15 Years in Motion,
Still Evolving

Lumen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and international prize supporting artists at the forefront of contemporary art and technology. Since 2012, the Lumen Prize has championed experimental practices by recognizing outstanding artists, awarding financial support, and creating opportunities that push creative boundaries through exhibitions, commissions, and public programs worldwide. We support artists, public access, and innovation in service of a more expansive cultural future and connect these practitioners with institutions, educators, and audiences to shape the role of technology in contemporary culture.

Born in 2012, Built for the Future

As seen in

Our Partners

Meet the Team

  • Executive Director

    With over a decade of experience across auction houses, art logistics, finance, and digital platforms, Gillian is passionate about building operational excellence and delivering complex projects that connect artists with global audiences. She graduated cum laude from Scripps College with a B.A. in History, and holds a master's in Art Business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, graduating with distinction. Having taken on leadership of the Prize from founder Carla Rapoport, Gillian is committed to stewarding Lumen's legacy while building it as a sustainable platform of excellence for groundbreaking artists working with technology, expanding the organization's global reach and guiding its evolution into a nonprofit.

  • CCO

    Erin Thompson (Muscogee Creek Nation) is a creative leader working at the intersection of art, technology, and culture. She currently serves as Chief Creative Officer at The Lumen Prize where she leads strategic partnerships, public programming, and curatorial initiatives that center social impact. She brings over 15 years of experience producing ambitious bodies of work for contemporary artist studios, supporting globally recognized artists in expanding their practices across mediums, platforms, and institutions. Her work is grounded in a commitment to BIPOC futurisms, storytelling, and systems-level change in the arts. She holds an MA in Historical and Contemporary Photography from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (London) and a BFA from Lesley University. She is passionate about mentoring artists and technologists working across disciplines to build new, inclusive creative ecosystems.

  • Director of Marketing

    Natasha earned her First-Class Honours degree from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she cultivated a passion for the intersection of theatre and technology. With over a decade of experience in art and technology, she has collaborated with organizations such as the BBC, Complicité, and the RDC, specializing in voice and binaural recording. As the former Head of Emerging Markets at JustGiving, Natasha drove digital innovation in the social good sector, leading large-scale digital campaigns with lasting impact. She remains deeply committed to the convergence of art and technology, with a particular focus on amplifying working-class voices within this evolving space.

  • Creative Director

    Celeste graduated from Tshwane University of Technology in Film and Television Production in South Africa and has nearly a decade of experience in post-production. With a strong foundation in broadcasting, current affairs, documentaries, and advertising, she has collaborated with global brands like Audi, Samsung, and Nivea to create impactful campaigns across social media, DOOH, and television. Her diverse portfolio also includes precision marketing campaigns, immersive art experiences, and meaningful nonprofit content.

Meet the Board

  • Marketing and Communications Director at the MIT Museum

    Sasha Wallinger is the inaugural Marketing and Communications Director at the MIT Museum. A globally recognized leader at the intersection of art, culture, and technology, Wallinger previously served as founder and CEO Blockchain Style Lab, where she guided luxury brands, cultural organizations and start-ups, to defining their outreach, branding and audience development strategies. 

    Her most recent prior roles include acting as Chief Marketing Officer at Superplastic, where she pioneered the SUPER Gucci NFT and Head of Strategy at Journey, a global design and innovation agency, where she built the Electric Fest experience a bespoke Roblox event with performances by YUNGBLUD, Madison Beer, and Kane Brown.

    Wallinger’s innovative leadership in marketing and communications has earned her multiple accolades, including recognition from the CMO Network, RETHINK Retail’s Top Expert, Coresight Research’s AI Influencer, and 100 Women of the Future to name a few. 

    Sasha holds a Bachelor of Science in Nature and Culture from the University of California, Davis and a Masters from Reed College and will continue to explore how emerging technology is transforming brand engagement and commerce as a contributor to Forbes' CMO Network.

  • Co-founder of Azura

    Jeannie Vu is the co-founder of Azura, a multifamily value-add owner/operator, and a partner at Kenetic, a family office dedicated to investing in early-stage blockchain and web3 companies. Previously, she served as Chief Financial Officer at JRK Property Holdings, a $7 billion AUM vertically integrated multifamily and hospitality operator, and as Senior Vice President at Colony Capital, a global real estate private equity firm with over $60 billion in AUM at its peak. Earlier in her career, Jeannie was an investment banker at FBR Capital Markets and an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    Alongside her investment work, Jeannie is deeply engaged in contemporary and digital art. She is co-chair of LACMA’s Digital Leaders and serves on the board of Rhizome. She is an active supporter and member of organizations advancing experimental and global contemporary art, including Serpentine Americas, Afield, Storefront for Art and Architecture, Para Site, and Asia Art Archive.

