Redmond debuts a celebration of digital arts for the general public, artists and industry experts in video game production and digital technology.
The Digital Arts Festival will take place Oct. 4-5 at the Redmond High School Performing Arts Center, DigiPen Institute of Technology and the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center.
Registration is free for much of the festival including DigiPen workshops, 3D scanning workshops presented by Konica-Minolta and other presentations throughout the weekend. A short-film event and Digital Dance Party on Saturday night are ticketed events, priced at $15 and $30 each, respectively. This unique Redmond festival is sponsored and produced by the Redmond Arts Commission and City of Redmond.
The festival includes presentations by Ben Cammarano, director of art for Microsoft Game Studios; Ed Fries, CEO for Figure Prints and co-founder of Airtight Games; Chris Taylor, founder of Gas Powered Games; and Stephanie Andrews, a UW Professor in the DX Arts program and digital fine artist who incorporates illusion and transformation into her work.
These individuals, and other festival presenters are responsible for some of the most popular video games available including “Halo,” “Gears of War 2,” “Dungeon Siege,” “Call of Duty 4” and “Half Life 1 & 2.”
Redmond Mayor John Marchione commented, “The presentations, demonstrations and hands-on workshops at the festival will inspire and educate all those who attend. The Redmond Digital Arts Festival celebrates Redmond’s creative individuals and cutting-edge industries.”
Redmond Arts Commissioner and one of the event’s organizer, Kamal Siegel, noted, “This event is not to be confused with other conferences that focus on products and technology. The focus of our event is on art created digitally or digitally assisted, highlighting the incredible innovations artists are making in their own fields. When looking at the relationship technology has with art, we should never lose sight of the fact that technology is there to support the creative impulse.”
No experience is necessary to attend the festival and all ages are welcome.
Additional information, including all registrations, tickets and artist submissions, is online at www.redmondartsfestival.com.
