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Saturday Night Fun With Creatives -- Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021!

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Julie Smith
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.
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Saturday Night Fun With Creatives -- Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021!
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The Cleveland Public Library (@Cleveland_PL), for their Ninth Annual Maker Faire Cleveland, did the event a little differently than in past years. Instead of just a one-day maker event, they planned "family-friendly, free events at Cleveland Public Library locations across the city" for a full week! The week-long maker activities culminated in the Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021 on Saturday, November 20th, at the Great Lakes Science Center (@GLScienceCtr).

In this blog post, we will share tweets with photos/videos leading up to and including our attendance at the Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021.

 

Announcements & Information About the Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021

A BIG thank-you to Tom Kunsman (@tkunsman) who made it a point to be sure that we knew about the Showcase. If it weren't for his tweet, we might have missed this year's event.

 

 

Stuart watched the New Day Cleveland Get Creative! video from Fox 8 News in the morning, before going to the Cleveland Maker Faire. The video does a great job of presenting an overview of all that happened during the week of the Cleveland Public Library's 9th Annual Maker Faire Cleveland.

In addition to the Cleveland Maker Faire, the video also mentions the The Best Buy Teen Tech Center, which is in partnership with The Clubhouse Network (@TheClubhouseNet). We found the following information about the library's teen tech center while writing this blog post:

 

Here are some older tweets about the The Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Cleveland Public Library’s Rockport Branch:

 

". . . today from 6-9 p.m.!"

 

 

November 20, 2021 - Saturday Night Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase

MAKER FAIRE CLEVELAND SHOWCASE
Saturday, November 20 | 6:00 p.m.
Great Lakes Science Center
Tap into your creative side, explore your curiosity, and get inspired at the 9th annual Maker Faire Cleveland. The Cleveland Public Library is hosting the FREE family-friendly event on Saturday, November 20 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Great Lakes Science Center. This year’s event is taking over the Science Center with a full day of games, experiments, projects, and FUN!

Our headliner event at the Great Lakes Science Center caps off a week of Maker activities and experiences taking place at Cleveland Public Library locations across the city.

* a virtual visit with afrofuturistic author Nnedi Okorafor . . .

* free access to Great Lake Science center exhibits and the NASA Glenn Visitor Center

* Watch a free IMAX movie in the Dome Theater - Journey to Space

* a gaming zone featuring game play along with a look at the Maker creativity that brings games to life

* hands-on demos and exhibits by a selection of amazing CLE-area Makers

Maker Faire Cleveland celebrates and showcases CLE Makers who create, craft, build, design, invent, and make all sorts of amazing things. Visitors are immersed in a hands-on experience of exploration, inspiration, and imagination. Get inspired, try out new technology, learn, play, and participate in the greatest show-and-tell in the CLE! There's something for everyone, including kids and families. Don't miss it!

Thank you, Cleveland Public Library, for the FREE night at the Great Lakes Science Center (@GLScienceCtr) for the Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021!

 

 

FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art

Launched in 2018, FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art is a contemporary art exhibition across Northeast Ohio comprised of artist commissions, performances, films, and public programs that takes place across Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin every three years. Its inaugural edition An American City, which was curated by Artistic Director Michelle Grabner, generated over 90,000 visitors from more than 25 countries and brought $31 million in new economic activity to the region.

Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows, the second iteration of FRONT International, will run from July 16 through October 2, 2022. Building on the success of the first edition, FRONT 2021 will further the Triennial’s commitment to stimulating new and sustained cultural conversations within the region.

With our experience in 2018 attending FRONT International exhibitions, we were glad to see that they had a booth at the Cleveland Maker Faire with information about the next FRONT International in 2022. In 2018 (our sixth year of blogging), we wrote more blog posts than any other year, largely because of writing about so many venues during the inaugural year of FRONT International. (See our FRONT International blog posts by clicking here.)

2018 blog posts about FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art
Click image to view all our
FRONT International blog posts

At the FRONT International booth, we talked to FRONT Fellow at Cleveland Public Library Ron'Dale Simpson (@jakkz89), who told us that the events will start in the summer of 2022, and continue into the fall.

While writing this blog post, we learned that Ron'Dale Simpson is also the founder and artistic director of Blakk Jakk Dance Collective, which was founded in 2020 "...to allow dancers of color opportunities to improve their skills, perform and build a network of emerging and professional dancers."

If you want to get a taste of what is coming in 2022 you have the opportunity NOW!! The FRONT 2022 Preview Exhibition: Grand Prototypes, Humble Tools exhibition is open at Transformer Station through January 2, 2022 -- don't miss out! Learn more at TransformerStation.org and by reading our blog post about Stuart attending the public opening party for Grand Prototypes, Humble Tools on Friday, October 8, 2021:

 

Here are tweets about the preview, which is open through January 2, 2022:

 

 

Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater -- Journey to Space

Narrated by Patrick Stewart.