    Living in Puerto Rico, Jeannie is committed to supporting and strengthening the island’s cultural ecosystem. She supports key institutions and artist-led initiatives including the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Embajada, Beta Local, San Juan 721, and El Kilómetro. Her engagement reflects a long-term commitment to giving back to the place she calls home, supporting artists, institutions, and independent spaces that sustain Puerto Rico’s contemporary art community and cultural memory.

    Jeannie and her husband, Jehan Chu, actively collect contemporary art, Puerto Rican art, and digital art. Their collecting practice is grounded in long term artist support, with a particular focus on fostering exchange between digital native artistic practices and museums, curators, and art historical frameworks.

    Jeannie holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

  • Metaversal Ventures

    Clare Golding is a strategic operator and investor working at the intersection of art, technology, and digital asset markets. She currently serves as Director of Operations and Investor Relations at Metaversal Ventures, a Web3 investment firm focused on NFTs and crypto-native innovation, where she oversees investment operations, treasury strategy, and investor communications across liquid and digital collectible portfolios.


    With a background spanning global auction houses, corporate finance and web3, Clare began her career in the art world at Christie’s and Sotheby’s before transitioning into the evolving landscape of blockchain-based ownership and digital culture

    Her work centers on bringing structure, governance, and long-term strategy to emerging markets while supporting artists, technologists, and builders shaping the future of creative expression.

  • Founder of The Lumen Prize

    Before founding the Lumen Prize in 2012, Carla worked as a financial journalist for the Financial Times, Fortune Magazine and The Economist Group located in Tokyo, Hong Kong and London. Following a move to Wales, Carla founded the Lumen Prize for Art and Technology in 2012. In 2018, she founded Lumen Art Projects, which provides exhibitions, commissions and events for partners globally using the Lumen Prize artist network. An established writer, speaker and consultant on art and technology, Carla’s goal is to build the understanding and enjoyment of art created with technology as well as creating more opportunities for the artists who make it.

  • Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

    Kayvan Ghaffari regularly advises technology companies on venture capital financings, product counseling, intellectual property (IP), tech transactions, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and complex litigation.

    Kayvan represents entrepreneurs, emerging companies and established technology clients across a diverse range of industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain/cryptocurrency, IP, software licensing, internet law, financial services and other sectors. In addition to his company-side representation, he also counsels venture capital firms and strategic investors in connection with their investments in high-growth startups. In navigating the rapidly evolving AI and digital assets ecosystem, Kayvan leverages his deep industry experience to guide clients through the complex and shifting regulatory landscape.

    In addition to his transactional experience, Kayvan also has an extensive background litigating high-stakes and precedent-setting matters at the intersection of technology, IP and complex commercial disputes. He has helped establish landmark precedent under the Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, California Penal Code 502, and Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and has successfully represented clients in pivotal cases involving data scraping, machine learning and AI, cutting-edge anti-counterfeiting strategies, and major disputes in the technology, entertainment and e-commerce industries.

    Prior to joining Pillsbury, Kayvan was a technology attorney at the San Francisco office of two international law firms. He also served as general counsel to a web3 investment fund and venture studio and general counsel, corporate secretary and head of business affairs at an NFT marketplace startup.

  • Co-Founder of Metaversal Ventures

    Daniel Schmerin is an operating executive, investor, and entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder and President of Metaversal Ventures, a modern merchant bank for the digital economy. Metaversal’s mission is to reimagine ownership using decentralized technologies.

    Mr. Schmerin previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of UOVO, the leading art storage and services provider in the United States. UOVO’s purpose-built facilities and concierge service offerings have created a new standard of stewardship for art, design, fashion, and archival collections.
    Driven by a mission to preserve cultural legacies, UOVO serves thousands of clients including the world’s most recognizable artists, architects, entertainers, fashion designers, galleries, libraries, museums, and private collectors alongside charitable trusts, corporate collections, estates, and non-profits.

    During his tenure, Mr. Schmerin generated a 22% YoY increase in net operating income, significantly improved its corporate culture, and spearheaded the company’s expansion into California, Colorado, Delaware, and Florida.

