Sudbury Maker Fest, a celebration of the spirit of DIY and making things, whether that means knitting, woodworking or even writing poems, takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Science North this Saturday, May 6.
The free-of-charge, family friendly event, featuring 40 exhibitors, is being put on through a collaboration between the Greater Sudbury Public Library and Science North.
“There are so many creative, innovative things happening in the city around makers at different levels,” said Jessica Watts, co-ordinator of outreach programs and partnerships at the Greater Sudbury Public Library.
“At an entrepreneurial level, there's a lot of stores popping up in downtown that are celebrating different kinds of making. We just thought that we wanted to tie all these things together and just have a community celebration.”
Science North continually offers a variety of interactive activities and exhibits that promote making with science and technology, said a press release put out by the event's organizers earlier this year.
“Maker culture and makerspaces fit naturally with both organizations,” said Science North senior scientist Nancy Somers, in the press release.
“The intent of this event is to foster more of that maker culture in our communities. Sudbury Maker Fest is the perfect venue to provide our community members with the opportunity to connect with local innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs.”
In 2015, the library launched its makerspace room at its main branch. It features free access to technology such as a 3D printer, and Raspberry Pi and Arduino computer programming equipment.
It also contains more low-tech equipment such as sewing machines, tools and even Lego for the young fry.
Every three months, the library brings in a new maker-in-residence to run workshops out of the makerspace.
The library's current maker-in-residence, Colleen Burns, is giving a presentation at Sudbury Maker Fest starting at noon on cultivating a maker family, a.k.a. getting involved in making something as a family activity.
This is just one of several presentations taking place throughout Sudbury Maker Fest. Check out a full list here. Some require pre-registration online.
“Unfortunately, the culture of the day has really swung towards structured activities for children,” Burns said.
“So many families, their agendas are packed, and kids are not allowed that same unstructured time that we maybe experienced as children.”
She said she loves watching her own 10-year-old daughter learning to make doll clothes by trial and error.
Learn more about Sudbury Maker Fest on its website or Facebook page.
