There’s a great community of “makers” in the Syracuse area, and today they have a place to showcase their talent and celebrate creativity. The inaugural Maker Faire Syracuse takes today, Saturday, April 2, 2022 from 10 am – 4 pm. The event will be held at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena at 4585 W Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY 13215. Tickets are available at syracuse.makerfaire.com/tickets!
Meet some of the fantastic makers + projects that will be on show (and tell) today!
weBLEEDfpv will be teaching attendees all about Tiny Whoop Drones, First Person View (FPV), and the technology needed to partake in FPV drone racing! SaltCtyRacingfpv hosts frequent competitive gatherings and casual events within Central New York. weBLEEDfpv is excited to “share what FPV & Flight of drones is all about, once the goggles go down, your world to explore is expanded, with no boundaries!” Learn more and get racing at webleedfpv.com.
Ted Baumhauer from Red Tie Variety will show you how to make your own short range indoor boomerang from cardboard! You will also learn how to tune, hold and throw it so that it comes back time and time again. He employs a wide variety of physical skills including juggling, ball spinning, slack lining, unicycle, and balancing, and more. When not performing his solo act he delivers unforgettable and entertaining Keynote presentations and Leadership Development Programs to nonprofit, small, and Fortune 500 companies.
Come learn about forging fine jewelry with Aric Potter from Forge Gone Conclusions (@fgconclusions)! Put your creative/engineering skills to work by creating different shapes and sizes of paper beads and check out the different tools that jewelers typically use. For Aric, what started out as a knife making hobby at a young age eventually morphed into a jewelry making business. As teen and young adult, Aric set up a forge in his backyard to create knives from scrap pieces of metal. His interest grew in metal working throughout the years as he learned different techniques of metal forming and metal plating.
Michael “Sid” Pileski will be showcasing his homemade steam and IC engines and other mechanical contrivances at Maker Faire Syracuse! “I believe that ‘making’ is just another outlet for the need to create. Some people paint or write. I enjoy designing and machining mechanical objects. Some of my creations force me to learn new things – electrical, some programming. I also enjoy talking with other like-minded people at model engineering shows and seeing what they are creating.”
William “Willie” Faram (@williespaintnprint) will be displaying his 3D printed and hand painted projects including Marvel figurines, props from movies and video games, and more! Willie taught himself about 3D printing. Starting with a small printer in his apartment he made things that brought him joy. Now he has a group of them in his workshop that he uses to print projects of any size. Check out Willie on TikTok at WilliesPaintNPrint where he shares updates about his latest projects!
At Maker Faire Syracuse, Katharine St. Laurent will be demonstrating the process of making pysanky (Ukrainian eggs) and you’ll have the opportunity to make your own egg! “I learned to make pysanky (aka Ukrainian eggs) from my grandmother on a rainy afternoon when I was about ten. Many years later, I came across a kit at an art store, and began practicing on my own. I have been making pysanky occasionally for almost 20 years now. Pysanky represent a message of hope and peace. There is an ancient myth that an evil creature is held in check by the goodness represented by the pysanky. It is believed that each egg made strengthens the chains that bind the creature. The more pysanky made, the tighter the evil is bound. As long as people continue to make pysanky, peace will prevail. So we should all make more pysanky!
Nicole (@theerrantstitch) will be showcasing Cassette Cycle, a project that takes old cassette and VHS tapes and transforms them into cool and unique accessories and decor! “I make purses and home decorations from unique and unexpected items. I began reusing items in my work when I realized the kind of things I wanted just weren’t made. It means a lot to me to give a new life to something instead of throwing it away. When I first started this project, I realized that cassettes and bygone technology were a major source of garbage, but could be made into some really attractive, unique and useful items.
Acevedo Studios (@Acevedostudios) is a ceramics art studio working out of Syracuse, NY. They will be giving wheel throwing demos all day and selling a sample of their wares! Check them out on TikTok too @Acevedostudios!
Droid Builders, Echo Base, & Garrison Excelsior
MFSYR will be highlighting three maker groups today – Droid Builders, The Rebel Legion’s Echo Base, and The 501st Legion’s Garrison Excelsior.
The Droid Builders club has mastered the art of replicating the various droids from the Star Wars universe utilizing a variety of fabrication methods and programming to control them. Some of their club creations have even been in the actual Star Wars films! Learn more at https://www.droidbuilders.info/.
Echo Base is the NY chapter of the international costuming organization The Rebel Legion. They replicate costumes of the “good guys” from Star Wars. In turn, they teach others their craft and volunteer. Visit https://rebellegion.com/ to learn more!
Garrison Excelsior is the Upstate NY chapter of the international Star Wars costuming organization The 501st Legion. They replicate costumes of the “bad guys” from Star Wars & volunteer in the community. Check out http://www.garrisonexcelsior.com/ for more information!
@jeff_the_magic_man will be building a huge 20-foot-tall robot out of balloons. This will combine art and STEM principles to engineer a wonderful addition to Maker Faire Syracuse. He will also have hands-on creativity stations where you can learn how to make your own balloon creations! Jeff the Magic Man is Syracuse & Central New York’s premiere children’s entertainer.
Mark Teece (@markteece) will be doing blacksmith demonstrations throughout the day, forging red hot steel into various objects and answering any questions about this ancient craft! “I started forging 10 years ago after taking a class to learn how to make a steel horsehead bottle opener. Seeing how soft and malleable steel gets when it is heated to high heats was fascinating and then when it cools it remains permanently in that shape. I enjoy the blacksmith’s ability to make their own tools and making custom tools is a passion and allows me to take on most challenges.”
There’s more! You can check out the full list at Maker Faire Syracuse website and, of course, as the show!
Cover image from 315Alive initiative/mural project.
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