MCN 2026

As generative AI and emerging “vibe coding” workflows rapidly lower technical barriers, museum professionals with varying levels of software development expertise can expand experimentation with visual methods of data inquiry using creative coding, data visualization, and interactive storytelling. This session explores how artist-centered technologies—particularly the long-running open-source creative coding platform Processing—can help museums uncover new insights, reveal hidden relationships in collections data, and prototype new forms of public engagement.

Bringing together perspectives from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, New Mexico Highlands University, and the Processing Foundation, panelists will discuss how creative coding, open-source tools, and AI-assisted workflows can expand experimentation. Through practical examples and case studies, the session will examine how museums can begin working with these tools, evaluate appropriate technologies and AI models, collaborate effectively with developers, and thoughtfully transition from prototype to production. Panelists will also reflect on how these lowered barriers may expand participation in open-source creative technology communities, enabling a wider range of museum professionals, artists, and educators to experiment, contribute, and shape emerging digital practices. The session will also highlight emerging support structures, including mentorship and grant opportunities from the Processing Foundation, that can help sustain creative coding initiatives over time.

At a moment when trust in digital information systems is increasingly fractured, creative coding offers museums new ways to make interpretation, process, and inquiry more visible. Panelists will explore how these approaches can support long-term relevance and trust by encouraging transparency, experimentation, and broader participation in shaping digital cultural experiences.