Hamilton Mini Maker Faire

Lots to see and do on Sunday!   We have indoor and outdoor activities for all ages.  The event will run rain or shine, so dress appropriately (although we’ll mostly keep indoors if there’s thunder).  Printable version here: Maker Faire 2015 Map FINAL pdf

Hamilton’s first Maker Faire is only a couple of days away! How are you getting to the Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology? Please note: sections of Barton Ave. will be closed between 12 and 1pm for the Pan Am Torch Run.

By SoBi / Bike: Yes you can ride your SoBi or bike to the museum – even though the Museum is usually outside of SoBi’s service area, they will be designating the Museum as a temporary hub for the day of the Faire. The turn from Barton onto Woodward has an advance left turn and Woodward Ave. has a bike lane.

By Bus: both the #4 Bayfront and #11 Parkdale will bring you to the museum, Bayfront stops at the museum, Parkdale stops at the corner of Woodward Ave. and Glow Ave.

By Car: there is parking at the museum 900 Woodward Ave but it might fill up fast, overflow parking is at 700 Woodward Ave – a short walk down the road (there is a sidewalk).

We can’t wait to see you Sunday!

In addition to the Maker Exhibits, interactive workshops, and outdoor events that will take place on Sunday, we’re lucky to have 10 of Hamilton’s most creative, and connected people join us on the Wood Shed Stage to talk about their craft, and share some insight into the future of Maker Culture in the region. We’re pleased to release our tentative talk schedule below.   The event is free, and there will be seating and overflow standing room, so don’t miss out (and don’t forget to register on our webiste!)

11:30am – 12:00pm | Julie Ponesse and Mike Barneveld, Owners, Designers, Square Peg Designs:
Turning your Make into a Business

12:00pm – 12:30pm | Martinus Geleynse, Creative Director, Urbanicity Omnimedia:
The Making of a Magazine

12:30pm – 1:00pm | Robert Gerrtisen, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Mohawk College:
3D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing

1:00pm – 1:30pm | Silvie Varone, Owner, Silvie Varone Studios:
Design and Build: Prop-making and Furniture Design

1:30pm – 2:00pm | Jeremy Freiburger, coBalt Connects

2:00pm – 2:30pm | Jennifer Turliuk, Maker Kids:
How Making with Kids can Transform Hamilton

2:30pm – 3:00pm | Kevin Browne, Computer Science and IT Teacher, Mohawk College:
Technology for Education

3:00pm – 3:30pm | David Hoekstra, Freelance Props Master and Builder:
Ray Gun Demonstration

3:30pm – 4:00pm | Steve Mazza, Artist:
Making Art with Robots

4:00pm – 4:30pm | Lita Barrie, Director, Digital Techonlogy & Youth Services, Hamilton Public Library:
Making @ the Hamilton Public Library

4:30pm – 5:00pm | Exhibitor Awards and Speaker Thank You’s

Twenty of Hamilton’s most creative, educational and surprising “Makers” will join the Hamilton Maker Faire next Sunday, June 21.

Maker Faires, called “The greatest show and tell on earth” are festivals of arts, craft, and invention.   Although they have been held in major cities all around the world, this is the first year Hamilton has hosted its own Maker Faire.   The free event includes a variety of exhibitors and family-friendly activities that showcase our city’s exciting mix of industrial heritage, emerging arts scene, and tech-savvy future.

The Charcade at Burning Man 2013

Site3 Fire Arts’ giant interactive fire-shooting contraptions have appeared at Burning Man and other events all over North America. For the Hamilton Maker Faire, they will bring their fire-breathing oracle “Francis the Fantastic!” to tell the fortunes of visitors of the Museum of Steam & Technology.

Also on the grounds of the Museum, teams will face off in a continuous match of robot soccer played on a basketball-court sized field outside. These 150 lb machines, built by high school students, are sure to offer high speed thrills and spills.

Families visiting the Faire can participate in a boat building workshop, led by the Hamilton Confederation of Marine Modellers, and test their creations on an outdoor pool.   Nearby, an art workshop will let parents and kids explore their creative drive by covering a car with chalk drawings.  And kids can ride a model railway!

Below the huge arched windows of the gorgeous 1913 Pumphouse, display booths will exhibit some of the most exciting maker projects in Hamilton.   This eclectic group includes the Hamilton Model Engineering Club, who will show their amazing working model engines, artists such as Lab Monkey Number 9, who specialize in home-made and hand-painted art toy sculptures,   Stereo Cowboy, who will play 3D movies in their desktop stereoscope, and Roger Wood, who will display his whimsical, one-of-a-kind mechanical clocks. Other exhibitors will show off technical marvels like Roboteur’s Print-A-Bot toy kits, Redtree’s Hydra controllers for electronic projects, and Creative Clockworkery’s laser cut arcade cabinets.

Hamilton’s growing stable of “Maker Spaces” will also be represented. These organizations offer access to shared tools, a place to build, and a community to share knowledge and inspiration with. They range from the membership-supported clubs like Kwartzlab from Kitchener and local group Think|Haus, to educational institutions like the newly formed Maker Spaces in the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, and the Hamilton Public Library.

On the Wood Shed Stage, special guests will present short seminars on a variety of topics related to Hamilton and Maker Culture.   Julie Ponesse and Mike Barneveld from Square Peg Designs will talk about the process they use to create beautiful reclaimed furnishings.   David Hoekstra will talk about his career as a master props builder, and ray gun creator. Finally, special guest Robert Gerritsen will share details about Mohawk College’s exciting new Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) resource centre.

Food trucks, water stations, picnic areas, and washroom facilities will be provided so visitors can stay all day.

The event will take place at the Museum of Steam & Technology on Sunday June 21, from 11 am to 5pm.  Admission is free, but skip the lines by pre-registering on our website makerfairehamilton.com.  All are welcome.  See you next weekend!

Julie and Mike will be joining us on the Woodshed Stage in just two weeks!

Square Peg Designs is a small, Niagara-based company which creates one-of-a-kind furniture and accessories with an “industrial chic” feel using vintage and reclaimed materials.  Two high-school friends who decided to return to their artistic roots after over a decade of working in other fields, they see dormant beauty in items that might otherwise be destined for the landfill.  They love to reuse old things in new ways, transforming them into useful and beautiful objects that are brimming with character. Everything – from old floor boards and panes of glass to mason jars and even old, used nails – has a story; they think that giving these objects a new life helps to extend that story beyond the object’s original purpose. Everything they make is hand crafted using select pieces of reclaimed wood, metal, and glass married with other vintage items and modern materials.