A collaboration between the Exploratorium, MAKE Magazine, and Pixar Animation Studios, Open MAKE is a monthly program highlighting the tools, techniques, and ingenuity of local Makers. Visitors are invited to participate in tinkering and making activities inside the Tinkering Studio, where Makers from around the Bay Area will share their work. In addition, Dale Dougherty, founder and editor of MAKE Magazine, will interview Featured Makers in the McBean Theater.
This month’s theme was wood. Four Featured Makers were interviewed in the McBean Theater between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., talking about their work and process, and taking questions from the audience.
- Scott Weaver talked about his passion for working with toothpicks, and what drove him to spend 35 years on a single massive project.
- Bernie Lubell has installed a wooden collaborative machine in the Tinkering Studio, that will allow visitors to slowly whittle a dowel down to a single toothpick, which will then be added to Scott’s piece.
- Jess Hobbs talked about the massive wooden structures that she installs on the playa at Burning Man.
- And finally, Saul Griffith brought these four months of Materiality to an end, by talking about his elephants that he built in each of our four highlighted materials: plastic, cardboard, metal, and wood.
In the Tinkering Studio, come marvel at the enormous toothpick sculpture depicting San Francisco, and let Scott take you on one of his “guided tours”; slowly make a dowel by pedaling on a wooden bicycle or running on a treadmill; or create your own wonderful marble machine.
Makers from all over the Bay Area, as well as Tinkering Studio staff, shared activities with the public between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Make your own personalized laser-cut lantern
- Make airborne wooden contraptions to fly in our wind tubes
- Learn some basic woodworking skills, and build your own wooden artifact
- Tinkerer in Residence Gever Tulley taught people how to properly drive a nail, which is one of the 50 dangerous things you should let your children do
Make bathtub boats
- Build with wooden contraption sets
- Learn how to make fire caveman-style (i.e. without using matches)
- Renga Arts showcased their music boxes
Hi Luigi,
How do I find out about Scott’s toothpick presentation times…?
Hello Marcelo,
Well, Scott doesn’t have a set schedule, he’ll show up when he has time and can make it in. So far, the only sure time I know of is this Sunday, when he will be in the Tinkering Studio giving tours of his sculpture to the public. He will also be interviewed by CBS news!
Are there videos from this event I can see somewhere?
Can 17yr olds attend these workshops?
Absolutely, they’re open to the public. Please note, though, that this year’s round of Open MAKE events is over… We’ll start again next year in January. However, there are plenty of activities and delightful experiments to participate in in the Tinkering Studio year-round, so come on by!
Any upcoming workshops? And how can i join?
Many thanx,
D
Hi Dina,
Yes, there will be workshops coming up! We’re finalizing the schedule, so check back to see what we’ll do and when. Typically, there is no need to join anything, just come on in and play with us!