Besides good coffee and affordable housing ... what do Makers Need?
Makers Advisory Council and Visioning Circle News
Listening and Learning, Moving to Action.
Notes from the Makers Advisory Council Meetings and Conferences 2023
Participants: Zack Leck, Maria Bullock, George Post, Maria Nutt, Debra Babcock, Tabitha Rose, Misha Rauchweger, Marcy Montgomery, Stephen Shrader, Sean Roberts, John Raymond Berry, Randall Waugh, Heather Arps, Bruce Richardson, Chelsea Green, Scott Wink, Brenna Jael Niess, Jahnayah McClean.
Locations: Orcas Public Library, Lopez Public Library, Camp Burton on Vashon
Dates: February 26th, March 19th, April 14-16th, May 21st
Recommendations:
1. Continue seasonal outreach and Fair events, e.g. Earth Day and Winter Artisans Market that serve a multiple types of Maker to encourage inter-disciplinary cross pollination.
2. Focus attention on educational experiences – inviting the public to learn with island Makers as a form of additional Maker income streams, and for Makers for professional development.
3. Identify exisiting facilities where Makerspaces can be developed for food production, teaching, textiles, metal and wood working.
4. Develop pop-up and temporry Public Art installations and events.
Kudos
Earth Day was unanimously considered an unprecendented ‘first of its kind on Orcas’ event with arts, ecology, and innovation lab collaboration across multiple organizations and businesses. “More of that!”
The Council is ready to form Working Groups that tackle specific Maker challenges and will expand to include other islands.19t
Notes from Orcas Community Visioning Circles, Nov 13, ’22 and Jan 22, ’23
Participants: 56 Orcas residents attended across two meetings.
Locations: Orcas Center and Oddfellows Hall
Key values defined:
Community Connections
Education – learning and teaching
Building a year round Economy
Goals:
Creating a directory for all makers to be able to stay in contact and to have the opportunity to reach out to one another.
Workspace- this was mentioned over and over again that we all desire a space to hold workshops, teachings, studio space, art shows, gatherings, a shared tools library and housing for makers.
Public Art – Makers would love to see a Public art show put on. One idea was to make a show on one of the public walking paths. Help boost the mood and awareness of art on this island.
Gather a list of existing workshops on the island and begin to pair makers up with useful space, use the working spaces that are already here for upcoming events, mentorships and workshops- keep it simple to help get the ball rolling and the community established.
Orcas makers would love to see a summer art fair this year like the one the Guild held on San Juan island. As a companion to the Winter Makers Market.
Host open space meetings where makers barnstorm ideas and goals, groups break out with different topics of interest.
More events for the makers to meet with one another and network.
For the time being many makers would like the Guild to use the resources and space that is currently available. And to help the makers organize workshops and offerings.
Get kids involved with the program.
Makers want to be heard and have an ear to listen to what they need and want.
Reach out to the ports for facility help.
Help the county move forward with accessible walking paths on the island, transportation for ferry walk-ons. They would also like to see the regulations lifted for food trucks so more events can take place.
They would love to offer mentorship programs.
Makers want to see the community build the Guild and the Guild to form an Advisory Council and Board.