Emma Willard’s Mini Maker Faire Starting Something Big
Emma Willard School in Troy, NY is staging a Mini Maker Faire, the first of four events celebrating the school’s 200th anniversary.
Makerspaces
Make a Makerspace
Judging from people in attendance everyone wants to make a makerspace. At Friday’s session of Make a Makerspace there were representatives from schools, makerspaces, a library, economic development, museums and businesses. In attendance were 30 people from a wide variety of places.
We makers have “gotten it” for a long time. Makerspaces are creative, collaborative spaces for learning and making stuff. The institutions of society seem to be catching on which is good news. Better still, some are smart enough to realize that succeeding with a new makerspace is not easy and that learning from veterans is worthwhile. If you want to start a makerspace then this is the class to take.
The Makerspace Chasm
Ever notice how most makerspaces less than 4,000 square foot are powered by volunteers and are rich with community? Ever notice that larger makerspaces tend to have more than 12,000 square foot, are powered by paid staff and are relatively slim on community? At How to Make a Makerspace this gap was characterized as the makerspace chasm.
As Gui Cavalcanti said during class, “There’s a reason that there’s such a specific divide between small spaces and large spaces. Once you get much larger than 3,000 – 4,000 square feet, the space becomes incredibly difficult to manage with only volunteers. Spaces that aren’t large enough, however, can’t pay staff.”
Power Racing Series Shifts to the Next Gear
This year’s Power Racing Series finale at World Maker Faire features a creative array of hacked and modded toy cars.
So You Want to Make a Makerspace?
Makerspaces are fantastic resources in their communities, offering classes and tools to aspiring and expert makers alike. But how do you start a space?
Transforming a School Library Into a Makerspace
Students at Grand Center Arts Academy (GCAA), a public charter school in St. Louis, have arrived to find a portion of their library transformed into a makerspace.
New to This Whole “Maker” Thing? Great!
As much as the headlines like to focus on 3D printing, robots, and new manufacturing companies, there’s actually a more important trend happening in the maker movement: accessibility. Even (and especially) if you don’t consider yourself a maker or tinkerer.