Rochester Mini Maker Faire Preview: Fidget

I will be presenting a new project for my third year at the Rochester Mini Make Faire on Saturday, November 19th, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Rochester Convention Center. Year one and year two were awesome, and I'm very excited about this year as well.

This year I am doing a project I am calling the Articulated Paper Creature Mash-Up.  That's a mouth full, but what is means is that you can come to my booth, stamp an image of various body parts of a character on cardstock, cut them out, and assemble the character with brass fasteners to create a poseable/jointed/articulated paper doll.  I have hand carved each of the pieces into a rubber stamp by hand, so you can build your creation from the ground up.

Oh, you mean like a paper doll that my grandma used to play with?  Well, sort of, but not exactly. The characters and creatures are not just little cute little girls with pony-tails.  The characters are from other local artist's imaginations.  You can build a single character, or mix-and-match pieces together to create a brand new mash-up.

I will highlight each character over the next few days.

Today I'm featuring KiraArts creation: Fidget!

Kira Sinclair is the woman behind the monsters at KiraArts.  I met Kira many years ago as part of the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team (RNEST).  Kira absolutely KILLS IT when making here handmade monsters.  She makes monsters like Fidget from upcycled sweaters.  She finds homes for these cast off sweaters that she is given by friends and family, and that she sources from second hand stores.  Color and pattern are important parts of her creations.  Combining them in just the right way to bring a character to life.

Kira gives all of her monsters names to fit their personalities.  When I asked Kira about designing me a character for the Maker Faire, she came up with the drawing seen here.  I asked her what was it's name, and without a second pause, she said "Fidget".  I trolled back into her facebook photo's and found a gray and orange monster that had similar patterns so you can see it in 3D, but really each character is as unique as the sweater she uses.

Kira was at the Rochester Mini Maker Faire in 2015, showing how she creates her monsters.  She has a Etsy store online, and is a smash hit at all the arts+craft shows like Mayday Underground.

I know Fidget is going to be a popular character at the Mini Make Faire this year.  His ears are so expressive, that he can really display a range of emotions with them.  I just hope he will be as fun as the real thing (even if he is less squishable).

The Maker Moniker

I am happy to announce that I have been accepted into Rochester's first Mini Maker Faire on November 22, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Riverside Convention Center!

So I told my wife the good news and she said, "Can you tell me what a Maker is in one sentence?" (She knows I can be longwinded. )

But then I had to scratch my head a bit.  Can I capture this in one soundbite?  Someone who makes things?  A creator?  Part artist, part inventor?  Yes all apply, but that really isn't the full story.

The story really begins with the rise of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement.  With more emphasis by print and broadcast media about projects you could do on your own, and more access to instructions on materials on the internet, a subculture formed of people looking to "make stuff."

Dale Dougherty comes along from O'Reilly Publishing and captures the essence of this movement and founds MAKE magazine.  MAKE begins in 2005 with a focus on DIY, technology, woodworking, metalworking, etc.  It publishes ideas on projects, expanding one's skills, and sharing what the maker learns.

MAKE also launched the first Maker Faire in 2006. Wikipedia chronicles the first Maker Faire, as "a public annual event to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset."... It included six exposition and workshop pavilions, a 5-acre (20,000 m²) outdoor midway, over 100 exhibiting Makers, hands-on workshops, demonstrations and DIY competitions."

Since then, hundreds of Maker Faire's and Mini Maker Faires have been held across the world. Imagine stepping into a giant show-and-tell room, filled with creative minded makers who want to not only show you what they do, but give you a hands-on taste of it.  Perfect for kids, but also those creative minded adults who like to tinker or create.

So to me, "Maker" is a moniker that serves as an umbrella term for anyone who executes an idea, to create a physical item, and wants to share his/her skills and knowledge with others.

If you are interested in learning more, here are a few quick links:
More about my project for the Rochester Mini Maker Faire to come, stay tuned.
MAKE magazine
Rochester Mini Maker Faire
Rochester Makerspace