South Florida students, parents, educators, and members of the local tech community are invited to attend the inaugural Code Art Miami event on Feb. 6, hosted at the Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) at Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus.
Code Art Miami is a collaborative effort between local Girls Who Code clubs and Miami-based CODeLLA, a non-profit organization committed to teaching coding and tech skills to Hispanic girls from underserved communities.
Code Art Miami seeks to inspire more girls to code and to foster community among participating student groups.
Code Art Miami is sponsoring a competition for girls in grades 4-12 to enter their digital and 3D-printed art created through coding. All area students were invited to submit their “art created through code” for display at the event. Art will be displayed digitally on several flat screens throughout MAGIC’s state-of-the-industry facility. After a short speaker program designed to both inspire and give direction to students interested in tech, the contest winners will be announced.
There also will be a silent auction of various items and unique MAGICal experiences, with net proceeds going to fund a scholarship for women enrolled in one of MDC’s gaming or animation programs.
The event is open free to the public. It begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, at MAGIC at Miami Dade College, 315 NE Second Ave., First Floor. To learn more and reserve tickets, visit www.codeart.miami, or send email to info@codeart.miami.
“With the ever-changing dynamics of technology and the way gaming and coding has been evolving, it is becoming a major, major industry…,”said Mauricio Ferrazza, MAGIC chair.
“We know entertainment software companies are growing as a source of employment across the country and locally. We applaud the initiative of the local Girls Who Code clubs and CODeLLA, and welcome them at MAGIC,” he said.
“Women today represent only 18 percent of all computer science graduates and just 22 percent of gaming developers,” said Maria Mejia, student founder of Code Art Miami. “My hope is that events like Code Art Miami will help increase those numbers. Coding is the language of tomorrow, and I want all girls to feel like they can be a part of the future.”
Mejia, founder of the Girls Who Code Club at iPrep Academy and student intern with CODeLLA, brought together members of local coding clubs at iPrep Academy, the Idea Center at MDC, Pinecrest Library, and CODeLLA to help form Code Art Miami.
Since graduating from the Girls Who Code summer immersion program in August 2014, Maria has worked to expand opportunities for other young women and underrepresented minorities in computer science. Her goal is to make Code Art Miami an annual event that will continue to build community and provide opportunities for South Florida girls interested in coding.
For more information about this year’s event, including speakers, sponsorship opportunities and tickets, go to www.codeart.miami.
