Join the fun at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire LIVE from Oakland, CA this Sunday, October 25th! Although the Faire’s 11th annual celebration, this year things will look quite different with a shift from a cheerful family friendly melee to a high energy, 3 hour ONLINE celebration. And check out the fantastic collection of exhibits on Make Projects!
There is never any shortage of innovation, creativity, and inspiration at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire. This Faire is known for its diverse and unique kids activities and support for young makers, avant-garde speakers and ingenious workshops, and its strong focus on community art. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, this year’s event is no exception. Join a dynamic world full of portals to explore and discover. Don’t be fooled by the Faire’s shift to a 100% virtual space…this carefully curated space boasts one word: PARTICIPATION!
Here’s a preview of this weekend’s activations:
ART AS ACTIVISM
Join this engaging discussion with leaders in the Oakland community who are driving an arts movement through cultural expression, community empowerment, civic activation, and creative placemaking: Desi Mundo of the Community Rejuvenation Project, Christina Chung and Lukas Brekke-Miesner of Oakland Kids First and the Town Force 1 Comic Book project, Artist and sports educator Dania Cabello, and Meredith Winner and Lisa Vortman of Paint the Void.
SPEAKERS + PRESENTERS
CAPTURED CARBON ART: A Talk with Annalee Levin
Annalee Levin is a visual artist and educator specializing in hand embroidery and sculpture. She is the first Artist in Residence of Carbon Upcycling Technologies, a company in Canada that creates products out of upcycled CO2 emissions. Her new project, Captured Carbon Studio, was started in 2020 as a space to explore captured carbon as an art medium. Come hear her talk about her new body of work, a series of art, textiles, and consumer products made with upcycled CO2 emissions. Check out her Instagram @capturedcarbon.studio
A SECRET HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN RIVER PEOPLE
A Secret History of American River People is a project to build a collection of personal stories of people who live and work on the river from the deck of a recreated mid-century shantyboat. The project engages people living in contemporary river communities in dialog, examining the personal stories of ordinary river people and the ways that river communities respond to threats such as economic displacement, gentrification, environmental degradation, and the effects of global climate change. Join artist and educator, Wes Modes for a talk on his unique and project and the historical work he has done through his voyages.
RETRO ROADSHOW
Join Huxley and Sarai Dunsany, creators of the Retro Roadshow for a talk on the origins and roots of modern macOS / iPhone OS in historical computers built by Apple and NeXT, Inc. (Steve Job’s other, often-forgotten computer company) in the late 1980’s.
GLASSWORKING PUMPKINS with Rowan Littell
After treating himself to a flameworking class at The Crucible, Rowan fell in love with the magic of hot glass and quickly built a home studio. His work is an attempt to draw out the sense of wonder and whimsy of what he sees, whether it is light and playful, loving and sensuous, or creepy and adorable. Join him for a live demo where he will teach us how to create a beautiful glassworked pumpkin….just in time for the holiday season!
TWEETHAUS
Tweethaus wants YOU to participate in creating a more habitable, beautiful, and sustainable city for all the species that live in it! A collaboration among the FLUX Foundation and community partners, Tweethaus is a public art + ecology project focused on citizen science, interactive learning and collaboration. It fosters community through the design, construction, and installation of bird habitats in public pathways and urban environments. This collaborative, online/virtual workshop will introduce the TweetHaus project and invite participants to engage as ‘citizen scientists’, as well as artful place-makers – design-thinkers imagining ways to make places that create community. A free, hands-on TweetHaus maker activity will also be provided to participants. (Image by: Elizabeth Marley)
FIXIT CLINIC: GOT SOMETHING THAT NEEDS FIXING?
Want to try fixing from home? We’re holding Virtual Fixit Clinics via Zoom and it’s been splendid, with participants and community repairers from around the world attending. Here’s how it works: show your item to the global assembly of community repairers and get suggestions for things to try. After all items are presented we assign items/participants and repairers to Zoom breakout rooms to implement the suggestions and, hopefully, fix the items. Check out our Plan C Live episode on the Right to Repair to hear more!
KIDS, KIDS, KIDS!
East Bay Mini Maker Faire is known for its high energy kids activities and support for young makers, and this year’s virtual event is no exception to that! Here are some highlights for the kids channel in their upcoming event…
MAKE YOUR OWN ZINE
In this workshop you will learn how to make your very own zine, a small book folded from just one piece of paper! We learn the technique of how to crease, cut, and fold it and then you will get to create your own short story or comic. All you need is a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, any writing or drawing materials you’d like, and your imagination.
HOW TO BE A MAGICIAN USING OBJECTS FOUND AROUND THE HOUSE
Returning for his fourth appearance at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire, join Alan Kahn as he presents his unique spin on STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Magic through a fun workshop.
SAMAIRA MEHTA AND CODERBUNNYZ
Samaira Mehta has been a speaker at over 70 conferences nationwide. She has held over 160 workshops that spotlight her board game, and taught over 5,000 kids to code. She received a letter from then First Lady Michelle Obama and was offered a job at Google. Did we mention she’s 12?
MY FAVORITE THINGS: A Social Space for Sharing Tools, Materials, Tips and Experiences
No Maker Faire would be complete without the space to share, learn, network and converse with fellow makers! Join hosts, Brad Silva (of the Faire’s beloved Grandpa’s Train) and TJ Lee (creator of the Time Traveler’s Vignette) for a quirky talk show style, show-and-tell meeting space. Everyone is invited to participate in this fun conversation about what tools, materials and methods work best for the projects that you are interested in doing!
There is tons more to see, learn and explore at this year’s East Bay Mini Maker Faire. To see the full list of featured makers at the virtual, live event: FULL SCHEDULE for more details!
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