Choate students Kevin Xie ’19 and Ollin Mendoza ’19 help inspire young creators. Photo courtsey of Travis Feldman
This past Sunday, September 23, Choate students travelled to Flushing, Queens for Maker Faire NYC. Maker Faire is an event started by Make Magazine to “celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset” as stated in Make Magazine. According to Dr. Travis Feldman, who has been attending Maker Faire for over ten years, “Maker Faire is a carnival mixed with a circus, mixed with tech faire. The purpose of Maker Faire is to showcase what people make, whether it be arts, crafts, tech, or computer science.”
Maker Faire was started by Make Magazine in 2005 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a massive success and locations for Maker Faire began popping up internationally , including New York City in 2010. 50,000 people attended the first Maker Faire in New York City, and it now boasts over 120,000 attendees, according Dr. Feldman.
The event brings together several large technology companies, such as Intel and Microsoft, to showcase their newest and most innovative products such as supercomputer chips and holo lenses. However, the purpose of the event is not just to show off a company’s newest innovations, but to allow people to share their creations and passions. An integral part of Maker Faire is the DIY projects started by students in college and high school. Aside from artwork and engineering projects, cosplay is also prevalent in Maker Faire, with elaborate costuming made from scratch. Great food and band performances also make this event popular.
Maker Faire acted as an opportunity to be both a teacher and student. Choate students had a table at the event where they taught onlookers how to build structures and shapes out of popsicle sticks. The goal for Choate students was to teach others how to create something out of seemingly mundane objects. The Choate attendees also spent time learning how to make things from others at the faire.
The mission of Maker Faire was very similar to the goal of the iD Lab here at Choate. The iD Lab acts to provide a space where anybody can make anything and to have the confidence to be able to try something new and learn. Choate attendees are able to use their inspiration from Maker Faire and put it to use on campus.
Dr. Feldman’s favorite memories of Maker Faire include marching bands made of propane tanks and a person playing the bagpipes while wielding a flamethrower. He hopes that the students come back with creative confidence as well as inspiration and confidence in themselves as creators and makers.
