​Elements of Making: Ideation to Creation

Connecticut has a deep history of industry in a broad variety of fabrication techniques. This spectrum of disciplines includes fields like agricultural tools, textiles, and complex machinery. This history has led to a thriving community of craftsmen and artisans at makerspaces around the state.

A makerspace is a membership-based organization that gives its members access to professional equipment and resources to conceptualize and create incredible projects. More than that, the maker movement is one that encourages the communal sharing of ideas, innovation, and collaboration. Makers create their passion projects while learning different machines and techniques that build lifelong skills.

Elements of Making: Ideation to Creation - a forthcoming juried exhibition at Ben Parker Studio - offers makers a venue to display their works, and to discuss their process, ideas, and future endeavors. Expert jurors will select works that show: a) an artistic quality, b) an understanding of industrial processes, and c) the maker’s drive to innovate. Participants are encouraged to experiment and share their successes and failures as equally important parts of the process.

Elements of Making brings together organizations from around the state. In these growing communities, makers can access machine resources and pull from the experience of their peers to create imaginative designs. While the definition of a “maker” is varied, the disciplines include: creative coding, woodworking, metalworking, fiber arts, plastic manipulation, silk-screening, and more. By working in these spheres average makers augment their own skills in unique combinations through continued education and collaboration. Makers around the world use these ideals to lift up their fellows, combat income and skill inequality, and enrich their lives in powerful ways.

Elements of Making is a celebration of Connecticut makers and includes support from MakerspaceCT, MakeHaven, Spark Makerspace, and Fairfield County Makers Guild. By bringing together these communities of like-minded creatives, this exhibit will emphasize the artistry of maker creations.