What are makerspaces and how can they be leveraged to impact communities? Community makerspaces can impact communities as centers for education and/or economic development. This talk will explore these grassroots organizations and the work they are doing to teach through hands-on exploration, and creative problem-solving. It will look at what these spaces are doing do to transform communities and to support small business development. It will also give some insights about the types of support community makerspaces need to thrive. By exploring some successful community/makerspace partnerships, you will learn about some of the possibilities that can create positive impacts in the arts, in small business development, and in technology education within your community.

ThebuildingcommunityWORKSHOP​ [bc] is a Texas based nonprofit community design center seeking to improve the livability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design and making. They enrich the lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our city where resources are most scarce. To do so, [bc] recognizes that it must first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work. Join us as we hear from Lizzie MacWillie, bcWORKSHOP’s Associate Director, Dallas who will present on the work of buildingcommunityWORKSHOP. She will focus on their creative placemaking work, including Activating Vacancy [bc]'s multiyear arts programs, and their community based architecture work, all of which place resident and community collaboration at the forefront. Lizzie will share specific examples of engagement methods and how these methods are integrated into [bc]'s overall practice.