Wilmington exhibition merges art and technology on Oct. 3

Lately, Anne Yoncha has been noticing a trend in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) programs across the country — they’re incorporating art. That makes STEAM.
And that’s music to Yoncha’s ears. The 26-year-old Wilmington native hopes to see more connections between art and technology.
Yoncha works as an education coordinator at a human services organization in Philadelphia. In addition to her job, she also serves as the director of the New Wilmington Art Association, which fosters creativity, ideas, artists and makers in the region.
Yoncha and Jessica Taylor, a co-president of Barrel of Makers — an organization aimed at igniting the DIY movement in Delaware — decided together to host an exhibit that would incorporate both art and technology.
“There’s a lot of makers in our group and we create a lot of beautiful things in the tech space,” Yoncha said. “It’s a creative challenge.”
The opening reception for “WIRED: An exhibition on the intersection of art and technology” will be held Oct. 3, from 6-9 p.m., at the Chris White Gallery, 701 Shipley St.
The event is free and refreshments will be provided.
Yoncha said visitors can expect to see exhibits and unique art that viewers interact with differently depending how close or far away they are from the piece.
“The idea behind the NWAA is to allow artists a chance to have a dialogue around more experimental work,” Yoncha said. “This will give artists a chance to engage with other community members. We hope this would open up more conversations.”
The exhibition runs until Oct. 31. Participants include local artists as well as members of the technology community in Wilmington.
“We’re really hoping that we can generate more interest in the community that we’ve been building — to create a space for an artist who is interested in learning more about a technology-based element and find someone to collaborate with,” Yoncha said.
Yoncha said she hopes events like these — that cross art and technology — have a positive and lasting impact on the community.
“Wilmington is uniquely situated, not just geographically, but it has a perfect mixture of people with varying backgrounds and an interest in making it come alive,” Yoncha said.