Makevention, an annual celebration of the DIY spirit, will be held August 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center.
Makevention is run by Bloominglabs and makers from Bloomington and the surrounding region will be there showing off projects and engaging attendees in making activities. All ages and skill levels are welcome.
Makevention is one of Bloominglabs’ most visible points of outreach in Bloomington and the surrounding area. Most of its attendees are local, but it regularly pulls both exhibitors and visitors from as far as Goshen, Indiana; Terre Haute, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; and Indianapolis.
Over the past six years, both Bloominglabs and Makevention have grown in size and scope. Makevention’s exhibitors include local spinners and dyers; game companies; IU Opera; IU School of Education; IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering; the Society of Women Engineers; escape rooms; WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology; the Monroe County Public Library; Bloomington High School’s FIRST robotics teams; and more of the area’s arts, science, and sustainability organizations, as well as independent makers of all stripes.
The primary aim of Makevention is to show how people all around the Bloomington area make and invent, which has a corollary goal of showing that pathways to STEM and maker careers and hobbies are open to everyone in the region. The exhibitors share this goal and orient their booths to a wide range of ages and interests. The Makevention staff try to invite a variety of makers, too—from educators to independent crafters to members of the local professional STEM community.
The event has attracted more than 1,000 visitors each year and has grown to use both floors of the Convention Center. With last year’s addition of workshops, Makevention had more interactive options than ever had before, allowing attendees the opportunity to learn how to crochet, pick locks, build terrain for games, solder, and make their own node for Amatria (the interactive AI/ALife structure that resides in Luddy Hall at IU). These proved popular enough that the number of workshop options are doubled this year.
Makevention sponsors include Cook Group; the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute, the IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering; Ivy Tech Community College–Bloomington; and the IU School of Education’s Make, Innovate, Learn Lab Makerspace.
Find Makevention online at http://makevention.org/.
