Patty Rangel, MFA
Patty Rangel, MFA is a lifelong innovator, artist, and futurist whose career has been driven by a passion for finding creative applications for cutting-edge technologies. This drive has led her to excel in diverse fields, from holography and virtual reality to international development projects.
Currently, Patty works as an Artificial Intelligence Prompt Engineer, training Orion ChatGPT in natural language processing and ethics since October 2024. She also serves as a Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Ambassador, a role in which she has represented GEN at significant events, such as the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2022. Additionally, as Executive Producer at Patty Rangel Productions, she spearheads creative projects that merge art, technology, and community engagement on a global scale.
Patty’s artistic and technical mastery has long been recognized across multiple domains. Her contributions to holography were honored with the IMMY Award at the 2010 ImmersiveTech Summit, where she additionally took the stage as a speaker. After successfully integrating holographic Second Life avatars into a live performance, she caught the attention of major figures in the music industry.
Patty was approached by Snoop Dogg and producer Dylan Brown to explore creating a holographic model of Snoop for touring purposes. These discussions led to her meeting producer Dr. Dre, who was keen on creating a holographic Tupac performance, a project that ultimately succeeded at the 2012 Coachella Festival.
However, shortly after being approached, Patty left AV Concepts to attend the prestigious Singularity University in 2011 (with a 95% scholarship). During this rigorous program, she pursued the Future Studies and Forecasting track under Ray Kurzweil. She also had the opportunity to learn from faculty members such as former astronaut Daniel Barry.
This culminated in a collaboration with Daniel and programmer Elena Hardy aimed at controlling Patty’s Second Life avatar using a brain-computer interface. In an interview with Allan Mckay, Patty revealed how they successfully used an Emotiv EEG headset to navigate the avatar through the Inspire Space Ark virtual simulation. Listen to the Interview with VR and Mixed Reality Artist Patty Rangel.
After Singularity University, Patty’s career flourished through impactful roles in coordinating global events. She contributed to the Centennial Olympic Games as part of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies team and served as a liaison to NBC, ensuring seamless execution. At the Shanghai World Expo 2010, she led creative production, technology integration, and logistics for a $4.5 million budget proposal, showcasing her ability to merge artistry with technical precision on an international stage.
Patty’s fascination with holography began at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theater Producing. During her time there, she developed a deep passion for 3D holography — spending extensive hours in the lab and serving as a teaching assistant. For her master’s thesis, she invented the HoloDome, a groundbreaking installation that fused holography with theater design, dance, music (featuring original compositions and 3D sound), and animation. This unprecedented project at CalArts brought together students and faculty from multiple disciplines, with support from every dean. HoloDome showcased Patty’s talent for blending art and technology, a trend that would define her future innovations.
In 2005, after graduating, at the urging of scientist Maurizio Seracini, she demonstrated her holographic work to the director at EON Reality and was shortly thereafter invited to join the company. There, she not only helped sell CAVE and other VR systems, but pinpointed improvements in EON’s approach, and gained firsthand knowledge of the technology from the engineers. Her expertise built during this time period would carry into her future projects such as at AV and her artistic work.
Blending her passion for art and technology, Patty has exhibited her 3D laser holograms and VR artwork at prestigious venues worldwide, including the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, TEDx Transhumanism, the Burning Man Festival, and the CalArts Main Gallery. Watch Devorah Medwin (New York Actor’s Studio) Doing a Live Reading of Her Play “Maggie” Accompanied by Her Second Life Avatar.
Patty’s holographic work also extended into theater. In 2017, she was named Artist in Residence at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where she spent a year researching and testing the integration of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality into live performances. This residency allowed her to explore new forms of storytelling, enhancing audience engagement through immersive technologies. Inspired by Deputy Artistic Director Seema Sueko’s drive to experiment with alternative storytelling mediums, Patty’s work at Arena Stage was focused on the pursuit of research and development at the frontier of art and technology. Watch Resident Artist Patty Rangel Presents the Virtual Arena Stage Simulation.
In recent years, Patty has increasingly shifted her focus toward sustainability and international development. As a GEN Ambassador, she has been actively involved in promoting ecovillage initiatives and sustainable community practices since 2007. A notable achievement in this role occurred in 2022 when Patty represented GEN at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
Since January 2024, she has also served as Cultural Attaché for the Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America at GEN, assisting international efforts to foster sustainable practices across the region. Patty has supported projects like building a Food Forest Sanctuary for Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and planting 300 trees in India as part of the Global Tree Initiative.
Patty currently channels her considerable technical expertise into the field of artificial intelligence. Since October 2024, she has been serving as an AI Prompt Engineer, where she refines Orion ChatGPT’s natural language processing capabilities and reinforces ethical standards to promote responsible AI development. Her dual roles as an AI Prompt Engineer and a GEN Ambassador highlight her remarkable versatility and unwavering dedication to leveraging technology and community engagement to address global challenges.
Patty’s career is a testament to the transformative power of blending art, technology, and social impact. Her critical work — from the pioneering innovations in holography and immersive digital experiences to advancing sustainable communities and ethical AI — reflects an unwavering drive to challenge conventions and shape our collective future. As she continues to push interdisciplinary boundaries, Patty inspires a new generation of innovators, artists, and visionaries committed to building a more connected, sustainable world.
Watch The Jens Heitland Show #5 – Patty Rangel – NASA Innovator, Yulianna “End of Time” Virtual Concert (2012), and Patty Rangel on Holographic-like Projection of Avatars, Motion Capture and NeuroGaming.
Listen to the Interview with VR and Mixed Reality Artist Patty Rangel.
Read Mushrooms: The Internet of Trees and Meet the Hologram-Making, Singularity University Alum Who Wants to Reimagine Theater.
Keep up with Patty and her stunning, creative work by following her on X, LinkedIn, taking a stroll through The Pattyverse, or by following her YouTube Channel.