Cyberjam Creator Spotlight: Midnight Dawning

Building Intersections for Artists and Technologists

Midnight Dawning (@MidnightDawning00) is changing how art and technology come together. The event series is breaking barriers between artists and technologists to elevate collaborative outcomes. The founders of Midnight Dawning, Allen Vandever (@allenvandeverpnos), artist and founder of the Phygital Gallery, Robert Chesbro (@chesbro_), producer, musician, and JP Miller (@jpzxyz), technical educator, all contributed to ETHChicago, but never crossed paths at the event. It wasn’t until Cyberjam’s 2023 imNotHackathon that the three of them connected and their vision began to align.

Why Midnight Dawning

Artists and technologists often work in separate worlds, speak different languages, and think from divergent perspectives. Crossing spaces can feel foreign. As a result, they fail to envision what they might achieve together. Midnight Dawning aims to connect technologists and creatives through live events that mix art, tech, and performance.

Supporting Artists

Midnight Dawning is not for spectators. Events intend to develop interactive participation. “It’s about creating an experience that translates into change beyond this building,” Allen Vandever explains, “Midnight Dawning represents the next evolution of what the Phygital Gallery means to our community. We’re just getting started.” JP adds, “Midnight Dawning is a little heavier on the arts side right now. We’re working on mixed reality experiences. We offer POAPs, we had an infinity cube at the first event. You stare into it and lose yourself in galaxies. Technologists come to our events saying, ‘What you’re doing is unique and needed.’ They want to help us push the vision forward.”

Empowering Technologists

Allen continues, “By creating fun spaces for artists and technologists, technologists can feel encouraged to think creatively, entertain innovative ideas, artists can borrow elements of first principles and analyze their work in new ways.” “Our goal is that technologists and artists will connect because they came to an event, found common ground, and build a community that creates things that no one is thinking about right now,” adds Chesbro.

Building a Community

Midnight Dawning is a movement to transform Chicago’s art and tech scenes. By connecting artists and technologists, Vandever, Chesbro, and Miller are fostering spaces where creativity and innovation flourish. Midnight Dawning supports local talent, builds community, and shows what’s possible when creatives and technologists come together. The next live event kicks off at 6pm, Saturday, August 3rd at the Phygital Gallery, 1432 W Irving Park Rd. It’s an exciting time for Chicago’s artists and technologists, and Midnight Dawning is at the heart of it all.