

Panel chair and presenter Acceleration into the Post-Human, Post Anthropocene, 23rd International Symposium on Electronic Arts (ISEA),

May 18-22, Hong Kong

6. Symposium in Korean Studies, Academy for Korean Studies, April 22-30, Seoul, South Korea

Panel chair and presenter Acceleration into the Post-Human, Post Anthropocene, 47th NeMLA conference, March 20-24, Hartford, USA

Juror at the NYCSEF (New York City Science & Engineering Fair), March 6, The City College of New York, CUNY, New York, USA

Eco Fashion Show, October 27, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, USA

Renewable Futures conference, October 8-10, Riga, Latvia

True, Smart & Green Urban Society, 8th Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU), June 22-24, Incheon, South Korea

46th NeMLA conference, April 30-May 3, Toronto, Canada

Panel chair and presenter Eco-Aesthetics and Environmental Justice, No Justice, No Piece conference, May 29-31,

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, New York, USA

Invited talk Soap Opera: Women’s Genre or Genre for Women, Women and Media class, March 11, The Old Westbury College, SUNY, Old

Westbury, USA

Juror at the NYCSEF (New York City Science & Engineering Fair), March 1, The City College of New York,

CUNY, New York, USA

2015 2nd Global Conference on Business and Social Sciences, July, Bali, Indonesia

2014 Semiotics between Comedy and Tragedy, Play and Revolt, Intellectual Salon, November 16 and 23, New York, USA

Invited talk EcoAesthetics, Brown Bag Lecture Series presented by the Sustainability and Environmental Justice

Minor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, October 14, New York

Encrypting out of semi-collective techno-subconscious, Intellectual Salon, May 18, New York, USA

Springtime is Coming, Metamorphosis and Side View, conference Social Justice and the Right to be Human, Athens School

of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece

Scratching Out Tabula Plenus of the Cloud Feudalism, Intellectual Salon, March 30, New York, USA

Acceleration into the Post-Human, Post Anthropocene, Intellectual Salon, January 19, New York, USA

2013 The Participatory Condition, Intellectual Salon, November 30, New York, USA

Visitor, Artist/Architect, or Both in an Exile, Intellectual Salon, June 5, New York, USA

Spatial Practices, Intellectual Salon, April 15, New York, USA

Relationships Between Biopolitics and EcoAesthetics in Theories of Arts and Media, PhD thesis, published by Milena Popov,

Zrenjanin, Serbia

Time of the Anthropocene, Intellectual Salon, January 30, New York, USA

2012 Art, Environment, and Technology, Intellectual Salon, May 25, New York, USA

Can Art Save the World?, Intellectual Salon, March 9, New York, USA

2011 Junk Food and Commercial Media Industry, discussion Philosophy (Ethics) of Media, Dom omladine, Belgrade

2010 Case Study: Monument of King Petar I Karadjordjevic in Zrenjanin, online conference Questioning Transitional Dynamics in

Re-defining Cultural Identities in South Eastern Europe, Ljubljana, Slovenia, http://rci.mirovni-institut.si/

Contemporary Art Scene in New York City, lecture, Savremena galerija, Zrenjanin, Serbia

2007 Invited talk Media Phenomenon of Oprah Winfrey, The New School/Parsons University, February 23, New York, USA

Some recently taught courses:

Eco Art and Design, studio art course (in-person and online)

Introduction to Drawing, studio art course (in-person and online)

Prehistoric Through Gothic, art history course (in-person)

Fashion and Power, interdisciplinary course (in-person)

Intro to Digital Technology and Emerging Media course (in-person)

Global Catastrophe in Arts and Media Representations, interdisciplinary course (team taught, in-person)

When Nature Roars: Global Catastrophe, interdisciplinary course (team taught, in-person)

Introduction to Sustainability Studies, interdisciplinary course (in-person and online)

Environmental Justice, interdisciplinary course (in-person and online)

Environmental Racism, interdisciplinary course (in-person)

Backyard Toxicology, science lab course (in-person and online)

Green Monster, forest ecology course (in-person and online)

What’s Good in the ‘Hood, environmental justice course (hybrid)

Fashion and Power

Why do we clothe ourselves? Do we truly choose what we wear or has it in some way been chosen for us? Is fashion good, or is it just another form of materialism that is reflective of a consumerist society? If so, what does it say about our ethos, its’ evolution through history, and where society is headed? What is the difference between fashion and clothing? Isn’t it all the same anyway? Why do some groups of people dress differently than others while, some strive to dress similarly? Do the clothes we wear change us and in turn the world we live in? This course looks at fashion from both a normative, and a scholarly lens as we not only try to understand the role of fashion in our personal lives, but also its effect on our culture and society. We come to grips with the interdisciplinary nature of fashion as it deals with economy, race, gender, class, sexuality, material culture, materiality, embodiment, aesthetics, semiotics, subcultures, globalization, and sustainability while developing creative methodological approaches that help us smoke out the ephemeral nature of fashion.

Intro to Digital Technology and Emerging Media

This course introduces key ideas in the field of digital media studies and explore the cognitive and cultural implications of living in a digital age. This course takes a specific interest in understanding the constant evolution of digital media technologies and investigates the emergence of older forms of “new” media—from the original internet to big data, from graphical user interfaces to social media platforms. As we do so, we will focus on how we use digital media, how that use impacts individual identities, behaviors, and relationships of power, and how that use is always governed by infrastructure, policies, and platform features.

