What’s new in the maker community.
- “reDiscovering” Making March 5, 2024
(Photograph ©2024 by Kate Zankowicz, and used with permission.) “I see (art and engineering) as two sides of the same coin,” says reDiscover Center Executive Director Jonathan Markowitz Bijur.
If that “coin” had two additional sides, they might well be sustainability–and inspiration.
That’s because reDiscover Center starts with the concept of a “maker space”, and puts the concept of “creative reuse” at the core of everything they do.
Educating youth to use discarded materials to create something really cool; empowering makers of all ages; and outreach to schools and underserved communities are all aspects of their mission of building a creative and environmentally sustainable society.
Education plus fun
reDiscover Center works with more than 60 schools in Los Angeles County, giving students the opportunity for hands-on maker education. Sometimes, Jonathan says, these programs mark the first time these students have engaged in hands-on creative activities.
Teacher training and resources for educators and parents are also among reDiscover Center’s services. And many of these services are provided free of charge.
Meanwhile, for individuals and families, reDiscover Center’s offerings include tinkering camps, weekend family crafting sessions, tool safety training and special events.
If you’re going to be in the Southern California area, you might want to mark your calendar now, for one of the latter.
Every summer, reDiscover Center hosts their “Cardboard City” annual pop-up art center. Currently in the planning stages, this year’s edition will feature classes, hands-on activities and some incredible exhibits, made entirely of cardboard. The location will be announced for “Cardboard City” 2024, which happens in July and August.
And congratulations are in order, as reDiscover Center expands their outreach! Winter, 2024, marked the soft opening of their second maker space, in Los Angeles’ Mid-City area. (Their original location is in Venice, California.)
Jonathan shared the story of reDiscover Center, offered a closer look at their activities and services, and explained some of the ways others can get involved to help.
On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:
- Jonathan’s creative journey as an artist, maker and maker educator;
- The story of the reDiscover Center;
- A closer look at the free services they provide to schools and communities;
- The story of their annual summer pop-up art center event, Cardboard City;
- What’s involved, in coordinating Cardboard City;
- One of the themes from the 2023 edition of Cardboard City;
- The ways reDiscover Center incorporates the aspects of S.T.E.A.M. into maker education in their in-school programs;
- How their curricula interweave the environmental movement and the students’ heritage into hands-on projects;
- How the pandemic accelerated their “cardboard curriculum”;
- One cardboard design challenge currently in progress at a local high school;
- reDiscover’s resources for educators and makers;
- A “fun” and imaginative project that emerged from one of their Tinkering Camps;
- The safety techniques that allow reDiscover Center to teach eight-year-olds to use power tools;
- A preview of their new permanent youth makerspace in mid-City Los Angeles;
- One of Jonathan’s favorite success stories from reDiscover Center’s youth maker outreach;
- How you can support reDiscover Center.
- LCFTRA’s STEAM “Win Cycle” February 2, 2024
On New Year’s Day, 2024, a “cool bus” made its way down Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard.
This wasn’t just any bus. In fact, it wasn’t, technically, a bus at all.
What it was, was La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association’s award-winning Rose Parade® float, “Flower Power”, drawing delighted responses from parade goers as it went by.
“Flower Power” was a peace-symbol-decked, 1960s-style school bus (labeled “cool bus”!), driven by a rose and with a band of flowers playing 1960s music on their instruments. It was led by a small yellow satellite float, in which were riding two “group-bees”.
And it was preceded by a “Golden State Award” banner–for “Best Representation of Life in California”.
(Rendering/float design by Grant Delgatty. Image courtesy of LCFTRA and used with permission.) As one of six noncommercial float builders, or “self-builts’, entering their creations in the Rose Parade®, nonprofit LCFTRA has won multiple awards. However, 2024 marks their first “Golden State Award” since they first began entering floats in the Tournament of Roses® Parade in 1978.
In fact, 2024 marks the first time a self-built has ever won this particular float award from Tournament of Roses!
