Maker Faire 2016

Call for Projects and Volunteers is open from now until July 15th!

Overview

Maker Faire is Awesome!

As many of the old-timers know, Maker Faire Detroit is i3's biggest event of the year! Maker Faire is a generally awesome event to go to, even if we weren't a part of it. There are tons of exhibits inside and outside the Henry Ford, demonstrations, power wheels races, arts and crafts booths, tents with other midwest makerspaces, makers selling their amazing handmade goods, and most importantly, this year, MEGABOTS! Where you can watch former i3 President Matt Oehrlein's 2-story fighting robots destroy a car with mega paintballs.

i3 is Awesome at Maker Faire!

Our presence has been growing every year, and this year we are going to have at least a 40'x 80' tent, maybe even 40'x120'. It's tons of fun for everyone to show off their projects, interact with other makers, and talk about i3! We usually get a big bump in membership after Maker Faire, and we get a ton of local press leading up to the event as well. We also host the Official Maker Faire After-Party every year, which draws in hundreds of makers and friends, both local and from across the country. It's an awesome chance to show appreciation for everyone in our Maker Community and meet lots of cool people!

Internal Coordination this year

This year, for the first time ever, i3 will be coordinating projects in our tent internally. This means you should NOT submit your project through The Henry Ford's call to makers. i3 will send in one application for all of us and do the rest of the planning within i3! This is really exciting because we can have much better control of what space, equipment, and supplies we get, and won't have any unexpected surprises pop up the day of.

Coordinating Volunteers Too

We are also coordinating volunteers separately from projects. This is so that people who have a cool project, but aren't available that weekend can still participate! And people without anything to show this year can still participate! And, most importantly, if you submit a project, that does not commit you to standing around that project all day Saturday AND Sunday.

Call to Makers - Sign up for projects and volunteering ASAP!

The call to makers is now open, and it will continue to stay open until July 15th. However, if you sign up soon, you have the best chance of your project getting the space it needs and you getting to volunteer where you want. It also makes the planning of the tent way easier, so if you like Jamie, sign up as soon as you can! You can always change details later

All Outside again

Another point of note is that we are going back to having an all-outside presence. Last year we tried having an indoor and an outdoor section, but the indoor faction was very fractured, there were power constraints, and the overall level of energy and enthusiasm in our volunteers was decreased.

Additional Displays and Accommodataions

Since we are taking some of the "indoor-preferred" projects back outside, we will be taking extra precautions to make sure that those projects can be displayed properly. Our tent will have 3 walls to block out some of the sun, and we will be building some dividers to further isolate those projects that are light-up and require a low light environment to look their best. We will also be expanding our supply of custom displays to show off our projects. If you want a special display method, let us know when you sign up your project!

Wristbands

Anyone who volunteers or contributes a project will receive a wristband to get into Maker Faire for free for the entire weekend (~$50 value!). Jamie will be coordinating this list based on the sign-up forms below.

Commercial and Non-commercial makers together

If you want to sell any of the things you've made, you can still sign up as part of i3! Just indicate that you'll be selling your stuff as a private vendor when you fill out the Project sign-up form. The Henry Ford usually charges a $150 fee for commercial makers or a $60 fee for crafters, but we might be able to put all commercial makers on one ticket or at least get a bulk discount. We'll let you know what your portion of the fee would be before we make the final commitment so you can choose whether to be a commercial maker or just display your wares. You'll be responsible for handling all your transactions, not i3.

Details

Who to Ask about All the Things

If you have any questions, email Jamie Burdeski and she'll add more information to this page!
You can also post to the Maker Faire 2016 Slack Channel: #makerfaire2016

POCs

Maker Faire Chief Wrangler and Grand Puma: Jamie Burdeski
Assistant Wrangler & Head Sign-Maker: Dana Nelson
After-Party Planner: Sam Letvin
Assistant After-Party Planner: Joseph Bauman
Art gallery sub-tent section: Kevin Flory
Learn to Solder sub-tent section: Charlie Rysenga
Other sub-tent section leaders!???

Project Sign-up Form

This is a preliminary form for i3 members to sign up to show their projects at Maker Faire. None of these details are set in stone. Jamie will use these details to start working out the space planning in the tent, and will discuss each project with you between now and Maker Faire to make sure everything is covered. Even if your project is not done yet, you should still sign up using whatever information you have!

Volunteer Sign-up Form

This is a preliminary form for i3 members to sign up to volunteer for Maker Faire. None of these details are set in stone. Jamie will use these responses to set up a spreadsheet of volunteer shifts/tasks and confirm with you multiple times before Maker Faire

Timeline

Call to Makers/Volunteers Opens: Thursday, May 11
Preliminary project list and volunteer list published, start of floor planning: Tuesday, May 17
Deadline to make a decision on Learn to Solder booth: Wednesday, June 1
Maker Faire Planning Updates at every Member meeting until Maker Faire
Deadline for guaranteed project and volunteer sign-ups: Friday, July 15th
Maker Faire setup: Friday, July 29
Maker Faire: Saturday & Sunday, July 30-31st, 9:30am-6pm
Maker Faire After-Party: Saturday, July 30th, 8pm

Tent Floor Plan

Project List

Stand-alone projects

BeagleBone Black Christine Long
ChronoTune 5th Anniversary Edition Frank Palazzolo
DetroitSat Scott Scheraga & Detroitsat
Custom Minecraft Toys Thad Johnson
Moxie Hoops sales Jan Henry
Night Before Christmas Dollhouse and polymer clay cupcake make n take Jan and David Henry
Rubber Band Shooting Gallery David Scholl
Sir Henry Vivian sanders
Aurora Borealis Costume Nicole Weltman & Brad Tarratt
Mo-Bike Brandon Biller
Display Suburban Tools Videos of i3Detroit Bruce Webber
SteamPunk - the ultimate Repurposing Judy Sullivan
Myo armband control robot Yajie Wang
Stone fairy house Nicole Weltman
Laser Cut-tastic Demo-splosion Mike Fink
Folding Conversion Bench Evan Allen, Jamie Burdeski
Floor Sander/Scrubber Glen Moore
DIY 360 Panorama Camera Matthew Switlik
Kittens in Datamatrix Matt Switlik
Little Useless Box Charlie Rysenga
NES Max Mouse Evan Allen
Leatherwork Lewis Dennison
Dragon Costume Jamie Burdeski
Rosetta Costume Jan Henry
Leather Armor Mike Fink
Traveler's Robe Dana Nelson

Part of Art Gallery Displays

Chandelier Mike Fink
Wooden lock Brian Logsdon
Shit I Did Joseph Baumann
Voronoi's Ouroboros Jamie Burdeski
laser cut lamps Mike Fink
Hurricane Wall Art Jamie Burdeski
Glass Art Bowl Joseph Baughman
(Small Blue Tardis) Roger Slykhouse
(CNC Router Rose) Steve Nowicki
(Various Game Materials) Matt Arnold
Folding Fan Kevin Flory
Masks David and Jan Henry
Hurricane Wall Hanging, Hurricane Cloak, Hurricane Staff, Hurricane Mask Jamie Burdeski
Framed Embroidery Sample Jan Henry
Various Leatherwork Items Lew Dennison
Lichtenberg Figure Lamp Amelia Meyer
Craft Room Sign Kevin Flory
Yard bell/wind chime Brian Logsdon
Wood turned seam rippers David Henry
Wood turned pedestals David Henry
Wood turned and laser cut torch David Henry

Scheduled Demos

Demonstrations at the i3Detroit tent (both Saturday and Sunday)

10:00-11:30:

Wearable LEDs: Let There Be Light!
- Liz C
- At back demo table
Laser Cutter: Making Complex Engravings
- Mike F
- At laser cutter table
Fabricating A Fascinator
- Jude S
- At Jude's table

12:00-1:30

Vinyl Transfer: Bring a T-shirt to Personalize!
- ???
- At back demo table
Oil Painting: Lightning Portrait Session
- Kevin F
- By art gallery
Leatherworking: Classic techniques to lasers!
- Karianne/Lew
- At Karianne's/Lew's tables

2:00-3:30

Machine Embroidery: From Idea to Voila!
- Liz C
- At back demo table
Clay Miniatures: Tiny Bake & Take!
- Jan H
- By dollhouse
Linocut on a Letterpress: Toe the Line!
- Kevin F
- in front of tent

4:00-5:30

Laser Cutter: Cutting and Assembling Models
- Mike F
- At laser cutter table
Make Custom Lace: Freestanding, Cutwork and Lasercut, Holey fabric, Batman!
- Liz C
- At back demo table
Oil Painting:Traditional Glazing Techniques
- Kevin F
- By art gallery

Volunteer List & Assignments

Sign up for a volunteer assignment on the google spreadsheet

Maker Faire After Party 2016

Go to this page for all the details on this years after party: Maker Faire After Party 2016

Maker Faire Planning Meeting Minutes

2015 Notes

Maker Faire 2015 - Overal summary and some lessons learned
Maker Faire 2015: Planning for Art Gallery - Last updated about a month before maker faire
Maker Faire After Party 2015 - Last updated about a month before maker faire
Maker Faire Meeting 20150530 - First and only(?) planning meeting of 2015
Discussion in Slack: #makerfaire