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Work and Education
Kristen Palana is a multimedia artist based in Rome, Italy and a dual citizen of Portugal and The United States. She is a tenured Associate Professor in the Communication Department at The American University of Rome. Kristen also has taught in the Art Department at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. as well as in the DDA Department at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
Kristen received her MFA (with Distinction) from Pratt Institute in Computer Graphics and Interactive Media and also holds a BFA (with Distinction) in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA.
Traveling and volunteering in developing countries rank among her biggest interests. Kristen originally comes from Swansea, Massachusetts.Current Projects
Kristen recently completed a short video called School Meals Liberia about the UN's World Food Programme and its impact in Liberia. She is now in production on a new animation called Veggie Propaganda. Date of completion is expected in 2011.Kristen's recent animation Larry and Roz from 2008, is currently screening in international film festivals. See her Exhibitions List. Kristen also recently presented an independent animation course in Singapore in December 2008 at SiggraphAsia 2008.
Aura's House, is an ongoing web project Kristen founded in 2004. The site raises money for housing, health, and education projects for needy families in developing countries. Donations are 100% US. Tax Deductible. Check out the most recent projects. Kristen also writes for, does work for, and produces podcast segments for the Roman information website, Rome Review.
Recent Projects
In 2007 her animation End Child Hunger was chosen by the World Food Programme to be part of their official Campaign. It was also recently republished on the U.S. Department of State E-Journal and the transcript was translated into French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese.
In 2006 her documentary Lucky, about an Indian American girl's arranged marriage, won a Director's Citation Award at the 2006 Black Maria Film Festival and was screened in a number of film festivals.
Kristen also has done work for The B-52's Official Website as well as overhauled the five websites of the College of Arts and Communication at William Paterson University with help from her students.In 2005, Kristen spent time teaching at the Maua Hills Vocational Training Centre in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. She helped set up an art, music, and computer program to enable locals to learn marketable skills.
Kristen co-presented a course at SIGGRAPH 2004 in Los Angeles entitled, "There Can Still Be Only One. Independent Animation Production for the Lonely." The first course was presented in San Diego at Siggraph 2003. Read a review.
Other recent projects include Yellow Ribbons, a 30-second multimedia political ad for MoveOn.org now featured in their online exhibit. In 2003 her fine art animation, Five O'Clock Shadows ran the film festival circuit. In March 2003 Kristen participated in an online exhibit, Art on the Net, sponsored by the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts Tokyo.