Prehistoric Through Gothic

This survey of art from pre-history to the late Middle Ages builds visual understanding through close study of individual works of art in various media, including painting, sculpture and architecture. Connections between art works and their cultural contexts are emphasized, as are the cross-cultural exchanges which have enriched the diverse artistic traditions of Europe and the Americas. Museum visits are required.

Introduction to Drawing

Drawing is the oldest known form of communication, about 60,000 years old, while writing is only about 5,000 years old. This course is designed to develop student’s ability and appreciation for drawing as a way of thinking. Students will be introduced to different drawing media and techniques and develop drawing skills through direct observation, imagination and other conceptual models. The course will also provide a social and historical context to that art form through the study of history and theory of the medium. In every class we will see slides of drawings, not only in the context of art, but also in design, architecture, urban (graffiti, tattoos), etc. Class time will be divided between drawing exercises and projects, discussions, critiques, and demonstrations. This class will explore a variety of mark-making and mark-subtracting tools (conventional and unconventional) to convey perceptual metaphors. Students will consider drawing theory from both cognitive and historical perspectives. We will identify formal ideas and visual concepts through problem solving assignments in order to facilitate the student’s development of an informed artistic voice.

Eco Art and Design

This interdisciplinary studio art course explores diverse and exciting ways artists use to engage with our environmental challenges. Students will create a rich variety of art projects such as collages, jewelry, fashion design, and proposals for performances, installations and large scale art projects that remediate the environment. The inspiration for student projects will evolve from field trips, thought provoking videos and slides, discussions, exercises and experiments with found objects, and explorations of environmental problem sites.

Introduction to Sustainability Studies

Since the future of life on this planet now depends on us humans, this course provides an exciting opportunity to engage with the increasingly critical issues of the global ecological crisis that confront us in this era of climate change. Through field trips, films, theatrical performance, cutting-edge design and science projects, as well as readings, and discussions, this exciting interdisciplinary course examines the problems we cause and face, and, most importantly, explores possible solutions. Do you want to create a better future? Then become part of the solution by learning sustainability principles. The course fulfills the general education requirement in the World Cultures and Global Issues category of the Flexible Core, and serves as a gateway course to the new minor in Sustainability and Environmental Justice.

When Nature Roars: Global Catastrophe

In this course, we will collectively explore various catastrophes, asking what degree of human responsibility is linked to them. We will engage in readings and other materials that help us to think critically about “natural disasters,” as well as develop and undertake original research within our own communities. As a class, we will also build on individual and group work to produce a shared scholarly, creative, and public response to catastrophes. Course materials and discussions will address the causes, effects, and consequences of natural and man-made catastrophes within and across national, regional, and global boundaries, and the moral, ethical, and legal dimensions of preventing and responding to such crises. This course satisfies the World Cultures and Global Issues requirement in the general education curriculum.

Global Catastrophe in Arts and Media Representations

This course is another version of When Nature Roars: Global Catastrophe course, the one that focuses on representations of global “natural” catastrophes in various arts and media (from visual arts, music, and poetry to dance, theater, film, and news.

Environmental Justice

We are used to thinking about nature and culture, society and the environment as separate spheres, and we still often discuss issues of social justice and questions of environmental protection as if they bore no relation to each other. The already devastating effects of human-induced climate-change around the globe – borne most heavily by the least privileged – are only the most obvious and urgent reminder that such distinctions are based on false premises. Drawing from the social sciences, the humanities, and the sciences, this interdisciplinary course will provide you with an understanding of the main principles and issues of environmental justice, emphasizing their international scope and the inextricable connection of the local and the global in matters of environmental equity.

Environmental Racism

This course reveals ways that environmental degradation and hazards disproportionately affect people of color in the United States. Its purpose is to analyze theories of environmental racism, and the impacts and implications of (intentional and unintentional) unjust environmental practices, particularly on low-income African American, Latino, and indigenous communities. Students will describe and analyze environmental problems, propose solutions, and examine data about the environment and such environmental crises as lead poisoning, air pollution, and the location of hazardous wastes in communities of color.

What is Good in the Neighborhood?

This interdisciplinary course defines and explores political ecology and environmental justice in our neighborhoods (in several case studies), including examination of the importance of green spaces. Through the use of GIS, surveys, field trips, videos, readings, and discussions, students design and conduct experiments, analyze the results, and present the findings in several scientific formats to their peers. This multi-media, participative content is used to build students’ own research and presentation skills.

Backyard Toxicology

Toxins are all around us, in the air we breathe and the food we eat. Toxicology, the study of how toxins interact with organisms, involves aspects of physics, biology, chemistry, and geology. This course will help you prepare for advanced courses in all disciplines of science by allowing you to start thinking about science as a series of questions rather than simply memorization of terms and concepts. By “thinking like a toxicologist”, you will build skills to help you succeed in any college-level class. The goal of this course is to design a toxicology experiment, conduct the experiment, analyze the results, and present the findings in a scientific format to your peers.

The Green Monster: Introduction to the Ecology, Diversity and Importance of Forests

The Green Monster demonstrates the interconnectedness of all life and the interactions between living systems and the global environment. It introduces students to key biology and ecology concepts and provides basic knowledge about forests and their importance to people. Participative, experiential, and multi-media content are used to build students’ own research skills and understanding of ecological systems. These include, in addition to lectures, video, a specially-designed lectures based on current research, and a real-life biodiversity inventory in a local New York forest, followed by meaningful statistical analyses of the relative importance values (estimated mass per area) of native vs. introduced tree species. An important skill to be emphasized is critical reading, both in class and for homework. Several writing assignments will build students’ scientific writing and presentation skills. Additionally, the Green Monster will bring students up to speed on many important issues in the world today, such as global warming, deforestation, and sustainability.