Boston Cyberarts Festival
Encyclopedia
The Boston Cyberarts Festival is the first and largest Festival of digital art, performance and film created using new technology in the USA. Around 22,000 people attended the Festival in 2007 where they witnessed the work of over 200 artists from all over the world.
The Festival takes place once every two years in Boston, Massachusetts, USA stretching over the last week of April and the first week in May. The next Festival is taking place on Friday 24 April–Sunday 10 May 2009. The Festival is organized by Boston Cyberarts Inc, a non-profit arts organization. The director of Cyberarts is George Fifield.
The Festival’s events are held in Boston’s:
For those unable to attend the Festival physically, there are virtual Festival events held on the internet.
Boston Cyberarts Inc also presented its own exhibitions and performances during the Festival. For example, at the Computer Museum they presented the exhibition ‘Mind Into Matter’, co-curated by Festival director George Fifield and Francine Koslow Miller. This was the first international survey of digital sculpture
. Over 100 events took place organized by 60 cultural and education institutions, including museum
and gallery exhibitions and visual arts programming.
The Festival celebrates both international art and also the wealth of artistic talent in its home region of Massachusetts, United States.
The Festival takes place once every two years in Boston, Massachusetts, USA stretching over the last week of April and the first week in May. The next Festival is taking place on Friday 24 April–Sunday 10 May 2009. The Festival is organized by Boston Cyberarts Inc, a non-profit arts organization. The director of Cyberarts is George Fifield.
Location
The Festival is located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The Festival usually features a central headquarters where visitors can get information about the events and also attend the opening night party. Massachusetts has arguably the densest population of digital artists in the USA. This makes Boston the high-technology cultural center of the country.The Festival’s events are held in Boston’s:
- Galleries
- Museums
- Universities; and
- Public spaces
For those unable to attend the Festival physically, there are virtual Festival events held on the internet.
First event
Around 22,000 people attended the Festival in 2007 where they witnessed the work of over 200 artists from all over the world. Events and exhibitions took place at 81 Festival events organized by over 60 arts organizations in Boston. The events featured:- Visual art
- Animation
- Video
- Music
- Film
- Dance
- Installations
- Lectures
- Conferences; and
- Discussions
Boston Cyberarts Inc also presented its own exhibitions and performances during the Festival. For example, at the Computer Museum they presented the exhibition ‘Mind Into Matter’, co-curated by Festival director George Fifield and Francine Koslow Miller. This was the first international survey of digital sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
. Over 100 events took place organized by 60 cultural and education institutions, including museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and gallery exhibitions and visual arts programming.
The Art
The art work at the Festival has been produced using computers; often alongside more traditional mediums such as paint, photography, film, musical instruments or dance and performance.The Festival celebrates both international art and also the wealth of artistic talent in its home region of Massachusetts, United States.
Awards
In 2007, the Boston Cyberarts Festival received the following awards:- The Commonwealth Award. This is the State’s highest honor in the arts, humanities and sciences. This award recognizes an individual or group that has created economic activity, created jobs or generated income through arts and culture. The Awards are given every two years by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), and are chosen by a committee of cultural and business leaders from a pool of nominations received from across the State.