[hackerspaces] Philly's Hacktory is looking for some love

[Rubin Abdi]

Help some fellow hackers out, would you?


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Please support a tech/art project I love!
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:13:04 -0500
From: Stephanie Alarcon <steph.alarcon at gmail.com>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Hello friends, family, project buddies, and creative people!

TLDR: Please back The Hacktory <http://www.thehacktory.org/>'s
Kickstarter campaign here <http://t.co/l2m7a10zbK>, or pass this on to
someone who might be interested!

For several years I've been volunteering with an awesome organization in
Philly called The Hacktory <http://www.thehacktory.org/>. A lot of you
have heard me talk about it. It's a place where anyone can go to learn
how to turn technology into art, turn a problem into a clever invention,
or just work through a fear of gadgets. They have done amazing work on a
shoestring budget, from teaching a mountain of classes,
<http://www.thehacktory.org/?p=4350>to developing a well-loved workshop
<http://www.thehacktory.org/?p=2737> on gender equity in tech that has
gotten a lot of great recognition
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0FWHqPvPDw>.  (Read more here
<http://allteramy.github.io/genderGapTimeline/>.)

I'm writing to ask you to support a big project that The Hacktory is
fundraising for, either with a donation or by passing this message along
to a few of your contacts. We won a big matching grant from The Knight
Foundation
<http://www.knightarts.org/community/philadelphia/best-ideas-for-the-philadelphia-arts-receive-2-76-million-in-funding>

to run an amazing program called T.E.R.A. Incognita
<http://t.co/l2m7a10zbK>: Tech Education and Residency for Artists, but
we need to raise half of the funds ourselves. The way the program will
run is this: we'll put out a call for artists who want to learn how to
incorporate technology in their work in a creative and meaningful way,
and accept a select group for a residency including training. When the
artists feel up to speed on some new skills, we'll ask them to teach
some of what they've learned to Philadelphia school students, magnifying
the effect of the project. At the end we'll have an exhibition to show
off everyone's work.


The possibilities are boggling: what about clothing that listens to your
vital signs and turns them into music? A wall that senses the movement
in a room and changes the lighting accordingly? Circuits made with paint
and thread?   There's more info in this article for Makezine by our
director, Georgia Guthrie: "Art+Technology = New Art Forms, Not Just New
Art.
<http://makezine.com/2013/11/15/art-technology-new-art-forms-not-just-new-art/>"

I feel strongly that the kind of work that The Hacktory does will be an
integral part of tech education in the years to come. This is an
organization that knows its stuff, from the technology itself, to honest
and effective non-profit management, to meeting people where they are
and respecting everyone who walks in the door. I've hung out in a lot of
tech circles, and this is one of the most comfortable and thoughtful
organizations I've ever been a part of.

The Kickstarter campaign is here: http://t.co/l2m7a10zbK
Donations are tax-deductible and there are some really awesome prizes!
The campaign is doing well but only has 20 hours to go. Don't be shy
about donating even if we go over our goal...any extra will go toward
the next fundraising push, and not a cent will be wasted. Any amount is
welcome! If you're not in a position to donate money at the moment,
please considering donating a few minutes of time, to send this to, say,
five people you think might be interested.

Thanks so much for your time, and for all the ways you make your
world--and my life--better.

Warmly,
Steph Alarcon


-- 
stephalarcon.org <http://stephalarcon.org>






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