Es Devlin, the 2025 recipient of the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT, is an artist and designer.

Established in 1974 by Margaret McDermott (1912–2018), the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT is bestowed upon individuals whose artistic trajectory and body of work have achieved the highest distinction in their field and indicate they will remain leaders for years to come. The McDermott Award reflects MIT’s commitment to risk-taking, problem solving, and connecting creative minds across disciplines.

A campus residency is a distinctive feature of the McDermott Award and aims to have the recipient connect with departments, laboratories, and research centers throughout the Institute in ways that will be mutually enlightening.

More at arts.mit.edu/mcdermott

Ask Me Anything Session with MIT Design Students

In an intimate and generously candid session moderated by MIT faculty member Sara Brown, Es Devlin opened a window into her creative practice, engaging MIT art and design students in a wide-ranging dialogue that traversed the practical landscapes of artistic collaboration, personal vision, and the art of designing meaningful experiences.

Tour of the MIT Media Lab and List Visual Arts Center

The MIT Media Lab is a dynamic interdisciplinary creative sandbox firmly grounded in academic excellence, where innovation thrives through the collaboration of dozens of research groups, initiatives, programs, and centers on hundreds of transformative projects. The Lab focuses not only on creating and commercializing transformational future technologies, but also on their potential to impact society for good.

What’s New in AI? A Conversation with Es Devlin

Exploring frontiers in artificial intelligence including generative language models, rational robots, and large scale artwork at the intersection of technology and human expression. Hosted by John Guttag, Dugald C. Jackson Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at MIT and featuring 2025 Recipient of the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT Es Devlin, with presentations by three MIT faculty members in Electrical and Computer Science: Jacob Andreas, Associate Professor; Philip Isola, Class of 1948 Career Development Professor and Associate Professor; and Leslie Kaelbling, Panasonic Professor.