Maker Faire KC

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement. For Makers, and those who are learning from this movement, the process is as important as the product, and experimentation and participation are the principal motivators. This broad-based community encompasses scientists, engineers, students, welders, software developers, hackers, circuit benders, musicians and crafters of all stripes: individuals and communities of people drawn together by a common delight in the magic of tinkering, hacking, creating and reusing materials and technology. With an international reach and a deliberately local feel, Maker Faires celebrate the best of human imagination and creativity, where Makers share their process and product, including arts, crafts, electronics, artisanal and traditional foods, urban farming, woodworking and music.

The Maker community has evolved into a growing movement of individuals who, in the words of Dale Dougherty, general manager of the Maker Media division of O'Reilly Media and founder of the Maker Faire festivals, "look at things a little differently and who just might spark the next generation of scientists, engineers and Makers." Through Maker Faires, these individuals have organized into thriving communities to create things that are personally motivating and socially engaging. Maker spaces are springing up in cities large and small throughout the country in which people can drop in and learn from other community members about using 21st century tools such as computer-controlled table saws, laser cutters, and 3-D printers to prototype and fabricate physical products. Similarly, informal hacker groups are collaborating to create innovative software and interactive devices, many of which are freely shared through open source license agreements.

Thomas Kalil, deputy director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, explains that the Maker Movement really "begins with the Makers themselves - those who find making, tinkering, inventing, problem-solving, discovering and sharing intrinsically rewarding." Maker Faire attendees of all ages explore a multitude of activities, such as learning how to pick a lock, learning how to solder, taking a ride on a rocket-propelled "jet pony," screen printing a T-shirt, learning how to design a window hydroponics garden, and marveling at a large scale kinetic sculpture inspired by the classic board game Mouse Trap.

According to Dale Dougherty, once you are a part of Maker Faire things begin to happen. Maker Faire sparks ideas for others to organize. It is a place to make community connections and bring together eclectic groups of people who may be living in the same community and working on synergistic activities, but are not aware that others exist. Once you are at Maker Faire, no explanation is needed for why these different people are all there. Makers have the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct things in tangible ways, from Diet Coke and Mentos sprinklers, to mathematical Making through command lines of code (i.e., coding as performance art). Maker Faire is not just for kids, but also for families who are looking for entry points for themselves and their children into areas that are ordinarily out of reach. Maker Faire also advances students' interest in STEM topics by engaging young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects.