We’re not so “Mini” anymore…
As we gather our bearings from last weekend’s successful event, the production team reflects in humbled awe at the quality and enthusiasm of our exhibiting makers. Our faire grew to 120 exhibitors and welcomed approximately 5,000 guests this year as we expanded our program to a two-day event, featured a panel of speakers who practice DIY innovation in different settings, added a concert for internationally-renowned music makers, and brought a taste of local creativity like no other event in Miami has ever done before.
Our Maker community grew larger last weekend as we were fortunate to host our friends from the Havana-based Fabrica de Arte Cubano mixed-use creative space. Eleven cuban makers created a pop-up workshop which showed faire guests the processes they have refined over a lifetime of scarcity due to the US trade embargo and Cuba’s own economic policies. Their exhibit embodied a culture truly based on important principles behind the maker movement; and their will to recreate, repurpose and reinvent the resources they have to create the things they need.
Led by the call of Moonlighter Fablab, our local Miami makers also activated the Miami Makers Pavilion. The center of the pavilion featured an interactive PVC structure that served as a unique entrance to the event which invited guests to rearrange and redesign the space to their aesthetic preferences. Watching the space change over the course of the weekend as activities occurred around it was a fascinating observation of how the public impacted the area. Interpretive dancing, impromptu brass band covers of popular pop songs, screams of delight from kids as they run from booth to booth sharing their creations, and moments of relaxation and quietly embracing the chaos; over 11,000 feet of PVC structure were assembled simultaneously provided sanctuary from and focus to the creativity of the faire. The centerpiece as well as many of the surrounding exhibitor’s crafts and wares were produced at Moonlighter, in collaboration with Home Eleven.
The Frost Science Pavillon showed a wonderful exhibit featuring aquaponic farming, discovery of basic animation technique by creating flipbooks, and understanding how important art and science are in our community. Partnering with the Frost Science Museum on this exhibit were DesignLab, REM Learning Center, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Stuffmaker, CAPPSCI Barge Project, and the ArtSail project from Art Center South Florida.
Rex the Nine-Foot Robot
Passionate gratitude goes out to our numerous volunteers who were the hands and the ears of the team. Of particular note is our support from over 60 Florida International University Engineering and Computing students who cumulatively contributed over 500 hours of their time. Also, the Women in Computing and Society of Women Engineers was integral to teaching 300 attendees how to solder their very own Makey robot badge. Thank you so very much!
Showcasing the passion that many of these makers bring to our community is a profoundly rewarding experience for those who don’t often have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles, particularly for our youth. The Miami Mini Maker Faire exposes our guests to homegrown ingenuity, resourcefulness, and passion through our exhibits and demonstrations. Your participation and experiences help us tell a story of craftsmanship that is infectious and growing in our community and we’re honored to be the curators.
And beyond the support of our volunteers, exhibitors, and creators; we would be nowhere without the support of our sponsors.
I’ll leave you with the thoughts of others who experienced the event themselves and hope that we’ll see you next year. Can’t wait until then!
Sincerely,
Mike Greenberg, on behalf of
The Miami Mini Maker Faire Team
Ric Herrero, MIA Made
Danny Lafuente, The LAB Miami
Steve Luis, FIU Computing and Information Sciences
Mike Greenberg, Hacklab North Boynton
James Herring, Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Daisy Nodal, Moonlighter Makerspace
Tom Pupo, Moonlighter Makerspace
Nola Garcia, StarBot
Ana Olman, MIA Made
Melissa Nobles, MIA Made
Mike Greenberg is a co-founder of Hacklab North Boynton, Palm Beach county’s makerspace, and has been co-producing the Miami Mini Maker Faire since it started in 2013.
Our good friend, Ian Cole from Orlando Maker Faire, was also visiting our faire and shared this wonderful collection of sights from the first day.
Cuba, as a result of the U.S. embargo, has diminished resources, but that situation has only empowered these makers’ creativity. Celia Ledón Acosta, a wardrobe designer for Cuba’s Public Theatre, created a sculpted dress made of soda can tabs and made a draped blouse from wide leaf plants.
Alexandra Martinez, Miami New Times
Read more here: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/cuban-artists-shine-at-the-miami-mini-maker-faire-hosted-by-youngarts-8267062
Having visited Cuba many times, I know that few people in the world exhibit the advanced level of ingenuity of the Cuban people. It goes beyond cars to how they’ve had to repurpose everything from furniture to electrical equipment.
Ric Herrero, Producer of the Miami Mini Maker Faire
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/jordan-levin/article61347837.html
If it seems like making and makers-related projects have been taking off in South Florida, it is through the concerted efforts of a few visionary individuals.
Abel Folgar, Tuffgnarl
Read more here: http://www.tuffgnarl.com/11825-2/
After a fashion show by DesignLab Miami students, instructor Jazmyn Leininger with Rowan Windham Burke, Zoe Goldemberg, Maria Mercenari, Isa Burguera and Naomi Gomez. Credit: Steve Viti
Saturday afternoon about 40 students, ages 6 to 15, of DesignLab Miami turned a stage into a fashion runway. But the fashions they were wearing were their own creations, from concept to the final stitches.
Nancy Dahlberg, Sun-Sentinel
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article61534607.html
Beautiful to see young makers interacting MATRIX @AdMobilize @Raspberry_Pi @TechCrunch @makerfaire @makerfairemiami pic.twitter.com/9fgrvV88pI
— Rodolfo Saccoman (@RodolfoSaccoman) February 20, 2016
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