    Prior to UOVO, Mr. Schmerin served as the Director of Investment Research at Fairholme Capital Management. In this capacity, he assisted the Chief Investment Officer in executing the firm’s contrarian, value-oriented investment strategy across three public mutual funds ($18bn peak AUM), a private investment partnership ($550mm peak AUM), and dozens of separately managed accounts ($3bn peak AUM). Mr. Schmerin had significant investment and operational responsibilities across the firm, which included managing multi-billion dollar credit and equity positions (primarily in the financial services and real estate sectors) as well as leading a team of generalists to develop new investment ideas and conduct analysis on existing portfolio securities. He was engaged in all aspects of the investment process, including financial, legal, and regulatory analysis; qualitative evaluation of company management; diligence of industry trends; and identification of potential investment catalysts.

    During his seven years at Fairholme, Mr. Schmerin also spearheaded the firm’s special situations investments, which included complex public and private transactions such as: the restructuring of The St. Joe Company to reduce capital outlays and implement a new real estate investment strategy; the negotiation and disposition of equity warrants from the restructuring of General Growth Properties and subsequent spinoff of Howard Hughes Corporation; the resolution of mortgage-backed securities litigation between Bank of America and MBIA Inc.; the separation of Seritage Growth Properties from Sears Holdings Corporation; the negotiation and acquisition of privately-issued securities from Emigrant Bancorp, HomeFed Corporation, and Imperial Metals Corporation; and the initiation and supervision of multifaceted, multi-jurisdiction commercial litigation challenging the effective nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the federal government. In February 2017, Mr. Schmerin was nominated by Ashford Hospitality Trust for election on the board of directors of Felcor Lodging Trust based on his experience sourcing and managing investments as well as allocating capital in both the public and private sectors.

    Prior to joining Fairholme, Mr. Schmerin served in senior roles at the White House, State Department, and United States Treasury supporting Cabinet officials and other executive branch leaders on economic policy and national security affairs.

    As Chief Operating Officer for the Public-Private Investment Program at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Mr. Schmerin was responsible for ensuring effective implementation and timely execution of an unprecedented $30 billion initiative designed to draw new private capital into the market for troubled real estate-related securities by providing government equity co-investment and attractive public financing. Mr. Schmerin also led the CIO Executive Committee, which advised the Chief Investment Officer on management and operational issues. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Schmerin served as Policy Advisor and Deputy Executive Secretary for Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, where he provided guidance to senior Treasury staff on domestic and international economic initiatives (including design and implementation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program). Mr. Schmerin received the Department’s Special Act Award for providing exceptional support to the Secretary of the Treasury in October 2008, as well as commendations for outstanding performance in August 2009 and September 2010.

    Before joining the Treasury, Mr. Schmerin served on the Homeland Security Council within the Executive Office of the President at the White House. As Director for Preparedness Policy, Mr. Schmerin was responsible for interagency policy development and coordination on homeland security matters, including initiatives related to energy security, national incident management, and critical infrastructure protection. Mr. Schmerin helped draft a new National Strategy for Homeland Security for the President in 2007, chaired an interagency task force that developed the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Combating Terrorist Use of Explosives in the United States pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-19, and served as a subject matter expert for White House review of CFIUS cases.

    Before joining the White House staff, Mr. Schmerin was a Presidential Management Fellow in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. In that position, he assisted senior officials in the development and application of U.S. sanctions regulations against rogue states as well as the implementation of foreign affairs policy related to countering the financing of terrorism.

    Mr. Schmerin received the Department’s Benjamin Franklin Award for outstanding performance on two occasions in recognition of his work developing a novel proposal to help Secretary Condoleezza Rice resolve a complex and high-profile civil aviation export licensing request for Iran, and for facilitating the export of 29 new aircraft and 4 used aircraft worth over $4 billion from major U.S. manufacturers (e.g., Boeing, General Electric, and Honeywell) to Libya in July 2006.

    Mr. Schmerin previously served in the Office of the Vice President at the White House and the Office of the Secretary of State at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to this, Mr. Schmerin lived in London and served as a Research Assistant to the Rt. Hon. Bruce George, a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament and Chairman of the Defense Select Committee, where he authored a widely praised report on Britain’s challenges in establishing an effective regime for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. Mr. Schmerin was also a contributor to the RUSI/Jane’s Homeland Security & Resilience Monitor.

    Mr. Schmerin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the Norman D. Palmer Prize for best undergraduate thesis in international relations. He subsequently earned a Master of Science degree with distinction from the London School of Economics, and a Master of Arts degree with highest honors from Georgetown University.

    Mr. Schmerin serves as chairman of the Lumen Prize, the leading global platform showcasing artists who are pioneering new visual languages at the intersection of art and technology. He is also a member of the AEI Enterprise Club and was a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations.