Everyone’s a maker this upcoming weekend in downtown Atlanta as the community comes together for a Weekend of Making, which includes the seventh annual Maker Faire Atlanta, October 22 at the Georgia Freight Depot. The weekend’s lineup also offers a Makerspace Organizers Summit, the MakeEdu Making Education Conference, and a Maker Innovation Showcase.
Maker Faire Atlanta has flourished since it first started as a Mini Maker Faire in 2011 on the Georgia Tech campus. Leveling up to a full-sized featured Faire in 2014, the event was hosted in downtown Decatur, east of Atlanta proper, until last year. For the first time, this year, the Faire has moved to downtown Atlanta, and the organizing team is excited about being more accessible to the greater Atlanta metro area and the inherent inclusivity that comes with this more central location. Maker Faire Atlanta is produced by the Southeast Makers Alliance, a local nonprofit dedicated to building and nurturing the maker community in the Southeast. This year, they have more than 130 maker exhibits waiting for you to explore.
This synopsis video of last year’s Maker Faire Atlanta, produced by MASS Collective, provides a great window into some of the fun projects and people who were there:
Now let’s take a closer look at the many offerings for this weekend.
MAKERSPACE ORGANIZER SUMMIT
The second annual Makerspace Organizers Summit, hosted by the Southeast Makers Alliance, offers a chance for area makerspace makers to join with their peers to share best practices, network, and learn about how to make their space even more successful. Takes place on October 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Aderhold Learning Center of Georgia State University, with a Maker Mixer from 5–8 p.m. Register online. Free and open to all organizers and members from makerspaces in the Southeast, with advance registration.
MākEdu MAKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE
In partnership with the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence at Georgia State University, MakEdu Making Education, a division of the Southeast Makers Alliance formed to address education outreach, is hosting a day of presentations, workshops, and demonstrations of the best of making in education. Takes place on October 21 from 8:30–4:00pm at the Aderhold Learning Center of Georgia State University. Registration is just $10 for educators and students ages 12–21.
MAKER FAIRE ATLANTA
Did we mention that Maker Faire Atlanta is free? All you need to do is register in advance online. Here’s the lineup for the day:
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Exhibits, Speakers, Workshops, Demonstrations, EdObstacles Course
3:30 p.m.: Performance by 3D The Boss, known for delivering an energy-packed, exceptionally rich experience which is high with excitement, wide with variety, and deep with meaning. Imagine an artist like Bruno Mars and his band putting on a live concert with a fitness choreographer, and in front of them is a cardio mob who is ready to follow along to the fitness routines.
2:00 – 4:00 pm: The Innovation Showcase, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Economic Development Innovation and Manufacturing, invited makers to pitch their products and ideas created in makerspaces throughout the Southeast. Ten finalists will present at the Southeast Maker Summit on Sunday October 22 in front of a distinguished panel of makers, investors, and economic developers to vie for cash and prizes.
PLUS MUCH MORE
This is just one example of the fun you’ll find at the Faire. Got floppies? Want to preserve your first geocities website or your first digital camera photos? The Georgia Tech Library’s retroTECH and the Atlanta Area Digital Archives Meetup want to help you preserve your data for the future. Bring your old floppies to Maker Faire Atlanta for a hands-on demonstration to recover your data, and learn about the best practices for preserving your family’s digital memories!
For all the information you need to join the Southeast maker community at Maker Faire Atlanta, head to the website!
Shout out to Community Guild for the awesome picture of happy young makers and their STE(A)M Truck mobile makerspace at the top of this post.
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