Creative Code Intensive

Apply for the Intensive:
Where creative studio practice meets Computer Science

Our Creative Code Intensive is a newly redesigned 12-week course in creative technology, offering a comprehensive introduction to foundational and advanced tools for programming interactive experiences. Guided by expert instructors, participants gain technical skills and creative inspiration to design, prototype, and install an interactive experience or artwork in a public showcase attended by the creative community, technology industry, and museum professionals.

The 2025 curriculum brings a fresh focus on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, critically exploring generative artificial intelligence tools and introducing core concepts for building machine learning models. In addition to AI and ML, the course emphasizes the fundamentals of computer programming for creative media, audiovisual performance, and interactive applications for the web. Through playful experimentation, Gray Area’s Creative Code Intensive encourages participants to both embrace and interfere with new technologies as a mode of critical engagement, fostering creativity through technological experimentation and exploration.

Whether you’re an artist exploring new tools, a designer crafting interactive media, or an industry professional advancing your AI expertise, this interdisciplinary course will provide opportunities to expand your skills and prepare you for new career pathways in creative technology. 

NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT

Deadline to apply for the Spring Session is Monday, March 24, 2025.

Learning Outcomes

Students in the course will:

• Apply coding fundamentals  (e.g., variables, loops, conditionals, functions, arrays, objects) to create visual and interactive media
• Practice advanced coding topics (e.g. handling user input, networked communications, object modeling, machine learning) through hands-on creative projects
• Recognize and debug technical issues in code
• Develop a creative voice by building time-based works, live performances, and interactive applications
• Engage with emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence and examine their potential, limitations, and risks
• Contextualize their work in the fields of creative code, media arts, and technology
• Present and critique​ their own creative work and provide constructive feedback on the work of others
• Plan, scope, and execute complex technical projects
• Apply workforce-ready skills such as project planning, advanced technical proficiency, and professional presentation techniques
• Prepare and showcase professional-grade projects in a final public exhibition, including installation and documentation

Program Features

• Creative and professional development for technical and design skills
• Hands-on practice writing and debugging software
• Over 100 hours of classroom instruction
• Production of a portfolio of 10+ creative code projects
• Access to a network of hundreds of peers, alumni, and professionals to build connections with potential collaborators and employers
• Affordable enrollment fee of $4,500 (monthly payment terms are available)
• Scholarships available for students, prioritized by need

Prerequisites

The pace of the course requires that students enter the class with some foundational programming knowledge. We recommend that applicants have some practice working with concepts covered in Code! Programming with p5.js and HTML/CSS/DOM on The Coding Train to be successful in this course. These tutorials are excellent starting points for beginners who need more practice before enrolling in this course.

Diversity Scholarship

To help creators of all backgrounds reach their goals, we are proud to offer a diversity scholarship to sustain and advance an inclusive community at Gray Area and beyond. This scholarship is for outstanding students from diverse backgrounds that are underrepresented in higher education and the fields of art, design, and technology. Recipients will receive a $1125 discount towards partial tuition for our bi-annual Creative Code Intensive Program.

The Diversity Scholarship prioritizes applicants who are women, queer, gender nonconforming folks, and people of color. We highly encourage students to apply for this scholarship.

Student Showcase

Every Creative Code Intensive session culminates with a media arts exhibition, showcasing work from students alongside artists in our Incubator program. This highly attended event invites the public and industry leaders to see new work from our artist community.

See some previous examples from final showcases below.