Member Profile: Lillian Marie Aulls
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I have worked for the official SIGGRAPH History Archive since January of this year where I am the collection manager. In addition to our website, the archive has a physical location that houses countless SIGGRAPH-related artifacts going back to before the first conference. As collection manager, my job entails handling all of these artifacts and documenting them on the site for people to view from anywhere.
2. What was your first job?
Working with the archive was my first art industry-related job, though I’d worked part time at a local sports bar beforehand. The two may seem like they have nothing in common, but I actually use the communication and collaboration skills I gained from my time in food service every day at the archive. I really feel that regardless of career trajectory, everyone should spend a year in some sort of customer service job; it really builds your communication skills and in general fosters empathy for those around you.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
Thus far I’ve only graduated from high school, but I will have my BFA in Digital Arts from Bowling Green State University this upcoming spring.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I had the opportunity to go to SIGGRAPH on a university-sponsored trip two years ago. I had an amazing time and really wanted to give back so I applied to be a student volunteer. After SIGGRAPH 2025, one of my professors reached out to me about a job working with the history of SIGGRAPH and I was very interested. From there, I’ve continued volunteering at the conference, as well as joined the History and Archives Committee.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
It’s so hard for me to pick one! I’d have to say one of my favorite things has been talking to such a wide variety of people. This year, my lanyard was completely decked out in pins from past conferences to promote the Swag Swap event on behalf of the archive. Because of this, I ended up attracting a lot of attention, both from long term attendees who wanted to see if I had the pin from their first year and from newcomers who wanted to know where they could get pins like mine. Overall, it acted as a great conversation starter and allowed me to meet a lot of really wonderful people.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
As of two weeks ago, I officially began work on my undergraduate thesis project, which is an independently animated short film. I’m taking a hybrid approach, utilizing both 2D animation and stop motion techniques. The story itself is something that has been bouncing around my head since my sophomore year and, if everything goes according to schedule, I will have a fully realized film by this upcoming spring.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
I would love to have dinner with Lotte Reiniger. I was only introduced to her work within the past year, but as a woman in the animation industry I would love the opportunity to discuss art and her experience as a female creative a hundred years ago.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
When I was younger, one of my dream jobs was being a sanitation worker. Growing up, there was a manhole at the bottom of my driveway and one day when I was about 6 years old, a group of men showed up to do some work. I was playing outside and really wanted to go down into the sewers with them; I obviously was not allowed to do so, but they let me hold their high beam flashlight and talked to me about what they did. For about a year afterwards, anytime anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was a “sewer guy.”
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
My mom was my very first teacher. She quit her job after I was born to be a stay-at-home mom and forever indebted to her for laying the groundwork for my formal education. And although she can not draw to save her life and her computer has not been updated since 2009, she’s been such a huge influence in my artistic journey and taught me to never give up on myself.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I’d have to give two answers for this one. Bonnie Mitchell has helped to propel me within SIGGRAPH and it is because of her that I’ve been able to contribute to the conference in as many ways as I have thus far. But I also have to give credit to Amanda Cerilli, who gave me the advice to get involved with SIGGRAPH and the SIGGRAPH History Archive in the first place.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
I think getting to run the Swag Swap at SIGGRAPH 2026 was an amazing milestone for me. If you had told me in 2024 that I’d host an event at SIGGRAPH in only two years I would have laughed. Being able to not only inform people on the history of the conference, but give them a little piece of history to take home with them is something that is incredibly meaningful to me, and I’m forever grateful I had the opportunity to participate in this way.