In the past half century, humans have punched through the stratosphere, walked on the moon, and lived continuously in orbit. In the coming decades, our unquenchable curiosity will take our species beyond the cradle of Earth to touch the face of another world. Strap in for the next giant leap. Next stop … Mars!

Journey to Space
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Journey to Space (also known as Journey to Space 3D) is a 2015 American 3D documentary Adventure film directed by Mark Krenzien. It was presented in collaboration with Boeing and Toyota. It depicts an unveiling of a new era of unprecedented deep space exploration in dramatic giant screen film format. The documentary is narrated (voice) by Patrick Stewart.

Footage

The documentary film features some reused and remastered in-space footage from previous IMAX films Destiny in Space, The Dream is Alive, Space Station 3D and Mission to Mir. In addition, unused archival IMAX high definition shots were used, including the astrovan approaching Space Shuttle Endeavour for STS-69 in September 1995, the launch of Challenger and Columbia on STS-8 and STS-40 in August 1984 and June 1991 respectively, landing of STS-51A, and high speed footage of the launch of STS-135 in July 2011. Remastered spectator footage of Endeavour's transport through the streets of Los Angeles is seen in 2012.

Other scenes featured computer renderings of a future SLS mission to a Ion-powered interplanetary space station and a Mars lander with an inflatable heatshield.

We took a break from talking to the people at the Saturday night Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021 to watch the fascinating 2015 film Journey to Space (@jts3dfilm) in the "newly remodeled Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater. . . . under a giant domed screen that soars six stories high . . ."

 

 

Internet Controlled Christmas Light Display

See more Tom Hammond Christmas lights videos on: Youtube.com/User/TomInOhio2

Using low-cost hardware and free software, you can build an interactive light show that can be viewed and controlled by anyone in the world! You can use existing traditional Christmas lights, store-bought digital lights, or generic lights used by enthusiasts all over the world.

Not only can you see and control my lights this holiday season, but this website provides complete instructions on how to build your own holiday display.

Control Tom's Christmas lights

When we went up a level at the Great Lakes Science Center, Stuart saw a familiar and very impressive display about how to create your own Internet-controlled Christmas light display. Stuart had talked to Tom Hammond the week before, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, at the Akron-Summit County Public Library's Akron Makes 2021. Please read Stuart's blog post from the Akron maker event to learn more about the creative people he talked to at the Akron-Summit County Public Library:

In addition to the tweets from the Cleveland Maker Faire, we also included here the tweets from the Akron Makes 2021, since they contain links to useful information if you are interested in making your own lighting display. Please share our following tweets by retweeting, so more people can learn about the great resources Tom Hammond shared with us.

 

Tweets about Internet-controlled Christmas lights from Akron Makes 2021:

 

 

3-D Printing

 

 

MakerGear: 3-D Printers

Watch the following video about how Makergear 3-D printers are made in Northeast Ohio, USA!

 

Watch the following video about Makergear and some makerspaces open to the public in Northeast Ohio.

The MakerGear Story
A BID FOR BETTER AT THE DAWN OF 3D PRINTING

He was a software guy, not a machinist. Not yet, anyway.

But one afternoon at auction, he got into a spirited bidding war on a machine. $250 later he had his very own vintage micro-lathe. It was exactly what he needed to enable him to begin making a real difference in the dawning desktop 3D printer movement.

It was 2009 and Rick Pollack owned one of the first commercially available desktop 3D printers. The machines were built with laser-cut plywood and, though they were a lot of fun to build, did not work very well. . . .

COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMERS & COMMUNITY

Today, MakerGear printers can be found in all 50 states and over 75 countries. Rick Pollack’s commitment to the community in which it all started has kept MakerGear’s headquarters, production and tech support in Beachwood, Ohio. Many of the components used in MakerGear 3D printers are manufactured within a 30-minute drive of Cleveland, and, with its extensive investment in local manufacturing, MakerGear has brought tens of millions of dollars into Ohio.

While much has changed since Pollack’s initial investment in a vintage lathe in 2009, MakerGear continues to embody his vision as a company that never lets anything stand in its way of creating machines that set the precedent for precision and durability. A company built on thoughtfully responding to the changing needs of its customers, MakerGear continues to push the boundaries of innovation and craft rock-solid machines. Amidst the numerous advances and seismic shifts that have occurred in desktop 3D printing, MakerGear printers remain as ready-to-run and built-to-last as ever.

We have known about MakerGear for years, and talked with their founder, Rick Pollack, at tech events such as IngenuityFest and NEO Entrepreneur Expo. It was interesting to see something new at the Maker Faire Cleveland Showcase 2021 -- a 3-D-printed 3-D printer:

 

 

Cleveland Public Library Makerspace -- TechCentral!

TechCentral
. . .
Manager: Suzi Perez

. . . TechCentral is an innovative technology and learning center providing services to Main Library and all 27 branch locations. . . .

