Maker Faire Miami and its producers at Moonlighter FabLab have always celebrated innovation in full color as befits the city they live in. For Maker Faire Miami 2025 things are getting a little bit wilder as they move into their new venue at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens. Moonlighter and the MF Miami team have previously worked with Fairchild and in conjunction with NASA on the Growing Beyond Earth® project, a classroom-based citizen science project designed to advance NASA research on growing plants in space.
A center for plant conservation, a well as a jewel of Miami, since 1938, Fairchild specializes in the preservation of tropical flora and fauna, a sector whose biodiversity has been threatened by changes in land use and climate patterns around the world. Since Hurricane Andrew created enormous damage in the region in 1992, Fairchild’s plant collecting efforts have intensified dramatically, to restore the Garden’s collections and identify and save endangered plants throughout the tropics. Fairchild’s collections now include tropical fruit, orchids, and Florida and native plants–and now makers of all varieties!
The garden already boasts the works of some esteemed artists — like the Dale Chihuly sculptures interspersed throughout its grounds and the Growing Beyond Earth Innovation Studio. This new setting opens up exciting possibilities for themed exhibits and collaborations that bridge the gap between nature and technology. Makers will have the opportunity to showcase their projects in an environment that inherently inspires creativity and innovation, including: Interactive exhibits, Nature-inspired making activities and Sustainable technology demonstrations.
Check out the 2024 edition of Maker Faire Miami – which has changed venues and producer, but been going strong sine 2017 – to see more about what will be happening all weekend!
Keynote: Dale Dougherty, The Case for Maker Education
Dale Dougherty, founder of Make: magazine and Maker Faire, is coming to Maker Faire Miami for a special keynote that makes “The Case for Maker Education.” If you believe hands-on learning and creative teaching can shape the future, this is your moment to get inspired. The case for maker education begins with understanding how kids learn best — through experience and practice — and how they benefit even more from teachers who become guides and coaches. It’s about process more than product, and learning from doing.
Featured Makers + Amazing Projects
Growing Beyond Earth
As mention above, the Growing Beyond Earth project is the unique output of a collaboration between the nation’s premier organization for space exploration, the expertise and groundbreaking scientific and conservation work sone at Fairchild, and the community embedded efforts of Moonlighter, which brings attention and participation to the project. As humans expand into space farther from Earth, the ability to grow sustainable food crops is a solution to a major challenge of long-duration, deep space missions. Growing Beyond Earth will directly support NASA’s goals of feeding astronauts on the International
Space Station, Moon, and Mars by providing Crop Readiness Level-1 and -2 data to the Space Crop Production team at NASA Kennedy Space Center.
Katye Sabicer
Kayte Sabicer is a painter, visual effects artist and stop motion fabricator. She began her career in Los Angeles as a model maker for movies like Dark Knight Rises, Hugo, and Inception. She moved to the Bay Area in 2012 for Henry Selick’s stop motion feature film Shadow King, and now works with Tippett Studios as a model maker and independently as a fine artist. She’ll be presenting at MFM on “Making With(Out) Intention and the importance of making things even without an end goal.” Check out some of her work on Adam savage’s Tested (where she is a contributor) below.
Florida Retro Computer Club
The Florida RetroComputer Club was founded in 2017 with the aim of connecting Florida-based retrocomputer enthusiasts and collectors. The Club’s mission is about bringing together a community of people who enjoy our computer technology past.
B is for BattleBots
Learn more about your favorite robots with the official BattleBots alphabet book, written by Andrea Gellatly of Team Witch Doctor! Andrea first learned about robotics as a high school freshman, which quickly shifted her career goals from artist to engineer. She now has over 15 years of experience in combat robotics, winning a number of national titles. Andrea recently presented at the Kennedy Space Center on designing for damage and redundancy, and has spoken on discussion panels for a variety of audiences. She is also co-founder of MakeMIA Makerspace.
Matthew Harden Cosplay
Matthew Harden (@mhcosplaydesign) is a passionate cosplayer, maker, and educator who specializes in crafting larger-than-life cosplay builds. Combining foam work, 3D design, and LED effects, he brings massive characters to life with creativity and engineering.
Andres Velasquez is a college student with interests in robotics and AI. I enjoy my free time doing DIY projects with my 3D printer and electronics. Meet his 3D-printed Wall-E! Inspired by the beloved character, this 3D-printed creation showcases my passion for robotics, machine learning, and DIY creativity. Come see how Wall-E comes to life at the Maker Faire!”
Frank: The Grateful Artist is a Miami Artist that enjoys making art, viewing art, and sharing art with all people.At Maker Faire Miami, explore my 80’s themed backdrops, Star Wars Props and cosplay, and immersive paintings! His love for Star Wars and skills really come through in his DIY stormtrooper video below.
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