MILWAUKEE — If you’re looking to try out a new craft, you’ll probably find the tools at the Milwaukee Makerspace.
“The Milwaukee Makerspace is somewhere between a community center and a giant playground of tools,” says President Timothy Campbell.
Timothy’s medium of choice has been recreation Daleks from Doctor Who.
“It gave me a place to sink my teeth into making things and expressing myself in a way that I didn’t have before,” he says.
But a big part of what Timothy and his colleagues are trying to make at the Makerspace is connection.
“The Makerspace is a community of people who like to build stuff, like to invent stuff, like to hang out and co-create and bring new into the world from their heads and their hands,” he says.
Chris Saunders, a glassworker, says he felt that community draw when he talked about his work at his very first meeting.
“He asked what kind of glass blowing I did and I told him I have the torch on the bench and he goes, ‘oh, lampworking!’” Chris recalls. “No one knows that terminology and as soon as he said that to me, I knew I had the right place.”
Chris says he wasn’t always exposed to artists or their work growing up.
“To come up here and be welcomed like this, it’s like a second family.”
And for woodworker Jonathan Glowacki, that resource might be more essential than the tools.
“Part of the reason I moved to Milwaukee was specifically because of this space. I was in Oregon and I did have all the tools in my garage for seven years,” he says. “It was a lonely space and I decided I wanted to be in a shared studio.”
Jonathan says that’s made a huge difference in his work – he used to only do woodturning, for things like salt and pepper shakers. Now, he’s doing artistic display pieces using a lot of different tools.
“The more people you meet in your life, the more inspiration you get, basically,” Jonathan says. “It’s priceless, it’s part of the reason I’m here.”
That spirit of sharing and collaborating extends far beyond makers who have mastered their craft. Ceramicist Jeff Mann says the Makerspace is a place for learning.
“Every Wednesday, we have a class called Cervezas and Ceramics where I can have a beer and you guys can join me!” he says.
Making crafts accessible is important – Jeff says people need to know it’s okay to make mistakes.
“That’s the beauty of it, this is a learning studio,” he says. “We’re not here to make production pottery. We’re here to learn the process and enjoy it the most.”
Welder Sarah Davitt says that mentality becomes really important when the craft is a little more dangerous – she regularly works with a plasma torch.
She says, sometimes, “They’re starting a project, and someone comes and takes the tools out of their hands, and they’re like, ‘what just happened?’”
Sarah says as long as you’re not going to hurt yourself or the tools, mistakes are all a part of the learning process. She showed us one of the sculptures her group, the Steel Tiger Lilies, is working on.
“This sculpture was built – 90% -- by people who have had no welding experience at all, and no collaborative art experience,” Sarah says. “We have that opportunity to see that things are possible that may not have even crossed our radar.”
The joy of this space doesn’t come from making something good, it comes from simply making something.
“It could even be the dish that only your mother would love, but they’re like, ‘I made this thing and it’s awesome, and I love it and I’m going to put my little succulent in it!’” Jeff says.
“It’s incredibly emotionally satisfying to see people enjoy the space in the way that I’m able to,” Timothy adds.
The Makerspace is open to anyone who wants to learn something new or teach a new skill. There are two locations – one in St. Francis and one in Milwaukee’s Bayview Neighborhood.
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