In this series participants will be introduced to creative coding, circuit construction, sensors and actuators. Whether you are interested in robotics, sound, light art, or just plain old tinkering, these workshops are a great place to develop your artistic ideas.

This workshop series is divided into three sessions. All three workshops involve interdependent concepts, yet each will focus on a specific technique used in creating interactive art with Arduino. We recommend Intro to Arduino for Artists if you have never used an Arduino before, or if you want to refresh your skills. If you've worked with the Arduino IDE on a project before, we recommend picking up the series after Intro to Arduino for Artists.

Passive components will be provided. Arduino microcontrollers will be provided for use during the workshop. 

Intro to Arduino for Artists 

Thursday March 3, 7pm-10pm  

In this workshop you will learn the basics of working with the Arduino microcontroller board and the Arduino IDE software environment. You will learn how to hook up basic sensors and actuators to the Arduino and will learn to write code to control them. You will also have an opportunity to talk about your ideas and learn how to put them into action using Arduino.  

Arduino Sensors Playground 

Thursday March 10, 7pm-10pm  

In this workshop you will build on your skills by playing with a variety of interesting and increasingly complex sensors. You will work with motion sensors, proximity sensors, colour sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers, and more. You will learn how to read and manipulate this data using fancier code that you will write yourself! 

Arduino Expanded 

Thursday March 17, 7pm-10pm  

Going beyond the basics, this workshop we will look at the use of additional ICs and components required to drive motors, arrays of lights, or to extend the number of inputs/outputs on an Arduino board. This workshop is all about building additional circuitry to extend the functionality of Arduino.  

Dates: Thursdays March 3, 10, 17

Time: 7pm-10pm

Registration Fee: 

$45 With Annual Studio/Workshop Pass (see below) - single workshop 

$135 With Annual Studio/Workshop Pass (see below) - all three workshops 

$60 Regular - single workshop 

$180 Regular - all three workshops

Material Fee: $5 per workshop, or $15 for all three workshops.

What to Bring: A laptop (Mac, PC, or Linux). Feel free to bring your own Arduino.

What to Install in Advance: You must have the Arduino IDE installed. 

About the Instructor: Gerald Grison is a new media artist whose practice incorporates sound, kinetics and optics. Finding inspiration from discarded electronics, his work focuses on the issues of technology and obsolescence. He graduated from the OCADU's Integrated Media program and has since taught introductory classes and workshops in electronics and physical computing at OCADU and at the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto.