2025 Theme: Movin It

Each year we orient our collaborative installations, workshops, and Saturday night art show around a theme. We are pleased to announce for 2024 our theme is MOVIN’ IT — inviting participants to explore kinetic energy as a creative inspiration.

Whether gears or motors, wind or water, digital animation, dance or play — movement brings art to life as materials are transformed over space and time. For 2025, we encourage artists, technologists, designers, makers and builders to play with movement itself as a creative medium.

As an ongoing theme spanning several years, we also seek to continue our path toward installations that are more ecologically resilient, and ask participants to integrate renewable energy into their projects where feasible.

How it Works

For our group show, we provide a basic framework around the theme, and then recruit artists, technologists, scientists, and designers to take on aspects of that theme, playing with technologically-infused, sensing, interactive and self-illuminated elements.

In the style of hackathons, you may bring your own piece to work on, you may join other emergent collaborations, or you may just show up to enjoy the show. Projects are shared during our Saturday night art show and party, which is open to the public.

Participating artists and technology creatives may include light, sound, video, performance, landscaping, architectural elements, in addition to visual art, however we encourage all projects incorporate an electronic, sensing, interactive, or self-illuminated component, to be experienced outdoors at night.

Art grants were available to $500 for material project support or subsidized tickets, learn more here. The deadline is Friday April 4, 2025.

2024 Wrap Up

,

It was another fantastic year at Electric Sky, with a particularly great line-up of workshops. We cannot thank everyone enough for all your help in making this event happen, between our workshop organizers, artists, setup and takedown volunteers, planning and organizing, designing, marketing…well it goes on and on. It takes a village!

We were particularly happy with how the workshops and the art integrated the 2024 Theme: SUN WIND WATER, exploring renewable energy in art. We learned a lot and will keep leveraging our new know-how to leverage renewable technologies like solar panels and wind turbines in our installations.

Community Intros

Workshops

Pop-up Art Show

The Scenery

FINAL Final Workshop Schedule

We have a couple new additions to our workshop schedule which is looking fantastic! See listed below. Be sure to register in advance to save your spot in our workshops (see “add-ons” when registering).

At Electric Sky, we host workshops to help you improve your practice as a creative artist, designer, or technologist. These hands-on workshops are for the most part tied to the theme (2024: Sun Wind Water), and some will encourage you to make something to add to our art show. Learn, connect with other creative folks, and share!

Friday, June 21, 8:30pm-9:30pm
Workshop #1: Soldering 101
hosted by Andrew Cole
Get back to the basics of soldering with a small LED project.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 9:00am-10:00am
Workshop #1.5: Pysanky Egg Decor Craft
hosted by Sue Copenhaver and Emily Martin
Learn Ukrainian egg painting.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 10:00am-11:30am
Workshop #2: Playing with Wind: Make an LED Pinwheel or Mini Wind Turbine
hosted by Shelly Farnham
This is a very kid friendly workshop, draw and assemble a pinwheel, or take it to the next level and make a small wind turbine that powers an LED
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 11:30am-1:00pm
Workshop #3: Vision Cubing
hosted by Falona Joy and Genevieve Tremblay
Learn a new contemplation and crafting technique!
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Workshop #4: Augmented Environments
hosted by Jeff Brice
Learn the processes of making image-triggered augmented reality objects and environments.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Workshop #5: Intro to Solar Energy in Art
Hosted by Bruce Cooper
A basic introduction to how to “unplug” your projects, withs hands-on experience by building a working solar power project.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Workshop #6: De Light and the Everyday
Hosted by Rebecca Cummins
Magical characteristics of sundials, rainbows, lenses, and the camera obscura are explored with water, wine glasses, chalk, and a suitcase.
See full description.

Be sure to register in advance to save your spot in our workshops (see “add-ons” when registering), otherwise it is first come, first serve on site. Parents should attend with kids 14 and under, and should be within earshot of any offspring under 18.

Workshop: Pysanky Egg Decor Craft

Saturday, June 21, 9:00am-10:00am
Hosted by Sue Copenhaver and Emily Martin

Learn Ukrainian egg painting with electric kistky (wax-resist tools). Our Pysanky masters will help you incorporate Sun, Wind, and Water visual motifs into your design.

Join us for our scheduled introductory workshop, and/or find us for extra maker sessions at the TYPONEXUS camp.

Sue Copenhaver is a master Psykansky artist.

Workshop: De Light and the Everyday

Saturday, June 22nd, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Hosted by Rebecca Cummins

Want to discover more about light and basic optics? This workshop explores the magical properties of sundials, rainbows, and the camera obscura with water, wine glasses, chalk, lenses, and a suitcase.

Trace the movement of the sun, construct a simple camera obscura with domestic materials, view the microscopic world through a cardboard foldscope – and consider basic optical principles using a wine glass. All ages welcome!

