By: Sydney Dalske
The Maker Faire is a convention where “do it yourself” enthusiasts gather to showcase their creations in areas such as robotics, 3D printing, computers, arts and crafts, and hacker culture.
Its peak event was in San Mateo County, where it drew in over 115,000 people to view their gigantic machines. However, back in 2019, the convention ended its events in the Bay Area due to financial difficulties, forcing them to lay off 22 of their employees.
After these past 4 years, the father of the movement, Dale Doughterty, has been rebuilding the business into a new format called Make Community. It had made its relaunch back into the Bay Area, spanning over two weekends, October 13-15 and 20-22 on Mare Island.
Because the event space in this new location is much smaller, many of the exhibits changed between the two days instead of being present during both. Dougherty says that while the location and format have changed, the spirit of the event hasn’t.
Some exhibits at the event included blacksmith Celeste Flores, who welded shapes out of hot metal, and Steve Hazeltons tiny scale model of a Chevy V8 engine. The venue for the relaunch is also different from the original because many of these exhibits are placed outside along the waterfront or in historic structures.
“This is kind of a nerd’s delight, in many ways — even if you’re not nerdy,” says Doughterty at the Mare Island faire. “Being around smart people is really refreshing. These are ordinary people who figured out how to do something.”
He added that his main goal for this new rebirth is to make more makers, inspire both kids and adults alike.
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