Westport Mini-Maker Faire Call For Makers: Sign Up Now

People are back to making things for themselves, fueling a fast-growing Maker Movement that has been called the Third Industrial Revolution. Maker Faires sprouting up all over the world (there’s one in Jerusalem, Israel, this weekend!) are proof of a strong trend towards individual innovation and invention instead of reliance on mass commercial production. Last year’s Mini Maker Faire at the Westport Library, Connecticut’s first such event, drew over 2,200 people.

Now is the time to apply to be a Maker at Westport’s 2nd Mini Maker Faire, to be held on April 27. Spots, though limited, are still available. Applications close March 27. Fill out this Entry Form to come and show your wares!

The Westport Mini Maker Faire, produced by Remarkable STEAM Inc. and the Westport Library, is a community organized family-friendly festival that showcases science, arts, engineering, technology, crafts, and music. Makers can be anyone who embraces the DIY (Do it Yourself) spirit and wants to share their accomplishments with a diverse crowd. Exhibits that are interactive or highlight the process of making things are especially desired, as are performers, speakers, students with projects, Rasberry Pi enthusiasts, HAM radio operators, woodworkers as well as anyone interested in 3D printing, vintage electronics, unusual tools and machines, composting, rocketry. Last year’s fair included homemade robots and submarines, arduino boards at work, DIY biology, a Rube Goldberg group, discussions about Computer Assisted Drawing, arts and crafts exhibits and demonstrations on 3D printers.

Three-dimensional printing, or the making of physical objects from digital files, has become a fundamental component of Maker Faires and the Maker Movement as the machines have taken off in popularity. President Obama mentioned the potential of 3D printing phenomena in his recent State of the Union address. This year’s South by Southwest convention in Austin, TX, kicked off with a prediction that 3D printing will unleash the new industrial revolution (the Westport Library has two 3D printers available to the public in its Maker Space).

“There's a renaissance going on right now,” said Makerbot co-founder and CEO Bre Pettis, speaking to a capacity crowd last week in Austin. “It's never been easier to make and share actual things. Creativity is much more accessible now in the thing world." He said 3D printing has the potential to rewrite the rules of manufacturing by erasing the need to make things in large quantities.

Another way to participate in the Maker Faire is to become a sponsor. Four different levels are available, as are custom sponsorships to fit specific needs. Contact Mark Mathias at mark@westportmakerfaire.org or (203) 226-1791. To volunteer, see westportmakerfaire.org.

For more information, phone (203) 291-4800, or visit the library online at westportlibrary.org.