Hot Takes: Tech's Vibrant Arts & Entertainment Scene
By: Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95 | Categories: Alumni Interest, Campus News
1. The arts belong at Tech.
Technology has been transforming art and entertainment throughout history. It has changed how we produce and consume art and opened new avenues for artistic expression. Think of photography, film, video games, interactive art, or synthesizers—none of which existed until quite recently. The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition is a perfect reminder that the instruments we have today are not set in stone. We’re constantly experimenting, creating new ways to make music and interact with instruments. The same is happening across the visual and performing arts, and we’re committed to playing a role in creating that future. Our mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. How can you improve the human condition without the arts? That’s why we’re strengthening the arts at Tech through our academic programs, our extracurricular activities, and even the development of our campus.
2. Atlanta is an entertainment hub.
Atlanta has become a world-class hotspot of film production, music, professional sports, and other forms of entertainment. And Georgia Tech is committed to contributing to the growth of these exciting industries. That’s why we’re building a new degree program—the Bachelor of Science in Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies—which is expected to launch in the fall of 2026. We’re also making sure our campus itself supports the arts. Two years ago, the Georgia Tech Foundation acquired the former Randall Brothers property on Marietta Street. We envision this property as the seed of a new arts corridor, which we’re calling Creative Quarter, that will support our students and faculty and contribute to our city’s rich arts scene. The new development will feature a major makerspace, performance spaces, and studios where our students can create and the community can come experience the arts at Tech.
3. Creativity is a key ingredient in leadership.
Just like technology shapes the arts, the opposite is also true: The arts can also advance technology. Inventing a new device or medical cure, designing a new building, and launching a startup are all acts of human creation. We have a tremendous startup culture on our campus with programs like CREATE-X and the InVenture Prize, where we’re helping students develop and strengthen their creative muscles so they have the confidence to visualize something that’s never existed before. There may be nothing better than the arts to do just that!
