About


The primary goal of this art and tech weekend hackathon + showcase exhibition is to foster the community of innovators at the intersection of art and technology in the Pacific Northwest who use emerging technologies to open up new domains of creative expression.

Electric SEA is for artists, creative technologists, designers, scientists, researchers, makers, other hybrid creatives, and their friends, who recognize that some of the most inspiring innovations emerge from collaborating across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

 Through hands-on learning, immersive collaboration, and a pop-up art show we seek to create an environment where members of this community may find each other, develop trust, collaborate, be inspired, and innovate. 

Electric SEA is hosted by Third Place Technologies in partnership with PublicDisplay.Art and Src Material, and with the support of the ArtLove Salon/Conru Arts Foundation, 4Culture, ArtsFund, Passable.Art and Totally Legit.

Building on the momentum of our recent 2025 PNW Arts and Tech Symposium, over a decade of Electric SKY events in Skykomish, WA, our collaborative art studios (Passable.Art in Capitol Hill and Sky Artworks in Skykomish), and our 2023 Seattle City of the Future immersive art experience, Electric SEA is a weekend event optimized for hands-on learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration here in Seattle. To learn more, see the blog post Why a Hackathon and Why Public Display.Art and the ArtLove Salon.

Images from various Third Place Technologies arts+tech community development activities.

Event Goals

  • Increased arts and tech community connection and cohesion
  • Creative inspiration through exposure to recent work and emerging technologies
  • Improved awareness of and access to arts and tech community resources
  • Life-long learning through peer knowledge-sharing
  • Mapping the people, places, and events in the arts and tech community in the PNW and sharing through online tools

Organizing Partners

Third Place Technologies is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the mission to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, community, and life-long learning for artists, creative technologists, and civic activists. We provide spaces, events, and new technologies for the creative community at the intersection of art, technology, and civic engagement to create, collaborate, learn, and share their work.

PublicDisplay.ART is a free, quarterly arts publication serving the greater Seattle area’s creative community. Each issue offers an accessible guide for art lovers and curious minds to explore the region’s cultural landscape while providing artists with the recognition they deserve. Rooted in community, the magazine amplifies underrepresented voices and fosters meaningful engagement by celebrating art as a shared experience to be seen, felt, and discovered by everyone.

Src Material is a Seattle-based creative technology nonprofit functioning as a connective and curatorial force linking artists, technologists, thinkers, and institutions. It will be providing organizational support for the hackathon.

Supporting Organizations

Electric SEA is made possible in part through grants and other forms of support from:

4Culture is the public cultural agency for King County, Washington, dedicated to funding, supporting, and advocating for arts, heritage, historic preservation, and public art to boost the region’s quality of life, with a strong focus on racial equity and community access to cultural experiences

The ArtLove Salon is a free space for arts community events established by the Conru Arts Foundation. Their goal is to build beautiful, dedicated spaces for artists and community to connect, pushing back against the isolation of modern life through shared experiences of beauty, truth, and love.

The ArtsFund Community Accelerator Grant Program is a partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation that provides unrestricted funding to Washington State’s cultural non-profits, especially those serving communities historically lacking access to funding, like BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and rural groups.

Totally Legit is a Seattle-based, interdisciplinary group of artists, technologists, designers, builders, and community organizers who share a passion for collaborative installations at the intersection of art, technology, and design. As the sibling art group of Third Place Technologies, they have long supported Electric Sky in Skykomish and Passable.Art, a collaborative studio and gallery in Seattle. See http://TotallyLegitLLC.com and https://Passable.Art.

Passable is an arts-oriented, collaborative makerspace located in Capitol Hill, Seattle, including studio space, specialized tools and equipment, and an exhibition area. Our mission is to support our members’ capacity to engage in playful collaboration at the intersection of art, technology, and design with access to shared resources and exhibition opportunities. We show our work through monthly exhibitions, with opening parties during the Capitol Hill Art Walk.

Organizing Committee

Shelly D. Farnham, Ph.D., President, Third Place Technologies and Artist, Innovation Researcher, Community Catalyst

Board Members, Third Place Technologies

Genevieve Tremblay, Artist, Community Catalyst, Researcher 

Jeff Brice, Artist/Researcher, Educator, Cornish College of the Arts

Andrew Cole, Artist / Technologist

Josh Lind, Artist / Technologist

Joseph Gray, Artist, Creative Technologist

Jacob Fennell, Artist, Creative Technologist

Marty Griswold, Publisher, PublicDisplay.Art, Director ArtLove Salon

Marianne Goldin, Founder, Src Material / Software Engineer