MIAMade will host the second annual Miami Mini Maker Faire to help foster the city’s innovation community with $105,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The support will also help establish two other programs as part of MIAMade’s 2014 Miami Makers Initiative, the Wynwood Maker Camp, which will introduce youth to innovative tinkering and thinking, and the DesignLife Make-a-thon, a competition to develop home and lifestyle products with the latest maker technologies.
The second Miami Mini Maker Faire will take place on Nov. 8, 2014, bringing together makers, technologists, artists, entrepreneurs and other do-it yourself enthusiasts in the city’s Wynwood district. Based on the success of the 2013 event, this year the Mini Maker Faire will expand to include 120 maker exhibits; close to 4,000 people are expected to attend. Held in November 2013, the inaugural event drew 1,700 people and hosted 60 exhibits.
The Wynwood Maker Camp immerses approximately 85 students, ages 8-15, in a collaborative, hands-on environment to work on independent projects covering electronics, microcomputers, virtual reality, 3-D printing, collaboration, communications and entrepreneurship. Completed projects will be invited to participate in the Miami Mini Maker Faire. The camp is offering two-week programs throughout the summer, ending Aug. 15; visit wynwoodmakercamp.com for more information.
The DesignLife Make-a-thon is a weekend-long competition that will ask participants to develop prototypes for home and lifestyle products using different types of maker technology, such as 3-D printers and CNC mills. Winners will get prizes and advice on submitting ideas to invention marketplaces. They will also be part of a special exhibition in the Mini Maker Faire. The event will take place in the fall prior to the Miami Mini Maker Faire.
Information provided by the Knight Foundation. See guest post by MIAMade's Ric Herrero here.