. . . Access one of nearly 90 computers in the TechCentral Computer Area . . . equipped with Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, WinWay Resume Creator, and Rapid Typing Tutor. Adaptive Technology Stations equipped with Jaws, ZoomText, and Sorenson Video Relay service are also available.

. . . The TechCentral MakerSpace is a cutting-edge space equipped with industry-standard technology and fabrication, equipment, and software, allowing you to turn your ideas into reality. 3D Printing and Scanning, Vinyl and Laser Fabrication, as well as Music, Audio, and Video production are all available in the MakerSpace. . . .

Learn how to create something new by attending one of our MakerLab series programs available at Main Library and throughout our branches. From learning how to 3D print or creating your own unique font, to making duct tape wallets or digital abstract art, MakerLabs are a great way to be creative and ‘make’ something new.

We knew to look for Cleveland Public Library TechCentral Manager Suzi Perez (@wx_rocknchic), since she and her TechCentral team are always out at Cleveland tech events sharing the library's. makerspace. We last talked to her on Saturday, September 25, 2021, when the TechCentral team was present at Ingenuity at the Lake! (@IngenuityCLE - #IngenuityFest)

Stuart talked to Suzi Perez, and learned from her the status of all the cool tech available with your library card at TechCentral. Currently, all projects must be done within the library's COVID-19 safety protocols.

Stuart was fortunate to attend both the TechCentral grand opening and the Greater Cleveland PC Users Group (GCPCUG) “field trip” to TechCentral in 2014:

 

 

 

Above And Beyond

ABOVE AND BEYOND
Explore the future of aerospace technology and air travel in Above and Beyond!

Included with General Admission
Buy Tickets

Get ready to explore the future of aerospace technology and air travel in Above and Beyond, presented by Parker Aerospace!

Above and Beyond features 5,000 square feet of unprecedented interactive demonstrations of the advances in aviation and aerospace from the first powered flights to the newest innovations.

Within the exhibition, guests will be able to step into a simulated space elevator that takes them to the edge of the universe, design and test a supersonic jet to face off in a virtual high speed flying competition, experience a flight simulation with motion-sensing technology to get a sense of what it’s like to fly like a bird, and discover concepts for future aircraft.

Above and Beyond runs through Sunday, January 2. Above and Beyond is included with general admission to the Science Center.

Above and Beyond is presented by Boeing and produced by Evergreen Exhibitions in collaboration with NASA and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

ONE OF THE MOST INTERACTIVE AND INSPIRING EXHIBITIONS EXPLORING FLIGHT EVER TO TOUR.

Looking back at the history of flight, one thing is clear: the sky was never the limit. From the moment human­kind got off the ground, the race was on to go beyond. Faster . . . farther . . . higher . . . smarter! Today, these goals and new visions propel aerospace innovators onward and upward.

What if we could . . .

  • Get airborne wherever and whenever we wanted?
  • Fly faster than the speed of sound without making a lot of noise and burning a lot of fuel to make supersonic flight the norm?
  • Design ultra-green flying machines to carry more people more places and treat the planet better?
  •  Invent super smart flying robots to assist us in our daily lives, as delivery-bots, eco-bots, and more?
  •  Build a new generation of reusable space vehicles to make trips to Earth orbit as common as air travel?

It was getting near the end of the evening, so we didn't have a lot of time to see this exhibit. It is an exploration of flight, from birds, to planes, to space travel.

 

 

 

 

Thank You, Cleveland Public Library!!!

We appreciate that the Cleveland Public Library plans interesting tech and NASA-related events. We have attended several of them! The library is "The People's University" in Cleveland.

 

Related Blog Posts

We always like to end our blog posts with a list of related blog posts, but we have written so many blog posts about "Maker" events and locations in our community, that it is best that you just see them all by pulling them up by their tag. Here are topic links that you may be interested in that relate to this blog post:

  • Maker or Hackerspace - For information about MakerSpaces/Hackerspaces, Maker Faires, and Hackathons.

  • Library - Events at Northeast Ohio libraries, including everything from FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art, to Superman, to NASA, to, of course, maker events.

  • Science Center - NASA Tweetup, IngenuityFest, Cleveland Foundation 100th birthday celebration, Science After Dark, North Coast Harbor Ice Fest, solar eclipse, and, of course, maker events.

  • NASA - Tweetup, LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo, CWRU think[box] Thinkapalooza!, EarthFest, NASA Glenn Research Center 75th Anniversary Open House, Hidden Figures, NASA Hackathon! Space Apps Challenge, The 30th Anniversary of the NASA Glenn Graphics & Visualization Lab (GVIS).

  • Science - Think & Drink, March For Science, Reel Science, Behind-The-Scenes Night, Bald Eagle Fest, and more!

Thank you for reading my blog post. You can learn about my travel journeys with my wife and co-blogger, Julie, and the venues we explore in Cleveland and Akron at: sosAssociates.com/Blog