Gray Area Foundation for the Arts Launches Creative Technology Studies Program To Teach Coding and Designing "Trade Skills of Today"

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 16, 2011 (Press-News.org) The new Creative Technology Studies (CTS) education program being launched by Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) will offer a unique series of specialized courses ranging from the fundamentals of creative coding and physical computing to the use of the most advanced technologies available for interactive designing and new-media making. Top-tier instructors from around the world will lead workshops at Gray Area and give participants hands-on training in various open-source environments and languages at GAFFTA's state-of-the-art facility.

Gray Area's CTS program will offer four types of certifications: Sound Emphasis, Visual Emphasis, Web Emphasis and Physical Interaction Emphasis. Upon completion of 24 hours of core coursework, plus 48 classroom hours in the student's emphasis, an official Gray Area Creative Technology certification verifying completion and mastery of the curriculum will be
awarded.

In its first trimester, CTS is offering courses covering the fundamentals of both Arduino and Processing. Completion of these courses is mandatory for CTS certification. "Arduino/Soft Circuitry" will take place April 2-3, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm. "Processing" courses are scheduled for April 12, 14, 19, 21,Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 to 9pm. "Arduino/Soft Circuitry" courses and materials are $290; "Processing" courses are $240. Register here.

"Gray Area Foundation is committed to raising awareness for and participation in digital arts and culture," says Josette Melchor, executive director and co-founder of GAFFTA. "Through our Creative Technologies Studies education program we are teaching the trade skills of today: open source programming, software hacking, and interaction design."

After each course, students will have the opportunity to mix with alumni and faculty at CTS Salons. These curated platforms for peer-to-peer co-working are designed to help cultivate new skills and techniques with some of the world's leading technologists, artists, and developers. Keynotes, discussions, and open format co-working culminate in a day of feedback and constructive critiques. These open forums are a great way to connect directly with experts and potential collaborators. The salons are designed for all levels and are exclusively available to Gray Area members and those who have enrolled in our Creative Technology Studies program.

"By offering our Creative Technology Studies certificate we are committed to the creation and exploration of new media," explains Cullen Miller, sound artist and director of public programs at GAFFTA. "We're cultivating a community of creators that can interact with and benefit from the cross-disciplinary co-working we offer at Gray Area's multimedia facilities."

After the "Arduino/Soft Circuitry" courses, GAFFTA will be hosting the first installment of its CTS Salons, moderated by New York's Matt Ganucheau and Lara Grant. The subject matter: wearable technologies and physical computing.
Gray Area Foundation for the Arts serves a diverse community of creative coders, data hackers, engineers, composers and technologists. It is working closely with the City and County of San Francisco to revitalize the Mid-Market/Tenderloin area of the city. GAFFTA has received support from IBM, National Endowment for the Arts, WordPress.org, Twitter, The Knight Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, KQED (media partner), and WHH Foundation Learn more at http://gaffta.org.

About Gray Area Foundation for the Arts

Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to increasing awareness of and participation in digital arts and culture. Headquartered in a state-of-the-art, multi-media-equipped, 5,000-square-foot education and exhibition center in San Francisco, Gray Area teaches open source coding, software hacking and interactive design skills through its Creative Technology Studies certification program. Artist-in-research residencies support the organization's mission to promote collaboration and creativity at the intersection of art, design, sound and technology by funding and curating projects that offer insightful perspective on the information of our age, using the technologies of our time. To find out more about Gray Area Foundation for the Arts and Gray Area Research, please visit http://gaffta.org.

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