Author Archives: dw
Creating makerspaces: go beyond your walls
Field notes from creating the Laurier Library Makerspace One of the best things you can do in building your makerspace is to go beyond your own walls. While this might sound counterintuitive, building a makerspace is about building a community … Continue reading
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Creating makerspaces: the power of examples
Field notes from creating the Laurier Library Makerspace In our makerspace, we share examples of work from different makerly domains for three reasons: To inspire other makers To answer questions To affirm that this is our place of making I … Continue reading
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Creating Makerspaces: from learners to teachers
Field notes from creating the Laurier Library Makerspace Encouraging learners to become teachers offers three substantial and communal benefits to any makerspace: Amplifies your horsepower – creating a virtuous ripple effect of onboarding new teachers Opens the opportunity for ownership … Continue reading
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Creating makerspaces: building capacity in people
I’m trying to save the world by working with a bunch of creative, resourceful, hard-working students at Wilfrid Laurier University. We invented the Laurier Library Makerspace here in Waterloo, Ontario. We teach everything from sewing to circuit board design to … Continue reading
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kwartzlab v3 build out
Popped by kwartzlab v3 on Sunday morning to see what’s cooking with the new space. It’s been 6 weeks since my last visit and there has been a tonne of progress on all fronts from moving to mudding. Melissa Pynkoski, … Continue reading
kwartzlab on the move
After a good number of years at the corner of Charles and Kent, Waterloo Region’s original makerspace, kwartzlab, is on the move to new digs just around the corner at 145 Bedford. Hard working meta-maker and move organizer, Cam Turner … Continue reading
Artist Dave Hind–the medium is the metal
A week ago, my brother and I jumped on a bus in Hamilton to take a tour of Brantford artist Dave Hind’s work and studio. The experience positively blew my hair back. Dave is one of my absolute favourite artists, … Continue reading
Art + awareness–toward safe affordable housing
I’m thinking about three things for the whole community: accessible mental health care, food security and safe, affordable housing. I’m woefully under-informed in all of these domains, but I’m a pretty good listener. I hit the Outsider Art Show on … Continue reading
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On a personal note: people helping people
“It’s just people helping people”, he said, and I rolled my teenage eyes. We had moved an altogether-too-big-for-the-truck horse-drawn sleigh to a friend’s flower shop in Sarnia to serve as a Christmas display. I was along for the job as … Continue reading
Sustaining community jams
Eric Rumble, Night\Shift founder and festival director On Sunday afternoon, I read the farewell for Downtown Kitchener cultural mashup event: Night\Shift. My friend, Eric Rumble, N\S founder and festival director, offered a familiar explanation, one with which I can sympathize. … Continue reading