MAVEN MAKERS A New Place To Create Make and Play Written by Nichelle Stephens What is a maker? I am a maker. You are a maker. Everyone’s a maker. The simple definition is someone who makes things. What is a makerspace? A makerspace is a public place where you can make learn to make things, collaborate with others or work on your own projects. Maven Makers is a new makerspace opening in Savannah this summer. Founders Tim Cone and Ty Donaldson’s goal to create a space and a community where making things is approachable for everyone. Tim is an educator who has taught in the Savannah school district with a focusing on robotics and manufacturing. He has also worked with kids on STEM projects via non profits including The Boys and Girls Club of America. Ty Donaldson is SCAD graduate who received his BFA in Industrial Design. He is an industrial designer who previously worked for Calphalon, a subsidiary of Newell-Rubbermaid. He has also consulted and managed 3D printing, laser cutting, and large format printing projects. The name Maven Makers comes from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. In the book, Gladwell talk about “mavens” who end to be information specialists that generously share information with others. The mission of Maven Makers is encourage people to create, play and make. Maven Makers will offer a monthly membership, in addition to classes and prototype consulting. Maven Makers will have an industrial wood shop and other tools including
soldering kits. Maven Makers could be used by hobbyists and students as well as professionals and small business owners. An example of a maker project would be to build a table from recycled wood. At Maven Makers, a member could get guidance on how to make it, source materials, use woodshop equipment to build the table and then take it home. Makerspaces have been opening up all over the world. There are over 100 makerspaces in the United States alone. Makerspaces are one of the outgrowths of the sharing economy and was largely inspired by Make magazine which has been encouraging people to DIY for years. The difference between makers and DIY is that makers are more “do it ourselves” instead of “do it yourself ” since makers tend to collaborate with others on projects. They also share projects online and encourage to replicate and improve on them. Because of the democratization and accessibility to expensive equipment, makerspace have made it easier for anyone to become an expert maker by doing and learning. Maven Makers will open mid July at the Creators’ Foundry which is located at 412 West Boundary Street. They are offering a special discount to foundation members. For more information: http://www.mavenmakers.org
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