BOSTON, MA – June 28, 2016 – Boston Children’s Museum announced that major sponsors have signed on for the first Boston Mini Maker Faire event on Saturday July 23, 2016. Sponsors include Google, CBS4 Boston, National Grid, Velcro Companies, Autodesk, Vertex, MAKE Magazine. A diverse group of “Makers” will inspire and inform visitors with exhibits incorporating robots, LEGO®, science, boat building, Japanese wood working, art, design and more. Maker exhibitors include NOVA and Design Squad Global from WGBH; Design Museum Boston; Boston University’s FIRST Robotics Team; Museum of Science; Einstein’s Workshop; EASE Lab at Olin College of Engineering; Google Making and Science; Artisan’s Asylum. The Boston Mini Maker Faire will be held outside of the Museum on Fort Point Channel.
The maker movement, inspired by the desire to create and invent, is nurturing a new wave of hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship. The maker movement celebrates learning through doing, and the spirit of sharing and is enabled by new tools such as 3D software and printers, desktop machine tools, laser cutters, electronics kits. Moreover, the growth of shared spaces empowers makers to access more advanced fabrication tools.
David Saff of Google’s Making & Science Initiative, said “Google is excited to help celebrate and support makers, scientists, and inventors of all ages, and to be part of the future of innovation in Boston.”
Part science fair, part county fair, part craft fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages celebration of creative ingenuity in all its forms. Maker Faire features tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, roboticists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, commercial exhibitors, and more presenting the creative endeavors for which they are most passionate. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they make, how they make it, and to share what they learn when they do. Maker Faires are community-based learning events that inspire everyone to think creatively and innovatively, and to connect with people and projects in their local community.
“Science and innovation have been central to our brand for more than 60 years, when George de Mestral – inspired by the natural hook-and-loop mechanism of the burdock plant – first created VELCRO® Brand fasteners,” said Fraser Cameron, CEO of Velcro Companies. “We are committed to helping the next generation of inventors by inspiring them to create, learn and explore through programs like the Mini Maker Faire. We are proud to be a sponsor of this outstanding event.”
The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2016 celebrated its eleventh annual show with some 1,300 makers and 150,000 people in attendance. In 2014 President Obama hosted the first White House Maker Faire. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in five years to 900+ makers and 90,000 attendees. Thirty-two larger scale Maker Faires occur in cities around the world—Detroit, Atlanta, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Shenzhen to name a few— and over 150 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced in the United States and in 34 other countries around the world.
“Today’s young Makers are tomorrow’s innovators, engineers, artists, and creative thinkers,” says Faire organizer Tim Porter. “The Boston Mini Maker Faire is meant to be both inspirational and aspirational – we want to inspire adults and youth to think and act creatively in their lives. And we want each visitor to the Faire to find something to aspire to. The Boston Mini Maker Faire is a marketplace of possibilities; an event where children and adults alike will be exposed to the amazing, the ingenious, and the captivating; and where anyone can shop around for creative endeavors they may not have thought possible.”
The Boston Mini Maker Faire is being led by Boston Children’s Museum and an advisory board of leaders from local Maker organizations, including Derek Seabury from Artisan’s Asylum, Henry Houh from Einstein’s Workshop, Abigail Norman from Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, and Rosa Weinberg from NuVu Studio.
Tickets to outside Maker Faire activities are $10 or $20 to both the Maker Faire and the Museum. Pre-event tickets are on sale now. Visitmakerfaireboston.com/attend/ to purchase tickets.
Boston Mini Maker Faire is independently organized by Boston Children’s Museum and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.
For additional information visit makerfaireboston.com and BostonChildrensMuseum.org
About Maker Faire
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.
Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.
The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2016 celebrated its eleventh annual show with some 1300 makers and 150,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in five years to 900+ makers and 90,000 attendees. Thirty-two larger scale Maker Faires occur in cities around the world—Detroit, Atlanta, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Shenzhen to name a few— and over 150 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced in the United States and in 34 other countries around the world.
About Boston Children’s Museum
Boston Children’s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning. More information about Boston Children’s Museum can be found atwww.BostonChildrensMuseum.org. Become a fan of the Museum on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Hours and Admission
The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Fridays until 9:00 p.m. Adults, $16, children (1-15) and senior citizens, $16; children under 12 months and Museum members are always free. Fridays 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., all visitors $1.
