Milwaukee Makerspace - Conceive, Collaborate, Create

 Tuesday night was time to paint the Pot O' Gold!

The burlap covering soaked up the black paint. Brushes seemed to work better than rollers on the thick texture.

We also used some old pink foam insulation to cut into disks to make the coin shapes. Once that was done, we primed the coins to protect the foam, and then hit them with a coat of gold spray paint.

Last night the gang all pulled together and got a prototype Pot 'o' Gold electric parade float up and running! TomG, as usual had all the scrap pieces we needed to put together a sweet little ride...

Looking For A Few Good 'Makers'

If you would like to join us in the structuring of the Milwaukee Makerspace please feel free to attend the weekly meeting held at the Culver's located at 1672 S 108th St, West Allis, WI. The meeting starts every Tuesday evening at 7 P.M. and lasts about 2 hours. If you want to stop by just once to listen in, or if you want to give your 2 cents we would be glad to have you join us to conceive, collaborate, and create. Hopefully you'll like what you hear and will decide to join us as a member!

Milwaukee Makerspace Is Now Accepting Members

If you would like to become a Founding Member of the Milwaukee Makerspace we now have a limited number of Founding Member positions available. The first 25 people to join will receive a $360 discount off the first years membership and only have to pay $600. Monthly memberships dues of $80 per month will start being accepted after the initial $12,000 goal is reached and the Makerspace officially opens its doors (A $100 security deposit is required for all memberships). To better understand the structure of the Milwaukee Makerspace we recommend reading the By-laws.

To become a member bring two original signed copies each of the following forms to the weekly meeting along with a check for $700.00 made payable to Milwaukee Makerspace Escrow Account.

Escrow Form
Membership Agreement
Member Release Form

The idea behind the Escrow account, as you'll seen in the form, is that if we don't get the $12,000 we need to open our doors by Jan 1, 2011, you get your money back. Our escrow account is being administered by attorney Stephanie S. Mares, J. D., S. C.

What is a Makerspace?

Check out the full Wikipedia page, but here is a nutshell summary: A Makerspace is a real (as opposed to virtual) place where people with common interests, usually in science, technology, or arts can meet, socialize and collaborate. A Makerspace can be viewed as a community lab, machine shop, or workshop where people of diverse backgrounds can come together to share resources and knowledge to build/make things.

Modern software, the Internet and economies of scale have all come together to allow ordinary people with a little bit of know-how to begin blurring the lines between manufacturer and consumer.  With some effort and the help of a growing community of makers it is possible for a lone individual to make things of amazing quality and functionality. Makerspaces that act as hubs for the maker community are popping up all over the world. We may be on the verge of the 'Age of the Amateur', as one blogger put it.