Rebecca Cummins is inspired by science, its history, and instrumentation; she explores possibilities of light and natural phenomena in installations that include a machine for making rainbows, sun and moon pointers, periscope dinner table devices – and a variety of sculptural and photographic approaches to conceptualizing time. She has exhibited widely internationally and is active in public art and cross-disciplinary collaboration. She is a Professor in the School of Art at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Rebeccacummins.com

Final Workshop Schedule

At Electric Sky, we host workshops to help you improve your practice as a creative artist, designer, or technologist. These hands-on workshops are for the most part tied to the theme (2024: Sun Wind Water), and some will encourage you to make something to add to our art show. Learn, connect with other creative folks, and share!

Drumroll please…below are our scheduled workshops for 2024!

Friday, June 21, 8:30pm-9:30pm
Workshop #1: Soldering 101
hosted by Andrew Cole
Get back to the basics of soldering with a small LED project.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 10:00am-11:30am
Workshop #2: Playing with Wind: Make an LED Pinwheel or Mini Wind Turbine
hosted by Shelly Farnham
This is a very kid friendly workshop, draw and assemble a pinwheel, or take it to the next level and make a small wind turbine that powers an LED
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 11:30am-1:00pm
Workshop #3: Vision Cubing
hosted by Falona Joy and Genevieve Tremblay
Learn a new contemplation and crafting technique!
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Workshop #4: Augmented Environments
hosted by Jeff Brice
Learn the processes of making image-triggered augmented reality objects and environments.
See full description.

Saturday, June 22, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Workshop #5: Intro to Solar Energy in Art
Hosted by Bruce Cooper
A basic introduction to how to “unplug” your projects, withs hands-on experience by building a working solar power project.
See full description.

Be sure to register in advance to save your spot in our workshops (see “add-ons” when registering), otherwise it is first come, first serve on site. Parents should attend with kids 14 and under, and should be within earshot of any offspring under 18.

Granted Participants

Through the generosity of 4Culture, Third Place Technologies is providing grants to support participating artists and technologists using AR, XR, electronics, sensors, interactivity, solar technologies, and self-illumination to craft installations and workshops that resonate with our theme exploring renewable energies.

Our 2024 art+tech+workshop contributors include Alexandra Krongel, Andrew Cole, Katrina Romero, TYPONEXUS, Church of the Black Hole, Ana Davidson, Bruce Cooper, jeff brice, Genevieve Tremblay, Falona Joy and Shelly D. Farnham, Ph.D.

We are incredibly excited, it’s going to be fantastic year!


THIRD PLACE TECHNOLOGIES extends our thanks to our program partners and supporters: 4Culture, Town of Skykomish, hashtag#RenewablesforArtists hashtag#TotallyLegit, hashtag#SkyArtworks

Workshop: Vision Cubing

A new contemplation and crafting technique!

Saturday, June 22, 11:30am-1:00pm
hosted by Falona Joy and Genevieve Tremblay

Join Falona Joy and Genevieve Tremblay for an inspiring session at our Vision Cubing Workshop. Dive into this transformative experience where you will learn a new contemplation and crafting technique called Vision Cubing! Drawing inspiration from the elements of Sun, Wind, and Water, this engaging session combines physical crafting with virtual design to help you envision a new possibility—a “seed concept” that you want to blossom in your life.

Workshop Overview:

Origami Crafting: Begin by creating a physical cube using Sonobe origami techniques. Each face of the cube will represent a different aspect of your personality and/or vision, encouraging a holistic reflection. Select symbols, colors, and patterns inspired by sun, wind, and water that resonate with what inspires you, grounds you, motivates you, celebrates your past accomplishments, and highlights your intuitive and intellectual talents.

Intention Object: During the workshop, select, customize, or make an object that symbolizes a personal intention or aspiration. This object will serve as a physical reminder of your goals and dreams and will be placed inside your cube. Optionally, this could literally be a seed that you place in soil and nurture daily with sun and water.

Virtual Cube Creation: After crafting your physical cube, you will create a virtual counterpart. This digital space allows you to step into your visions using the same symbols, colors, and patterns chosen during the origami session. It’s a unique way to deepen your engagement with the elements and create your own personal sanctuary to support your visioning practice.

Feng Shui Integration: Learn how to incorporate the Feng Shui principles of sun, wind, and water to enhance your cube’s design, further aligning it with your aspirations and the natural world.

About the Instructors:

Falona Joy is a social and civic entrepreneur based in Washington DC, dedicated to cultural and conservation initiatives. As the leader of SNP Strategies, Inc., she focuses on strengthening non-profits and enhancing their impact. Falona is also launching Joy Media, a new social enterprise using XR to extend collections beyond their walls and create meaningful cultural connections through immersive storytelling.

Genevieve Tremblay is a new media artist, researcher, and cultural entrepreneur whose work merges analog and digital realms. She is a member of SOIL Gallery, Passable and Sky Arts and an adjunct researcher at the Millennium Institute of Coastal Socio-Ecology in Chile, working on coastal community focused art + science projects. Her generative practice focuses on the ephemeral qualities of the natural world and our interactions with it, using emerging technologies to extend the art experience into public spaces in imaginative ways.