Marker's Spaces by Patricia Frischer

Three big art fairs are coming to town. The one you probably know about is at Art San Diego Contemporary Art Show  Nov 5 -8 because SDVAN displays the San Diego Art Prize 2015 at this show and has done every year. It is again at the Balboa Park Activity Center. The SD Makers Fair on Oct 3 & 4 is sponsored in part by the Balboa Park Cultural  Partnership at the Fleet Science Museum. SD STEAM Maker Festival is Dec 5 at O’Brian Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The last two of these shows are a way to see everything that is going on at Maker’s Spaces within the global Maker Movement which is DIY nirvana. Marker’s spaces vary but all seem to offer a variety of prices to come and use equipment of all sorts with training on the use of that equipment.  Here is a summary of the shows and the spaces.  

SD Makers Faire Fleet Science Musuem,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.

Part high tech science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students. All of these “makers” come 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 are partnering 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 Faire.

The 2015 San Diego STEAM Maker Festival  Dec 5th 2015, 10:00am to 5:00pm Adults: $8, children under 18 $6. Parking $10  at O’Brian Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds.
SD STEAM makers Festival is designed to bridge the gap between school based STEAM programs and the MAKER Movement STEAM is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) with the added A of Arts. . Over 120 booths, displays and presentations will showcase local school programs, crafters, makers and the people and companies that are driving the next wave of creative technologies. Expect to see local and national companies with every vendor  providing an activity or demonstration to enjoy. Plus meet charities making a difference in children’s lives. STEAM Maker Festival is a celebration for all-ages, a gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. This is an expos combined with an educational event. Save $2 on any full price ticket by using the discount code STEAM when buying online until Dec 1. 

17th Annual High Tech Fair is Oct 14-15 sponsored by the San Diego Science Alliance and the San Diego County Office of Education, the High Tech Fair is free and open to the public. It takes place in Bing Crosby Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.Special Student-Parent Night Wednesday, October 14, 5- 8 pm. Parents can connect with their children and learn more ab out science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the upcoming High Tech Fair.

The following spaces offer multiple membership plans and give you an opportunity with trained helpers to make your own things.  

MakerPlace has  a complete metal, wood and electronic shop, classroom with work areas. Think of it as your dream shop… the one you’d build if you had a really big garage and a huge budget … a large number of expensive tools, many computer controlled, available for your unlimited use. Multi-needle embroidery and industrial sewing machines are available for your construction of personalized gifts, shirts, caps, backpacks and comforters. A 3-D printer can create real durable plastic objects from just a drawing. Large format, high powered lasers are available to cut shapes from wood, plastic or many metals or delicately engrave messages on wine glasses. A computer controlled vinyl cutter can make precise signs, decals or sand blasting masks. Welders, benders, brakes, shears, mills, an English wheel and a complete (legal) paint spray booth are ready to make or modify your motorcycle, bike, or ATV. The wood shop offers a planer, shaper, sanders, drill press, a large format 3 axis cnc router, numerous saws and a lathe all with integral sawdust management. If some of these tools are unfamiliar, MakerSpace offers classes that will teach members how to safely operate their machines, which are available as needed for one low cost membership. $79 to $160 per month

1022 West Morena Blvd, Suite H, SD, 92110 Tel: 619.225.7288 info@makerplace.com

Shop Hours:  9am - 9pm - 7 days a week. Facility tours available @ 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM & 5 PM everyday. No appointment necessary. Closed toe shoes required.

Open Source Maker Labs  is a high-tech digital fabrication lab, where members can learn, collaborate, innovate, design, and build almost anything. Makers of all ages and skill levels have access to a wide range of tools, equipment, resources, and workspace. Makers, do it yourself (DIY) technology enthusiasts, students, and startup entrepreneurs can leverage open source designs and projects. Activities include 3D printing, electronics, robotics, and the use of advanced CNC tools. OSML has a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively. Prices from $35 per day, from $70 - $130 for month

2591 Pioneer Ave., Suite G, Vista CA 92081. Tel: 760.998.1522 info@opensourcemakerlabs.com

Shop Hours: Tues - Fri 6 -9 PM, Sat 9 AM - 6 PM, Sun 1 - 6 PM

Fab Lab is a non-profit community space that gives access to the tools, training, and community needed to feel comfortable making just about anything. Memberships are open to everyone. Started by the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms in 2007, Fab Lab San Diego is one part of a large network of Labs across the world.  These labs are production workshops and small-scale innovation hubs equipped with digital fabrication machines and technologies for the production of objects, tools and electronics. Fab Labs are organized around a global network connecting 100 laboratories in more than 30 countries, from South Africa to Norway or Amsterdam center to an ashram in India. Fab Labs are building one of the largest networks of knowledge and people in the world that is growing exponentially worldwide, it is expected to double in the next two years. Fab Lab San Diego is a founding tenant of Makers Quarter in San Diego’s upper East Village. Prices start from $75

847 14th Street (at E Street) , SD 92101 info@fablabsd.org 
Shop Hours: Monday - Friday: 2:00pm–10:00pm, Saturday: 12:00am–8:00pm

Makers Quarter™ is a gathering place of San Diego’s Artists and Innovators, and the heart of our city’s Maker Movement. The Maker Spirit has always been part of the fabric of East Village, from the original home of Jerome’s Furniture almost a century ago, to the craft brewers at Monkey Paw, to the modern day Makers who perfect and teach their crafts in the Moniker Warehouse today. Makers Quarter™ is located as an extension of the East Village tech corridor and serves as the hub for San Diego’s urban innovation economy, offering the environment and culture that inspires our city’s entrepreneurs, artists and makers to unleash their creativity. The following are found in the Makers Quarter: Silo,  Smarts Farm, Monkey Paw, FabLab, Moniker Warehouse, Urban Discovery Academy, San Diego City College, Fuse Integration

Bio, Tech & Beyond is an innovation space established by the city Carlsbad to promote biotech and STEM based ventures. They incubate programs that relate to start up businesses, education, new technologies and solutions for enabling more sustainable healthcare. The aim is to be an economic hub that companies, organizations and individuals can utilize for business development. Currently the facility is being sustained through low cost lab space rentals. But they also are working with reagent and consumable vendors for establishing a product distribution center and instrumentation providers for show casing new equipment or refurbishing old equipment. BTNB was founded by Joseph Jackson who helped start BioCurious and Kevin Lustig who is founder/CEO of AssayDepot.

2351 Faraday Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tours available by appointment contact info@btandb.com

 

Thinkabit Lab at Qualcomm, also referred to as the STEM Lab, is the combination of a lab, makerspace, and classroom for middle school students to learn about STEM careers, as well as participate in engineering experiments to promote the importance of STEM opportunities and skills for all. The Lab allows students to experience what it is engineers do at Qualcomm. Students are led by teachers and engineers as they create, collaborate, and present their Robo Crafts. They’re encouraged to innovate, partner and execute in ways that represent 21st century skills.

5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, CA 92121