Maker Faire Pittsburgh is now accepting applications from artists, scientists, inventors and tinkerers who want to showcase their work at this year’s event.
“Maker Faire is the greatest show-and-tell on earth,” said lead organizer Kayce Dewey. “It’s a combination between craft fair meets science fair meets Burning Man.”
The first Maker Faire was held in 2006 in San Mateo, Calif., just south of San Francisco. Dewey said since then, the phenomenon has spread to more than 30 countries and more than 200 faires are held each year worldwide. Pittsburgh’s event takes place Oct. 14-16 on the North Side.
Maker Faires are an extension of maker culture, which celebrates technology, creativity and a do-it-yourself ethos. Maker culture has influenced and been influenced by emerging ideas about the value of authenticity, self-reliance and the sharing economy. The movement has become so mainstream that it’s even been lovingly mocked, like in this video about a maker of toast.
Dewey said past faires in Pittsburgh have included drone races, robot fights, aluminum casting demonstrations, 3-D printing, pyrotechnics and visual art.
“Our motto for Maker Faire is that everyone’s a maker,” she said. “No matter who you are, what you do, how old you are, everyone is a maker.”
Individuals, groups, schools, clubs, organizations and entrepreneurs who are interested in sharing their work at this year’s faire can apply at the Maker Faire Pittsburgh website. The first call for entries ends July 15. A second round of applications will be open from Aug. 1-15.
