Elements of Making: Ideation to Creation
Prospectus and Information
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.
Submissions welcome through Friday, July 1st with the exhibit running July 31st through September 9th at Ben Parker Studio. Come see compelling and creative works from the maker community!
Note: The show has been postponed. The dates below reflect this change as of July 14th, 2022.
EVENT DATES: Sunday August 21st to Friday September 30th
TO REGISTER: Registration has now closed. Come out and enjoy the show!
CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTED WORKS:
JURORS’ CHOICE PRIZES: Our jurors will select works to exhibit from the submissions and award three (3) prizes.
Click here for bios of the jurors.
SUPPORTING MAKERSPACES:
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.
Submissions welcome through Friday, July 1st with the exhibit running July 31st through September 9th at Ben Parker Studio. Come see compelling and creative works from the maker community!
Note: The show has been postponed. The dates below reflect this change as of July 14th, 2022.
EVENT DATES: Sunday August 21st to Friday September 30th
- Opening Reception: Sunday, August 28th, 2022 from 2-5pm
- Panel Discussion: Friday, September 16th from 4-7pm
- Closing Reception: Friday, September 30th from 4-7 pm
TO REGISTER: Registration has now closed. Come out and enjoy the show!
CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTED WORKS:
- Artistic Quality: The submissions should give a sense of imagination and application of the human creative skill.
- Experience with Relevant Industry Equipment: The submissions should show experience with industrial machinery and techniques.
- Demonstrated Experimentation and Play: The submissions should demonstrate the maker ideal of experimentation, such as a new material, machine, or technique not previously used by the participant(s).
JURORS’ CHOICE PRIZES: Our jurors will select works to exhibit from the submissions and award three (3) prizes.
- 1st place: $200 gift card to sponsoring makerspaces
- 2nd place: $100 gift card to sponsoring makerspaces
- 3rd place: $50 gift card to sponsoring makerspaces
Click here for bios of the jurors.
SUPPORTING MAKERSPACES:
- Danbury Hackerspace in Danbury (website)
- Fairfield County Makers' Guild in Norwalk (website)
- MakeHaven in New Haven (website)
- MakerspaceCT in Hartford (website)
- Regarding Makerspace Affiliation: Those submitting do NOT have to be a member of a makerspace. One goal of the show is to bring together makers in any format (makerspace members, educators, industry professionals, home DIY'ers, etc.). Could be that it sparks a collaboration with a local makerspace or member, or your work gets seen and you get brought in to teach at a local space!
- Regarding Originality: Though the maker movement thrives on an open-source philosophy, this show seeks to show expertise in the chosen discipline(s). As such, submissions are required to have been the original designs of the participating artist(s) unless: a) they can make the case that it’s used, displayed, or fabricated in a wholly original manner and b) the design is used with written permission of the designer from which the variation derives.
- Regarding Collaborations: Collaborations are welcome and encouraged! Each payment of the entry fee is allotted three (3) submission slots, and an individual can use any of those slots for a collaborative submission.
- Regarding Multi-Piece Submissions: If you have several works that function together (such as a gear set, multi-piece mobile, etc.) the jurors will decide if they count as a single submission on a case-by-case basis.
- Regarding Transportation of Work: By default, artists are responsible for individually transporting/shipping accepted work to the studio. However, small works may be collected at one of the participating organizations. For larger pieces, please contact Ben at [email protected] or 860-268-6911 to discuss further steps.
- Regarding Sales of Work: Works are not required to be for sale, but they can be if you wish! Surrounding the pieces, there will also be limited space for artists that wish to sell “smaller” works that fit thematically with their submissions. Ben Parker Studio will take 20% of the sale of pieces and products during the show dates.
- Regarding COVID: If there is a surge of COVID or other events that would make an art event untenable, Ben Parker Studio will be prepared to delay the show until the fall of 2022, details TBD.
- Regarding Artists: Since this is a celebration of Connecticut makerspaces, this show will be restricted to Connecticut artists or members of Connecticut makerspaces, guilds, or co-ops. For specific questions, please contact Ben and we can figure out special cases one at a time.
- Regarding Anything Else: For any other questions, please contact Ben Parker at [email protected] or 860-268-6911.