Create Festival

The Pittsburgh Technology Council is collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University and the Three Rivers Arts Festival to present CREate 2015, a three-day celebration of the intersection of arts and technology to be held June 10-12.

CREate which stands for Changing Realities and Experiences through Art and Technology Explorations, is calling for entries for the CREATEFest Awards. The awards feature categories that encourage applicants across disciplines to submit their projects. The organizers are encouraging “artists, gamers, entrepreneurs, makers, app and software developers, roboticists, musicians, designers, museums, advertising agencies, corporations working in research & creativity, new media educators, students and community event and project directors.”

The impetus for attracting a wide range of entries speaks to the mission of the Tech Council. “This is essential to what we do at the council. We are a network dedicated to fostering the creative industries in our region to facilitate cultural and economic growth—and that comes not only from technology companies but from many disciplines such as art, music and education,” says Kim Chestney, Director of Creative Industries Acceleration.

CREate 2015 will recognize innovators in categories that include communications, design, fine arts, entertainment, software and hardware. Ten finalists will be selected in each category with the winners to be announced during the festival.

The festival takes the place of the Design, Art and Technology Awards (DATA) that the Tech Council has presented for seven years.One major change from the DATA Awards is that CREate 2015 is seeking entries nationally—giving Pittsburgh innovators and creatives an opportunity to engage on a larger scale. This also invites a national audience to visit our city during the Arts Festival and give opportunity to “raise the visibility of Pittsburgh—to show it off to the world,” says Chestney.

The works of 50 finalists will be featured in the festival along with workshops, salons and panels that aim to raise awareness of trends in creative technology that dovetail with the festival’s theme of “interconnectivity.” The festival is also seeking proposals for workshops, panels and performances and “opportunities to engage in the newest trends in creativity and innovation.”

Deadline for entries is February 15. More information on the CREate 2015 website.

Leah Lizarondo is a food advocate, writer and speaker. She is also the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, an organization that seeks to eliminate food waste to make an impact on hunger and the environment. She is the Chief Veghacker, recipe creator and curator at The Brazen Kitchen, where she writes about food and food policy. She writes about the intersection of food, health, innovation and policy.