Makers on the Map

It’s that time of year coming up when Makers hop into trains, planes, automobiles, maybe even a flying saucer to be transported to a new place. While there, you may want to take a peek at what the local Makers are doing. (We hear that serious making is a good antidote to your feast-induced postprandial stupor.)

Whether you’re looking for Makers in a new place or right in your own backyard, there are a handful resources to help you find them. When people ask us where to find Makers, we often share these few attempts to map all the makers and making activities out there. Use these resources to turn every vacation into a Make-cation!

Maps made by Maker Media and friends

• 130+ Maker Faires, and counting
• Makerspaces that have registered with us
• Maker Camp affiliate locations most active during the summer, but may have programs year-round.
• Young Makers clubs
• A map made by Lauren Hodge for her thesis in 2013, to chart where making was happening in informal education settings and more.
• Maps that emerged as part of the White House Maker Faire this summer
  • Nation of Makers map from the National Day of Making, generated by project photo tweets to #NationofMakers
  • A map by ESRI map of White House Maker Faire exhibitors, honored makers, participating universities and libraries, and Maker Mayors (shown below). 

Other Maps

• The Maker Map
• Hackerspaces and their events
• STEMtoSTEAM’s global map
• TechShop (8 current, 2 on their way)
• FabLabs (416 and counting)
• Meetups for 3DPrinting, Arduino, Makerspaces, Raspberry Pi.
• Dorkbot “people doing strange things with electricity”
• Not a map, but a helpful post: Digital Fabrication by Anna Kaziunas France

Oddball Outings

For quirky destinations, check out the fun book The Geek Atlas and the site Atlas Obscura (my personal favorite.)

What public maps / databases do YOU use to find Maker-related people, events, and things by geography? Please add to my list by commenting below!