My passion for community organizing is most often expressed as a producer of events, largely for collaborative communities of practice in both the art world and the tech world. Highlights from the past fifteen years are below.

Electric Sky

Electric Sky
  • Dates: 2015-2025
  • Location: Skykomish, WA
  • Leadership: Shelly Farnham, Producer; hosted by Totally Legit and Third Place Technologies
  • Event Type: Annual Art and Tech Retreat

The primary goal of this art and tech weekend retreat 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. Over the years, Electric Sky has evolved into an arts incubator, a supportive environment to develop new works and share with our local audience.  The event includes workshops, a maker lab, and an art show.

This event is for artists, technologists, designers, scientists, hackers, makers, and other hybrid creatives who recognize that some of the most inspiring innovations emerge from collaborating across traditional disciplinary boundaries.  Through the immersive experience of an artist retreat, structured much like a weekend hackathon, we seek to create an environment where members of this community may find each other, develop trust, collaborate, be inspired, and innovate.

See https://ElectricSkyArtCamp.com

Curator, Passable 

2022-2025

As a founding member and lead organizer at Passable, I have taken a lead role curating several art shows, including Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, From Surreal to Sublime in AI, and Mad Scientist.  I focus on light art and interactive tech, and often structure shows to create a more holistic immersive experience around creative collaboration.

Seattle: City of the Future

  • Dates: 2023
  • Location: Seattle, WA
  • Leadership: Shelly Farnham, Event Producer, Selection Committee Chair, Jeffrey Larson, Branding, Marty. Griswold, Marketing
  • Project type: Immersive Art Experience — Event Production and Marketing
  • Funded by: Third Place with 4Culture & Community Catalyst Grants, in-kind by Tamarind Tree

In 2022 Tam Nguyen, owner of the Tamarind Tree, acquired the former R Place building in Capitol Hill, Seattle. He wanted to activate the space during renovations, and organized a meeting of local art groups to brainstorm ideas for how to honor the site’s legacy as a beloved, historic LGBTQ+ venue. We proposed an immersive art experience bringing in local artists and asking them to consider their hopes and fears for the future of Seattle. Six months later, collaborating with Tam Nguyen and media partner Public Display (Marty Griswold), we launched the Seattle: City of the Future juried art show — featuring 38 installations over three floors and nearly 50% LGBTQ+ artists—creating inclusive, celebratory branding while activating the space for the local community.

Communities and Technologies Conference ’21

  • Dates: 2021
  • Location: Skykomish, WA
  • Leadership: Shelly Farnham, Conference Chair
  • Event Type: Academic Conference

In 2021 Shelly Farnham served as Conference Chair for the International 2021 Communities and Technologies, a biannual academic conference bringing together leading researchers and practioners at the intersection of communities and technologies. The conference was originally to be held at the University of Washington, but was hosted entirely online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. See C&T ’21: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities & Technologies – Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech, Florian Cech and Shelly Farnham (Editors).

Other

2022-2024        Organizer, Pop-up Makerspace, Totally Legit at Critical Northwest

2021-2025        Tunnel Days of Skykomish, Organizing Committee 

2022                  Curator, Luminous Sky, Sky Artworks

2013-14            Producer, Social Computing Symposium

2014                  Organizer, Art and Tech Initiative Workshop, June 2014. See paper.

2013                  Curator, Oscillate at Vermillion Art Gallery

2010                  Curator, Winter Lights at Vermillion Art Gallery

2009                  Producer, People Doing Strange Things with Electricity V, Dorkbot

2006-2009       Organizing Committee Chair, Dorkbot

2009                   Producer, Frayed Wire, Seattle, conference for tech creatives

2008                  Producer, People Doing Strange Things with Electricity IV”, Dorkbot / 911 Media Arts Center

2007                  Producer, Thingamajiggr, Art and Tech pop-up exhibition and party

2006                  Producer, SalonTC (Salon de Technologie et de Creativite)