… and you don’t want to miss it by visiting this old site that contains only historical data for 2013-2016 faires. Please visit our new site:
ChicagoSouthside.Makerfaire.com for current and accurate information!
Posted in Uncategorized
Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire! It is returning to its signature date: the 1st Saturday in August! This year the date is
Saturday, August 5, 2017
This year we will feature robot scrimmages, quadcopter races, and a mini golf course – all designed, built, and programmed by Chicago youth! We expect to showcase new products that have grown from maker hobbies to maker businesses. Of course, there will also be a wide assortment of projects from individual makers, formal organizations, and informal groups.Plan now to come out to share your maker project, enjoy other projects, watch robotics demonstrations, or learn how maker skills can jumpstart a business or career. This multi-generational event is sure to offer something for everyone.
To get your mind ready, take part in the National Week of Making celebrations and find a new project to make!
Posted in Uncategorized
Thank you to all of our makers, attendees and volunteers! The 4th annual Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire was awesome and we couldn’t have done it without your creativity, energy and and support!
Some highlights from Saturday:
We have some great photos and video from the event on our Facebook page. Check out our feed for the links: Facebook
It was truly inspiring to see all the making happening in our community!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for cool maker/making updates, plans for next year and to tell us about your experience.
Posted in Uncategorized
It’s showtime! We are up and running and of course, making on the Southside!
Come meet our Makers and make something to take home at our FREE event happening until 5 p.m. at Ford City Mall. This year we have over 35 maker projects featuring science, gaming, technology, art, robotics, electronics and MORE!
Need a fun Saturday activity? Don’t have a ticket? No worries, it’s not too late! You can simply register HERE or at the door.
If you can’t join us this time, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to receive event updates and to tell us about your making experience!
Yay for making!
Posted in Uncategorized
What a beautiful day for a Maker Faire! Set-up is almost complete and our Makers are getting ready to share their projects with people of all ages. Come celebrate the making happening in our city today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ford City Mall.
Today you can:
The Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire is FREE to attend – we invite you to roll up your sleeves and become a maker!
Simply register for your free ticket here: REGISTER For more information about getting around and how to find the venue, click here.
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to receive event updates and to tell us about your making experience!
Posted in Uncategorized
This year’s faire will feature a collaboration between the South Side Hackerspace and the Museum of Science and Industry’s Fab Lab to create and launch gliders!
Visit the South Side Hackerspace to assemble the fuselage (main body of the aircraft) from components created by a computer-controlled foam cutting machine. You can also learn more about SSH:C and how to join. Afterwards, swing by MSI’s Fab Lab maker station where you can design your own custom glider and put it through real flight test. Discover the basics a glider needs for flight and see you project soar through the air! Prepare for take-off!
The South Side Hackerspace is a group of hackers and makers in the Bridgeport/Pilsen area. They seek to bring together like-minded individuals in order to create a “social, educational, and collaborative space for [themselves] and the community.” You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
The Wanger Family Fab Lab – or fabrication laboratory – is a maker 
space located at the Museum of Science and Industry. Here you can dream up, design and make items from practical to whimsical using cutting-edge software and equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters and milling machines. Dream it, design it, fab it!
Prepare to fly with this collaboration between the Museum of Science and Industry and the South Side Hackerspace on Saturday!
Posted in Uncategorized
Learn how to design, build, and test electronics with nScope!
nScope and Raspberry Pi
In 2010, the USB oscilloscope nScope was created by Nick Marchuk and David Meyer as a way to make learning electronic circuits more accessible. While teaching introductory electronics courses at Northwestern University, Nick noticed that one student would build while the others watched so he wanted to create a personal lab kit that would allow everyone to have hands-on experience. Now every Northwestern Mechanical and Biomedical engineering undergraduate uses nScope to learn electronics.
Nick’s goal is that nScope will make electronics accessible to everyone in the way that Arduino did for programming. He hopes to have nScope in schools, universities, makerspaces and homes all over. His advice for aspiring makers? Just start. There are plenty of free online resources to help.
When he’s not working on nScope, Nick is working on all sorts of fun side projects. Check them out here. Join the nScope mailing list and follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
We are super excited to have Nick at the Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire. Join us Saturday where you too can use the nScope to learn how to design, build and test circuits!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2016 makers, ChiMakerFaire, electronics, maker highlight
We are excited to announce that registration for the Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire is now OPEN! Even though this is a free event, registering for a ticket via Eventbrite helps us plan so there are enough materials for everyone to participate in the making experience! Click the button below to register today.
With just under 3 weeks until the Faire, we are super excited about this year’s Makers. You can create phone apps that control robots, play with squishy circuits, help assemble 3D printed hands, create your own FrankenToy, dabble with woodworking, have your mind read by a computer science magician and so much more! Visit our Makers Page here to read more. We will be featuring many of these Makers is the upcoming days so make sure to check those out.
The Faire will be returning to Ford City Mall located at 7601 S Cicero Ave. For more information about getting around and how to find the venue, click here.
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to receive event updates and announcements.
See you August 6th!
Posted in Uncategorized
We can’t believe the Faire is just 27 days away!! This week marks our FINAL CALL for makers, and registration for attendees will open up soon!
If you’re still curious about the Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire or want a reminder of how great the event is, check out this great video from last year.
This video was captured and produced by the fantastic Nat Soti of the Chicago Art Department.
Join us on August 6th!
Posted in Uncategorized
Today marks the first day of the 2016 National Week of Making!! This national celebration, part of the White House’s Nation of Makers initiative, includes everything from this weekend’s National Maker Faire in Washington, D.C., to events and activities happening in neighborhoods across the U.S.
This week, we’re helping show the nation how Chicago is a city of makers. Several organizations (including our Faire organizers) have come together to highlight all the wonderful ways that Chicago Makes. A calendar of local events and programs, as well as a social media feed from #ChicagoMakes, is featured on www.chicagomakes.org. If you’re looking for a program for yourself or your family, or to submit info on an event you’re hosting, check out the website for more details.
We know that making happens at home, at school or work, outdoors, or anywhere a maker is. So join us in highlighting how Chicago makes by sharing your creations to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtags #ChicagoMakes and #WeekofMaking. Feel free to use this selfie sign in your post. We can’t wait to check out what you’re working on – and hopefully see you at the Faire in August!
Looking for more info? Check out the White House 2016 Week of Making Fact Sheet.
Posted in Uncategorized
Chicago Southside Maker Faire 