Gallery: Maker Faire Orlando Draws 15,000

Maker News
Gallery: Maker Faire Orlando Draws 15,000
IMG_8280
Woodworker Canlin Frost demos a pedal powered vintage band saw.

The numbers are in! Last weekend, 15,000 people attended the 4th annual Maker Faire Orlando, enjoying over 300 Maker exhibits, workshops, talks, and demonstrations. Makers occupied three major galleries and every hallway nook on every floor of the Orlando Science Center, and for the first time, exhibits stretched across Loch Haven Park and into the foyer and side galleries of the Orlando Museum of Art.

You might wonder: that large a Maker Faire in Orlando, home of the Disney Mecca?! Turns out there is a very healthy Maker scene in this part of Florida, what with an active aerospace industry, as well as a number of university engineering graduate programs. Also, the Faire benefits from a very strong, Maker-based organizing team out of FamiLAB Makerspace who are bolstered by the good team at the Orlando Science Center.

Here’s a glimpse back at some of the fun had on day two of the event:

IMG_8282
Carpenter-in-Residence for the Art & History Museums – Maitland, Canlin is a local furniture designer and craftsman specializing in traditionally handcrafted heirloom furniture and antique furniture repair. Here he demos a homemade wood lathe.
IMG_8309
Kal with his dad Grimjack73’s conjoined robot prototype named “Wormy.”
IMG_0344
FamiLAB, showing proud as the founding Makerspace behind the Faire.
IMG_0341
FamiLAB’s Power Wheels Racing modified electric toy car.
IMG_8297
Electric skateboard prototype by Webber Eboards
IMG_0336
Chocolate covered habanero Jerky anyone? Maker Faire Maker mashup! The jerky maker and the chocolate lady got together and dipped all three flavors of beef jerky in chocolate.
IMG_0338
An adorable participant in the chocolate molding workshop.
IMG_0351
Maker Faire Orlando co-founder Dave Casey with bio experiments in the FamiLAB booth.
IMG_0321
Father and son marvel at Jonathan Thompson’s marble run sculptures.
IMG_0349
Cool Raspberry Pi mod by Mac Rutan: add a view screen to an older analog microscope
IMG_0314
A miniland-scale (1:20) model of the Maker Faire itself, built out of LEGO by Daniel Pikora.
IMG_8301
Yes indeedy — the “World’s Largest Video Game” — just for the heck of it!
IMG_0294
Curiosity Hacked Guild 019 and the ever-popular compressed air rockets.
IMG_8328
Belinda Glennon, teacher at Crealde School of Art, sculpting a clay tower with help from attendees.
IMG_8322
DuinoKit was made by a teacher looking simple and fun, hands-on method to share the love of inventing and developing with electronics with his students.
IMG_8318
Brad Silcox’s “TapBx” cooler prototype.
IMG_8313
Incredible pizza oven truck by @900Degrees.
IMG_8292
Large-scale tropical accident scene by Justin Skipper/Franchise.
IMG_8324
The Art Museum of Orlando came on as a venue partner this year for the first time, greatly expanding indoor exhibit space.

Also, be sure to catch my “Day One” roundup post on Maker Faire Orlando 2015.

Keep making, Florida, and see you next year!

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Sabrina is the Maker Faire Program Director. She works on stage content for the flagship fairs (Bay Area & New York), and also runs Maker Faire's global licensing program for locally and independently produced Maker Faires. She also co-creates the East Bay Mini Maker Faire in her town, Oakland, CA.

View more articles by Sabrina Merlo

ADVERTISEMENT

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 16th iteration!

Prices Increase in....

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
FEEDBACK