DANIELLE GAITHER
Image by Rae French, Denton Mini Maker Faire.
What image pops into your head when someone uses the word “maker”?
The images that tend to appear in the mind—not to mention Google’s image search—involve wires and circuit boards. As important as those skills and the people who enjoy them are, they only represent one type of maker. Many skills can fall under the maker umbrella, whether it’s programming robots to make pancakes or turning a bicycle wheel into a musical instrument. Artists, scientists, crafters, and engineers can all be considered makers. If you can take a set of materials and transform them into something cool, you are welcome in the maker community!
On February 24th, we will celebrate some of our community’s most talented and creative people with the Denton Mini Maker Faire. This family-friendly event is a chance for a diverse group of people to share their skills and passions with each other and with the community. To give you an idea of the diverse interests represented at Denton Mini Maker Faire, sponsors include: Make: Magazine, Stoke Coworking and Entrepreneur Center, Denton Public Library, Kubos, SCRAP Denton, and UNT Libraries.
The exhibitors at this Maker Faire will be offering presentations, workshops, and tutorials on a variety of topics. For example, Denton Public Library will be showing people how to solder. If you prefer something craftier, TWU professor and artist Bailey Chapman will be demonstrating traditional Japanese silk dyeing techniques. You can also learn how to do things like: build a robot xylophone, make earrings, become a ham radio operator, make ceramic bowls, or repurpose used materials into art. Whatever your interests are, there’s probably a booth for them!
Thinking about turning your passion into a business? Blake Roper will be presenting tips on how to film and edit YouTube videos. If you’re involved in any kind of maker or crafting community, you’ve probably already devoured hours upon hours of tutorials in your field, and you can probably name who the top YouTubers in that field are. Maybe this time next year, one of them will be you!
Of course, one of the most important parts of learning a skill as a maker is to share the results with others. Knitted Knockers will be offering materials and instruction on making a toy to donate to the community. Greenfinity Farms will be showing how they combine aquaponics and hydroponic farming with open-source data to grow sustainable food year-round. As you can see, there’s something for everybody!
Image by Rae French, Denton Mini Maker Faire.
Denton Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration of our community’s invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Event organizers call it “The Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth.” What are you waiting for? Go get your tickets today!
For questions about event logistics such as parking, check out the Mini Maker Faire’s Eventbrite page.
Denton Mini Maker Faire kicks off at 10 AM on Saturday, February 24th at the Denton Civic Center, 321 East McKinney Street. Tickets are free for kids under 18 and $7 for adults. Save a few bucks and buy tickets online right now.