SD Marker's Faire in Balboa Park

By Patricia Frischer
SD Makers Faire was held in ,Balboa Park, Oct 3 and 4, 10 am to 6 pm Adults $20 - $30, Children $12.50 to $$18.75 includes entrance to 10 Balboa Park Museums including the host Rubin H. Fleet Science Musuem.

Part high tech science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire was geared for all ages and showcased a gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students. All of these “makers” came to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to celebrate the Maker Movement, a global tech influenced do it yourself community that celebrates new products and services. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, San Diego Makers Guild and Tijuana Innovadora  partnered with the City of San Diego to put on this first ever event showcasing innovators and creators from our bi-national region. The first Maker Faire launched in May 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area and was quickly followed by Faires in Austin, Detroit and New York City, as well as others around the world. Technology has lowered the barriers to entry to becoming a Maker and this launched the Maker Movement which fuels Maker Faires. 

The Makers Faire in San Diego was speared headed by locals who saw this as an opportunity to bring all the museum together and work collaboratively and that goal was certainly reached. This is the first time that one project has taken place inside and outside of the museums from the south of the park at the Air and Space Museum to the Plaza where the giant robot was displayed. It was a major feat to construct all the display areas starting the evening of Oct 2 to be ready by 10 am the next morning. 

You can read more about spaces to make in San Diego at Marker's Spaces by Patricia Frischer

At the Opening reception at the Fleet Science Museum we saw this giant rolling steam punk looking device.

There were lots of opportunities to make things with hands on activities at the new Imaginate exhibition at the Ruben H. Fleet Science Museum

We loved this project to make your own shoe!

I sat in front of a screen and had my picture taken, then I could choose eyes, nose and mouth to lay over the top of my own. These were not static but a little moving image and so what you see above is a sequence of the images as they changed.

Yes, bigger than life and a real attraction sponsored by Qualcomm. It was very generous for them to support this project especially in the light of the lays off there. We understand one job lost at Qualcomm can result in one other job lost in the community that serves those employees. But the good news is that... “If you have to lose a job, this is probably one of the best times for it to happen,” said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University. “In technology, engineers are in demand, and they can find jobs in San Diego.”