Launched in 2009 at Slater Mill, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Rhode Island’s own Mini Maker Faire celebrates grassroots innovation, do-it-yourself inspiration, and creative education. We’re coming together for our seventh year to bring builders, inventors, and designers to Providence to show off what they’ve made.
AS220 is presenting this Faire in conjunction with their annual Foo Fest. I’m one of the co-founders of the RI Mini Maker Faire, and I’m helping AS220 produce it. You can too!
Your support will pay for the infrastructure needed to make this happen (components and tools for hands-on activities, facility fees, table rentals, signage, and all the other stuff that makers need to show off their creations).
(RI Mini Maker Faire 2011 video by Jason A. Duclos)
The hardest part of putting on this event is making everything come together over the course of the two days: day one is setup, day two is the event itself. Because we’re a small team, a forgotten extension cord or lamp can cause us to lose a key person’s time for an hour or more. We address this by making lists, checking them twice, and bringing extra things (because stuff breaks, too).
The other obstacle is making sure we have the right makers to exhibit and create engaging experiences. Without a set of compelling exhibitors, we’d have a pretty boring event. Fortunately, the team members have wide and complementary networks of friends and collaborators to draw on, and we’ve already got almost a dozen makers committed.