Valerie Guinn Polgar is a digital/media artist, educator, and researcher with a BFA in Digital Art from George Mason University and an MFA in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts. She worked professionally in photo labs and print, as well as in video editing and motion graphics, in the DC metro area and in NYC in the late 2000s to early 2010s, before turning her attention to both practicing and teaching art. Valerie has also served as head programmer in Animation and Experimental Film for the Oxford Film Festival since 2017, co-founded PROJECT(ion) in 2018, and founded/directed Misbits NMA from 2016-2020. She is currently pursuing an MS in Computer Science at Tufts University, where she is researching tech for accessibility, with a focus on XR and game design.

Valerie was born in El Paso, TX in 1983 to a Mexican mother and a father, who shortly after her birth, joined the military. She was therefore raised a mility brat and cannot call one specific place home. She currently lives in Boston with her partner and 2 kids.