A journey behind the scenes
Since March of 2023, Over Coffee® has had the honor of following LCFTRA’s float building journey, as the ultimate expression of creativity at the intersection of art and science. LCFTRA Vice President of Float Development Pam Wiedenbeck has generously taken us behind the scenes and through the stages from rendering to reality.
Receiving approval from the Tournament of Roses®, naming the float, frame construction, animation decisions, character construction and music selection have all been milestones we’ve had the opportunity to discuss.
And now, LCFTRA is restarting the cycle. They’ll shortly be selecting a new design for their 2025 Rose Parade®float. They’re recruiting volunteers, if you’d like to help, and have a GoFundMe page and several fundraisers coming up, to cover the cost of float materials.
Pam shared the final months of the journey to Colorado Boulevard with “Flower Power”, offered a look at the judging and awards, and previewed what’s next!
On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:
- What was happening from October to December, as LCFTRA completed the float;
- A last-minute “Murphy’s Law” occurrence, just prior to the T2 test drive, and how the team dealt with it;
- A closer look at the “Golden State” Award, as well as the ones they’d still like to win;
- How LCFTRA is currently moving forward with plans for their 2025 float;
- What float-judging day was like;
- How the float awards are announced;
- Unprecedented awards for not only LCFTRA, but three of their fellow self-builts!;
- Pam’s favorite memory from working on “Flower Power”;
- How to support LCFTRA as they prepare for the 2025 Rose Parade®;
- Why very few float materials are donated from local gardens;
- Upcoming fundraisers;
- Pam’s thoughts on LCFTRA’s process in coming up with a float idea in keeping with the 2025 theme, “Best Day Ever”;
- Fun: Accessible to All October 23, 2023
“Who doesn’t love bubbles?” comments Makers Making Change founder/ Director of Innovation Chad Leaman.
Chad is explaining the ways volunteer makers are adapting toys and gaming devices for children with disabilities, during Makers Making Change’s annual “Hacking for the Holidays” campaign.
Now in its second year, “Hacking for the Holidays” has set some new goals. In 2022, they delivered more than 600 adapted toys and 900 switches to families across Canada, according to their website.
This year’s goals: 100 maker events, and a total of 2,000 adapted toys, switches and video game joysticks by early December. Top items on their “wish list”: adaptable toys that light up, play music and, yes, blow bubbles.
Volunteer makers can host events, get involved in an event or donate to the campaign.
A year-round outreach
And “Hacking for the Holidays” is just one aspect of the mission of Makers Making Change and parent nonprofit The Neil Squire Society: using technology, talent and imagination to empower Canadians with disabilities.
Year-round, Makers Making Change connects people with disabilities with volunteer makers who can create affordable assistive technologies. There’s an open-source library of devices on their website, as well as a list of chapters in both Canada and the U.S.
We had the honor of talking with Chad in 2017, shortly after Makers Making Change launched. At the time, the initiative had begun with a mouth-operated computer input device, the LipSync.
Since then, their growth has been both phenomenal, and exciting.
Makers Making Change now has a STEM program for students, as well as adaptive-gaming learning resources, along with a database of more than 200 open-source assistive devices.
As of 2023, they’re also broken new ground as a leader in Canada’s accessible gaming efforts!
Chad talked about the current “Hacking for the Holidays” program, explained how Makers Making Change is expanding the options available to children with disabilities and shared his vision for the future.
On this edition of Over Coffee®we cover:
- How Makers Making Change has grown since its launch;
- The story of Hacking for the Holidays;
- One of the most “magical” moments of last year’s event;
- A new area of innovation, as Makers Making Change narrows the “digital divide”;
- A preview of this year’s Hacking for the Holidays campaign, and the three main areas in which the volunteers are working;
- Some of the ways “arts”-oriented people can get involved;
- What to expect, when hosting an event;
- One of Chad’s favorite applications of technology;
- The story of the Neil Squire Society;
- How adaptive technology has evolved over the years;
- How VR might be adapted for users with disabilities;
- Hacking for the Holidays deadlines–and other activities in which you can get involved, year-round;
- Chad’s vision for the future of Makers Making Change;
- How Chad and his family are working together on Hacking for the Holidays.