a work table in the makerspace with an in-progress print block and series of test prints
Academic Technology

Fall Scenes from the Makerspace

A holiday wrap-up, of sorts:

It was a busy and bustling season in the Makerspace, for people, projects, and planned events. We played host to three separate studio art courses as their primary workspace, and as a testing ground for scores of individual student projects.

There was a distinct theme of Big Wood Furniture this time around; a phenomenon partially attributable to an influx of beautiful materials harvested from our own campus (trees that came down in for the new Dining Commons), and to a spontaneous shared curiosity among students for getting into these projects. Students, staff, and faculty alike tried their hand at making functional life objects for themselves, from stools to chairs to tables, to entire bed frames (ask the students in question how that’s working out… no complaints yet!).

We also saw a fresh wave of new students trained to use woodshop equipment and supervised their first projects as they became oriented to the space. If you’re interested in getting certified to use the woodshop, swing by the space when we reopen in the new year!

We also jumped into several projects and collaborations across campus, introducing new people to the makerspace while giving our student techs the chance to bring our skills and ambitions out into the campus community. These projects included a set of new beautiful hardwood stands for the Taiko Ensemble’s big performances in October, new custom stamps for the Library’s Passport project, and a big live Get Out the Vote around on Garnet Weekend, with live DIY fabric printing with blocks from the Library’s Peace Collection archive.

In all, this semester brought new folks, new flavors, new frivolities, new function, and new findings to the Makerspace in Whittier Hall, and here’s just a quick sampler of the scenes we saw over the last three months!

a wide-angle view of a large stack of milled wood boards
Hundreds of board-feet of beautiful Redwood, Dawn Redwood, and False Cypress from our campus!
closeup of a corner joint in square oak rods
in-progress oak taiko drum stand joints, the work of student tech Emily Lathers
a student stands in front of his work on a woodshop table; the work is complex plywood shapes
Andy Im recreates the interior of the Hagia Sophia in miniature for a fresco painting class
close up, full-frame view of the highly detailed surface of finished redwood, with wood grain and other fabrication additions
Redwood boards repaired and finished into a dining table. Dining commons -> dining table!
over-the-shoulder view of an art student recreating a photograph in a pencil drawing
Art senior Katie Schmalz, draws it as she sees it
outdoor, table-level view of a group printing activity, with a swarthmore staff person in an apron helping someone with the project
Library archivist Caitlin Goodman helps participants print fabric blocks for Garnet Weekend
a view of a wall covered in eccentric, colorful small wood faces and characters
A menagerie of student woodshop tutorial sample cuts.
a downward-looking view of an art student holding up a shaped piece of plywood
Art senior Tina Chen sizes up the outline of a custom-designed chair
full-body shot of the makerspace manager in tyvek coveralls, inflating his suit with compressed air
Manager Josh Jordan, staying ‘puft, and dressing for the job he wants (and has)