Cle’s first Mini Maker Faire to be held Sat 4/13
By Isaac Mell
The thrill of taking things apart, putting things together, and sharing your understanding so that anyone else can do it, too, drives the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire (CMMF).
This collaboration between Ingenuity Fest (led by Artistic Director James Krouse) and the Cleveland Public Library follows the spirit of Maker Faires conducted by MAKE Magazine.
If you want to share what and how you create, sign up to run a presentation or workshop. The call for entries ends Mon 2/25.
“We’re getting people from all over the country, and from here in Northeast Ohio, and we’re looking for more: people who maybe have an invention in their garage or some kind of passion in their lives that they want to express publicly, and also professionals, companies that are doing innovative things,” Krouse says. “We want to see all of that there at the library on display. It’s a really terrific space to interface with the public, and demonstrate how things work and how things are invented, and how you can invent on your own.”
There is virtually no limit on the medium or discipline.
“What’s great about Maker Faire is that it’s sort of everything—it really runs the spectrum,” Krouse says. “It runs from people doing crafts, things like knitting, crocheting and knot-tying, up to people doing 3D printing, fab labs, CNC equipment, and software design.”
Which is not to place a value judgment on either end of the spectrum: By celebrating “making” in all its forms, the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire highlights the excitement of invention.
“Some people get really intimidated by technology, and some people who are really involved with technology actually get intimidated by doing something with their hands,” Krouse says. “It’s really a place for people to meet in between and come see, hey, really anyone can do this; don’t be intimidated, get in there, get your hands dirty, learn how the technology works, and walk away being exposed to something that you weren’t exposed to before.”
Besides being one of the first Maker Faires held in a library, this is the first Mini Maker Faire held in Cleveland.
“We have this really unique place where we have high-end technology: all the universities here have these great engineering programs,” Krouse says. “But then also, there’s still manufacturing here; there’s still people who do things with their hands at a very high skill level. So I think that we have a really unique opportunity in Cleveland with a Maker Faire to bring that out.”
CMMF is interactive, and so is the call for entries.
Krouse says, “Come to us with ideas. It’s a really simple application process, and like I said, we’re getting a lot of people in but we definitely want more people to apply. I would just encourage you to come check out the website, fill out the form, or get in touch with me and just ask a lot of questions, and then come out on April 13 and show off what you’ve invented or what you’re doing.”
Apply for a slot at CMMF by Mon 2/25. The event itself, open to the public and all ages, will be held Sat 4/13 at the downtown branch of the Cleveland Public Library.
Isaac Mell grew up in South Euclid, OH and attended American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He welcomes conversations with potential employers, collaborators and friends.
Cleveland, OH 44114