Red Burns, founder of NYU’s multimedia program, described John J Heartfield as “a wonderful blend of the technical and the artistic, a musician with a keen appreciation for the visual arts.” Born in NY, he spent happy childhood summers in Italy with his grandfather, the artist John Heartfield. As a teenager, John moved to the Bay Area and became a founder/manager of the Berkeley Youth Hostel. He lived in Northern California for nearly 20 years. He wrote the songs for his band, playing in Bay Area clubs for five years. “Why Don’t We Have A Nice Cup Of Coffee?” and other songs were Dada inspired and covered by other bands. In 1986, John returned to NY to study computation and multimedia. When he earned his MA from NYU, he received the Tisch School of the Arts award “for pioneering work in interactive media.” At NYU and other universities, John designed and taught more than 25 courses in digital media design and programming. The Multimedia Association of Japan and the Japanese government honored John by inviting him to Tokyo to give multimedia seminars. John is a published author of fiction and nonfiction. In 2009, he set out to address policies that affected the recognition and renown of courageous political art. He built and became curator of The Official John Heartfield Exhibition & Archive, a labor of love and a tribute to his grandfather. He plans to expand the exhibition into an online museum for progressive artists. He’s currently writing a new musical “One Hand!” about his grandfather’s life and work.
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