Urban Arts

Urban Arts We teach digital game design 👾 as a pathway to college 🎓 and career 📎. Because a quality education shouldn’t depend on a child’s zip code.

We design and implement educational programs rooted in the arts and technology for underrepresented students. We teach underrepresented students the art and technology of game development through computer science, coding, animation, music, and storytelling. We provide private-school level college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships. We connect our alumni to men

torship and internship opportunities at leading media and technology companies, generating a new and diverse talent pipeline.

For one high-energy August afternoon, Urban Arts in NYC turns into an arcade 🕹️, built entirely by our students.After ...
08/20/2026

For one high-energy August afternoon, Urban Arts in NYC turns into an arcade 🕹️, built entirely by our students.

After 6 weeks of collaborating across every role in a game studio— , art, , sound production, coding, and —our Summer 2D Intensive students demoed original video games with their own art and narrative. They iterated, playtested, incorporated feedback from mentors and peers, and made their ideas better because of it.

They got to show off work to friends, family, and special guests including Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner for Workforce Development & Educational Initiatives at the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment . A longterm supporter of the city's students, Alia partnered with Urban Arts, & to launch NYC's initiative with the goal to build pipelines from high school to college to the growing local gaming industry.

Summer Arcade is the showcase of our summer game design pathway. 82 students participated in our free, daily 2D Game Development initiative, launching over 100 new games! When our students publish work like this, they’re learning to be technically expert, creatively confident youth who can envision a future they direct.

Want to help us scale a pathway that benefits your industry? We're looking for partners who want to support a new talent pipeline. [email protected]

At Urban Arts, we've spent over two decades proving that students from low-income communities don't just belong in tech,...
08/19/2026

At Urban Arts, we've spent over two decades proving that students from low-income communities don't just belong in tech, they lead it.

Now we're going further.

This summer, we piloted , an AI-first startup crafted for technically skilled high school seniors who are ready to build.

In just 10 days, students form five startup teams go from idea to a live, investor-ready pitch using AI tools at every stage, from ideation to iteration. We host daily sprints with expert speakers, hands-on workshops, and real product-building. By Demo Day, every team pitches a working product in front of real stakeholders.

This is not summer camp. These students are taught by industry leaders to direct AI as builders, not consume it as end users. It's a crash course in the mindset, tools, and grit that entrepreneurial success demands and our students are more than ready for it.

Urban Arts helps young people prove what's possible. Ensure access to the future of work, the future of business and the entrepreneurial mindset through Founders Lab. For more information or to partner, contact [email protected]

Get impressed.

.capital

We need your click. Our panel: "The Serious Business of Play: Building the Future Workforce" is live for upvoting on ​ ....
08/18/2026

We need your click. Our panel: "The Serious Business of Play: Building the Future Workforce" is live for upvoting on ​ . It's free and easy to vote—just cl​ick the ❤️.
https://tinyurl.com/PickUrbanArts
Play isn't a break from learning. It's the mechanism. Our students have a 100% college acceptance rate and $71M+ in scholarships to prove it. Dr. Amy Patterson, Chief of Programs at Urban Arts, ​says "Games reveal what resumes hide. Game design teaches iteration, prototyping, learning from failure—all competencies helpful for employers to identify and develop."

Amy is joined by​ Kimberly King, Media Executive​, and Mabel​, an Urban Arts alum now at Salesforce, and Sidney, ​an Urban Arts alum​ currently at Barnard College—both experts on STEM pathways​!

Voting takes just seconds. Deadline is coming up fast. Thank you!
.patterson .dni .m.a.b.e.l.__

08/17/2026

Introducing Founders Lab, a bold new initiative from Urban Arts to empower student . An extension of our existing track record for youth from low-income communities (100% college acceptance, $71M in scholarships), Founders Lab is an Al-First Startup . Taught, coached, and evaluated by real industry experts and the VC community, Founders Lab is changing trajectories. Read our CEO Philip Courtney's essay “From Shortcut to Power Tool” here:
urbanarts.org/2026/08/17/founderslab/

Our success is your success. Let’s connect.

Comcast San Francisco Chronicle The Wall Street JournalForbes Harvard Business Review (our alumni attend Harvard!) Bloomberg

Hey Sequoia Capital Andreessen Horowitz(Philip is a member of your Cultural Leadership Fund) Founders Fund Lightspeed Venture Partners get impressed with us!

IT'S IMPORTANT!!! 🚨 Vote for the Urban Arts Panel featuring alumni and partners on the Panel Picker. It's FREE and tak...
08/11/2026

IT'S IMPORTANT!!! 🚨 Vote for the Urban Arts Panel featuring alumni and partners on the Panel Picker. It's FREE and takes just seconds ⏱. Your votes 🗳 and comments get us closer to the stage. There, we'll share how Urban Arts is building the through "The Serious Business of Play: Building the Future Workforce."

https://tinyurl.com/PickUrbanArts

Please boost, share, blast and spread the word! We've got game-changing work to share!

Austin ISD C.E. King High School .patterson

08/06/2026

"What am I doing here?!!?!?!" Jainab and Elin tell you all about Urban Arts Intensive! Also, they love the snacks! Learn more about ALL of the our courses at urbanarts.org/gameacademy

Our programs are to EVERY accepted student, including all instruction, equipment, snacks (!) and transport. A great place to make friends IRL. Plus, entry to our free program that has 100% acceptance and $71 MILLION in schoalrships 💰

08/06/2026

When you learn at Urban Arts you learn high-level STEM skills and creative confidence. You make your own story, your own characters, create your own original music, sound effects and mechanics. Not eveyone becomes a but everyone walks out technically skilled and creatively invested. These skills plus collaborating and and testing deliver for ALL FUTURES. Our students are creators not just consumers, the talent pipeline.

FREE Summer Intensive Week 3!

08/05/2026

Did you know that the Urban Arts Game Academy has students on their social media team??? THANK YOU to them and all of our *thrilled* staff and STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our Urban Arts faculty does it all! Seriously, from creating games, to teaching them and even partaking in social media trends with students. We really appreciate all that they do. Shoutout to AJ for making this video with us. And see us on tiktok

HEY, NORTH CAROLINA 🌸🌲🏎, bookmark this! Meet Urban Arts' Chief of Programs, Dr. Amy Patterson, at the 2026 at Duke Uni...
08/04/2026

HEY, NORTH CAROLINA 🌸🌲🏎, bookmark this! Meet Urban Arts' Chief of Programs, Dr. Amy Patterson, at the 2026 at Duke University on Wednesday, August 5! The session, "Play to Learn, Build to Belong: Teaching Computer Science Through Game Design," is in Fitzpatrick Schiciano 1464A from 12:00-1:00 PM. She'll be joined by Mario Flores, Daniel Jones M.Ed. ABD, and Wynta Carter, Urban Arts Faculty.

, : At Urban Arts, game design opens pathways into college success and STEAM careers for students who might not otherwise picture themselves there, turning early exposure into lasting opportunity.

.patterson www.urbanarts.org

08/03/2026

Hey, Kadyn! What are 3️⃣ things a beginner should know?!

Want to create games 🕹️🎮👾? Don't know where to start? Check out urbanarts.org/gameacademy for our FREE course list! Fall is coming up soon! Instruction, equipment, snacks and transport are FREE for every admitted student.

I think he wants us to save our work I don't know tho?

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