The board is super interested in doing some advance planning for the makerspace. So I need some brain dumps! What do we need to do in the future? Give me your best ideas in this thread. What is important to you? Paved parking lot? Glass blowing? garden shed? 5 axis mill? New equipment? New areas? New classes? New events?
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Land stewardship classes
Kid stuff (stolen idea, @URUKim makeICT kids corner is just so adorable)
Community outreach programs, especially to local kids. I’m often accosted by children curious about what we’re doing. (That or why the scarecrow keeps moving.)
Trunk or treat
Multi area or multi org classes (see @Malissa Tshirt bag making classes)
Pet days in the garden.
Leadership courses
Some kinda partnership with WSUtech encouraging folks of all ages to pick up trades.
Garden master classes
These are just ideas. I have not put a thought towards implementing them, I just woke up.
Oh! It would be cool if the lounge had sensory toys or items that could be used to help those experiencing sensory overload. I’m autistic AF and noise canceling headphone or earplugs help me deal with my sound issues. Sunglasses help me deal with my light issues, for example.
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Membership goals 10% of social media would be a good start were currently around 6-7%
Rainy Day Endowment so we can weather another Pandemic
Summer Camps
Room sponsorship program
Commercial Kitchen
Makerspace Director possibly paid. Work with the city to see if they would finance the position though Hotel Tax for up to 5 years while we build administration fund endowment.
Other income streams such as Made at MakeICT Store and/or Creative Reuse Store so we could take more donations to resell and keep scraps out of the landfill, use to create STEAM learning projects.
@ladeana could you post your previous attempt at Future planning so we can decide if there’s anything there worth salvaging and even though it wasn’t paid attention to did we accomplish any of it.
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I definitely second doing stuff for kids, also trunk or treat sounds like a lot of fun.
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This has been been in my brain for a bit, especially as I get more equipment and more members into the lab. Jewelry Lab is getting a bit cramped. Lots of equipment juggling for table space (thankfully not hard or dangerous, just annoying) and class sizes are fairly limited because of this.
I’d like to see Jewelry move into a less cramped area, ideally classroom 1. This would give cold metal shop the full space and opportunity to add functionality, it’d give jewelry a larger space to add functionality like glassblowing, and even better is jewelry would only need half the space of classroom one to do this, leaving the other half for a new area/lab.
Which if it worked out I’d like to see the other half of classroom 1 turned into a visual media lab. Painting, papercraft, digital art w/ a high quality printer, etc. I think it would be cool if we could offer a place for members to Van Gogh-crazy making paintings or practice origami or just doing a quick charcoal still life.
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We have an immediate need for integration of two new areas. As well as a third area graduating out of the metal shop. We have a jewelry community that really should graduate out of its temporary home in the metal shop. We have resin artists that could use a place to cast, degas, and pressurize, and post process their castings. And we have a band of merry cosplayers! I’m not sure what resources they are using but we should see what they need to help them make what they make.
Stuff for kids. Parents ask for this all the time. Doing stem outreach is totally fun (and exhausting sometimes) but having activities that parents can walk their kids through has been request for a long time.
A HAM radio tower (LOL)
We have always talked about a maker basic training course. Teach sharpening, some basic stitches, hand carving, drawing, and general assembly.
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Like a lot of the other makers from Douglas street space I miss the front lounge. We were able to sit and talk with other makers share ideas. Or just hang out.
While we do have a rec room it just is not the same.
I suggest maybe more events for our makers to get together like a potluck style or even a snacknight/movie.
These are just ideas not limited to these.
We could set a scheduled time monthly like first Saturday of the month i.e. cross check with holidays and other events.
2nd idea is maybe get some classes going for how to use our resources like this forum or wiki these should be free. In addition to maybe put up some posters reminding people we have a forum.
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Air conditioning in the wood shop (after we get a better dust collection system)
And weekend classes
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All LED lighting
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@Frank
We do need more, but you (and all members and their guests) are invited to the Garden cookout (potluck style) every Maker Monday 6-9 (usually later than 9 tbh).
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