The first question you’re possibly asking yourself right now is, what is a makerspace? It’s a valid question as the term itself is relatively new within our society. Of course, the core principles behind a makerspace have been around for centuries. A place where people can come together and collaborate on ideas, a place where family members can go to knock out a weekend project, somewhere a young entrepreneur with nothing more than an idea can go to learn how to turn their passion into an actual artifact.
A makerspace can be made of a large variety of work spaces, and really that depends on what the community is interested in utilizing. With a city the size of Savannah, and having a few key characteristics already in play, you can bet that Maven Makers is going to be big and full of variety. Imagine a place with a full wood shop and metal working capabilities through CNC machines and plasma cutters. A computer lab with industry standard design software to take your napkin drawings and turn them into working 3D models. A prototyping lab with 3D printers to pull those models from the computer and effortlessly create your first prototypes and scale models; with time, maybe even a fully functioning production line. Add in an electronics and robotics lab where bits of metal and plastics come to life as the next electronic break through of our generation. A makerspace is a living organism that is constantly changing with the people around it. It grows and changes as the people who utilize it need.
Who is it for? It’s for you and everyone you know. It’s for a young middle school student to work on their science fair project, and a retired engineer to come tinker during his free time. It’s for a master craftsman to come share his skills with the next generation of workers. It’s for you to make, play, and create a new world that’s fun and interesting in living in.
For me, the core value that can be instilled in every aspect of Maven Makers can be summed up in one word: education. As a teacher my sole interest going into this project was finding a way to spread the knowledge of myself and others outside of the confines of the public school classroom. I believe that this makerspace will do that. It’s going to make learning fun and relevant at any age. I hope that you’ll join us in this journey as we create new opportunities that everyone can benefit from.