What is the Maker Movement? A simple question you may often hear from family and friends.
- Do you start with the explosion of new technologies that let almost anyone turn an idea into an object in the real world?
- Do you mention the community workshops popping up in warehouses, libraries or online to connect curiosity and expertise?
- Or do you begin with the core values that bring makers of all types together to share and create?
This challenge sparked We Are Makers, a short documentary that celebrates the diversity of tools, people and ideas that is the Maker Movement.
A group of filmmakers from Abilene Christian University visited many of the people and places that have brought making into the mainstream. In the film, we hear Allan Chochinov reflect on making in MFA design programs at the School of Visual Arts. We meet Eric Siegel whose team at the New York Hall of Science is bringing maker experiences to museum patrons of all ages. We hear from Randy Hunt at Etsy about their global online marketplace for independent makers. And we visit the people behind the hackerspaces and maker start-ups that add richness and complexity to any single definition.
We’re proud to share the film with the maker community. In one month we’ve had viewers from 66 countries, a glimpse of the global reach of the movement.
For those wanting to hear more, we’ve shared additional interview footage where voices like Dale Dougherty from Maker Media and David Carr from Supermechanical reflect on the importance of maker culture to STEM education, the Internet of Things, and the growth of maker economies.
The Maker Movement is more than a single new device or type of community, and We Are Makers hopes to help us share something of the deeply human values that motivate the broader movement. Enjoy.
AUTHOR: Kyle directs the AT&T Learning Studio at Abilene Christian University in West Texas where he works to help students and faculty see themselves as media makers.
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