Art Hack Day is an internet-based nonprofit dedicated to hackers whose medium is art and artists whose medium is tech.

What is art hack day?

Art Hack Day is an internet-based nonprofit dedicated to hackers whose medium is art and artists whose medium is tech. We bridge the gap between art, technology and entrepreneurship with grassroots hackathons & exhibitions that demonstrate the expressive potential of new technology and the power of radical collaboration in art. We believe in non-utilitarian beauty through technology and its ability to affect social change for public good.

How does it work?

Sixty artists-hackers and hacker-artists inhabit an art space to create an exhibit from scratch during 48h. We start on a Thursday evening with a meet & greet and provide good food, fast Internet, and equipment for collaborating on and creating new work. On Saturday evening we transition from hackspace to exhibition hall and the projects are shown to the public during a flash exhibit (open to the public just one evening). There are no demos but plenty of performances. Depending on location, 500-1,000 visitors come to the opening with >10,000 uniques online.

What are people saying about art hack day

Frequently asked questions for participants

Q: Can I start on my hack before the event?
A: We encourage you to develop your project at the event and not arrive with a half-finished project. Having 60 artists and hackers in the same space brings the chance to work together on things you couldn't do alone; Take advantage of that, there's a reason why this isn't just another art opening!

Q: Do I have to pay to attend?
A: No. This isn't SXSW.

Q: Will I be paid to attend?
A: No. This is play time, not work time.

Q: Will there be food provided?
A: Yes! Good, local food too.

Q: Can I work by myself without a team?
A: You can work solo, but again, the advantage of having a having a large group of talented people with you is bringing in people who can bring in perspectives or skills that you might not have yet.

Q: Is Art Hack Day a contest? Will there be prizes?
A: Art Hack Day is a race against the clock, not against other participants. There are no judges or prizes, other than the judgement and praise from art lovers in the audience.

Q: How do I sign up to attend an Art Hack Day?
A: The first portion of participants are invited, so if you receive an invite, you're in! For the remaining spots, keep an eye on the event page for when participation is open to the public.

Q: Why are the first portion of participants invited? Why not open it up to everyone right away?
A: We want to seed each event with a good mix of people with different skills, perspectives, and genders. This kind of crowd does not come together by chance. A hackathon is easily ruined by brogrammers, perpetual email checkers, tech recruiters and i-want-you-to-build-the-next-facebook people. Having most of the participants invited greatly mitigates the risk of that happening.

Q: How do I get invited by Art Hack Day?
A: Do lots of awesome things and get it noticed by the communities that Art Hack Day organizers are talking to; Sadly, even the most connected local facilitators won't know everyone, so keep making great things and get their attention.

Q: Does my hack have to be open-source?
A: No, but we really, really encourage that it be available under an open source licence. We recommend the CDL.