By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
In its first year of implementation, a local chapter of the global Makerspace organization has been deemed a success, according to its executive director.
Brienne Brown, who heads the Whitewater Makerspace group, discussed some of the organization’s highlights at a Community Development Authority meeting Dec. 10.
“Quite a bit has happened,” Brown said as she outlined how the organization has impacted the community.
Across the world, Makerspace groups have been cropping up with the goal of creating an intergenerational platform to bring people together from a variety of talents and walks of life. Makerspace began in Germany and has since spread to thousands of chapters, including ones in Milwaukee and Madison
Whitewater Makerspace hovers around 30 members, Brown said, but the chapter has impacted about 150 people throughout Whitewater, Fort Atkinson and Janesville.
In its first year, Whitewater Makerspace has offered a variety of classes, including gardening workshops and a partnership with the Innovation Center that is a joint collaboration between the city of Whitewater, CDA and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Other activities that have been well received, Brown said, have included a fence-making workshop and a how-to class on making rain barrels as environmentally sustainable practices have grown in popularity.
Throughout its inaugural year, Brown said Whitewater Makerspace also has tapped talent, including assistance from a smattering of professors, from the local UW-Whitewater campus.
Heading into 2015, Brown said she and other Whitewater Makerspace organizers have grander visions on the horizon, including the possibility of occupying a storefront location on Clay Street that once served as the Whitewater Register’s office.
The location on a highly visible location within the city could help spread the word of Whitewater Makerspace’s presence in the community.
“It’s got the proper zoning already,” Brown said of the proposed location.
Brown also discussed with the CDA the possibility of partnering to hold some form of workforce training activities through the state.
“I think there are a lot of ways we can help you,” CDA Chairman Jeff Knight said in response. “Clearly, you have the ability to do some amazing things right here (in Whitewater).”
Whitewater Makerspace also aspires to partner with surrounding technical college systems to help ensure people are equipped with such in-demand skills as welding in today’s modern manufacturing sector.
Brown said Whitewater Makerspace has kept its fees relatively low through monthly membership dues. Moving forward, Brown said the organization might institute an annual membership fee with the goal of spurring more regular participation.
The local chapter has been receiving an assortment of donations since its inception late in 2013. But a variety of items continue to be sought, including tools and equipment and a variety of electronics.
For more information on Whitewater Makerspace, visit their website at www.whitewatermakerspace.org or call (262) 848-9967.
