Macon showcases its drive to support creative entrepreneurs with today’s announcements from the Make-End maker festival and SparkMacon makerspace, which are helping propel the Maker Movement forward locally and attract talent from across the nation. 

Make-End officially launched its call for makers to participate, ambassadors to volunteer, and it released the first featured attractions of the event. The call invites makers from all backgrounds to submit an application highlighting how they will share their skills and products through interactive exhibits at Make-End. The event is seeking to host 150 makers with a range of innovations in the art and technology fields. 

The Make-End Ambassador program is recruiting those interested in making the inaugural maker festival a success by promoting the event to communities locally, regionally and nationally. The program has three phases: Ambassadors will first learn about the Maker Movement, next they will focus on marketing the event, then Ambassadors will volunteer at Make-End. 

The first featured attractions festival-goers can look forward to include Robot Resurrection, Stunt Ranch and Light Up the Hill. Robot Resurrection, based in Denver, Colo., features a 30-foot-tall robot made of recycled airplane parts, with fully functional arms, head and hands. Stunt Ranch, based in Austin, Texas, will showcase the science behind stuntwork and allow participants to experience different areas of movie stunts. Light Up the Hill will conclude Make-End’s weekend-long festivities with an illuminated bike parade around the event.

Make-End takes place November 14-15, in Tattnall Square Park, which is located in Macon-Bibb County’s historic College Hill Corridor. The festival celebrates creativity with technology and art exhibits from makers, entrepreneurial speakers from across the nation, and large-scale performances. The event is organized by the College Hill Alliance, a successful city placemaking agency operated through Mercer University by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Thanks to generous funding from ArtPlace America, Make-End will be the largest maker festival in Georgia, south of Atlanta.

“Make-End not only supports the Maker Movement in Central Georgia, but also the College Hill Corridor Master Plan by building the vibe the Corridor has been working to develop. The festival will be the biggest weekend event of the year, but its effects will reverberate every day after, encouraging people of all ages and interests to meet and imagine building a bright, exciting world together, right here in Macon,” said Heather Pendergast, executive director of the College Hill Alliance.

The College Hill Alliance’s charge to develop the Maker Movement locally began after receiving survey responses from over 200 Macon Makers, which showed their skills encompassed a variety of fields, from clothing creators and woodworkers, to computer programmers and video game developers, to gardeners and chefs. 

These makers also expressed a desire to connect with the community, other makers and have access to shared tools and equipment. Make-End focuses on the first two needs as well as retaining and attracting talented makers, which represent 21^st century entrepreneurs, by exposing local residents to the world of making and highlighting Macon-Bibb County as a community in which makers are active and thriving. 

SparkMacon fulfills the need for makers to have access to shared tools and equipment. Thanks to public and private investment, SparkMacon opened in November 2014 as Central Georgia’s first makerspace. The space is strategically located in downtown Macon to increase accessibility, and its tools range from 3D printers and laser engravers, to electronics and music production equipment, to graphic design and video editing software.

Tools at SparkMacon are available to those who purchase a membership to the space. These members are also resources with varied knowledge and expertise, which contributes to the collaboration and drives innovation in the space. 

“While Make-End highlights the Maker Movement on a larger scale once a year, SparkMacon represents the physical manifestation of the movement, which operates in our community 365 days of the year,” said Brent Lanford, SparkMacon Board Member and deputy director of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

SparkMacon has three areas of focus: young students looking to learn new skills, adults seeking to work on creative hobbies, and entrepreneurs looking to make their ideas a reality. The latest initiative of the space focuses on the first goal area. 

SparkMacon was selected as one of five makerspaces in Georgia to take part in a maker education pilot program, which is funded by the Georgia Technology Authority and administered by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission. The Young Makers program allows 15 middle and high school students to engage in a year-long exploration of making. They are taught maker skills in a range of fields, including web programming, 3D design, laser engraving, costuming, video editing, and robotics. Two local professors lead the classes, with assistance from four college students. The program will culminate in each student’s development of their own maker project, which will be highlighted at the May 2016 Open Make Night. 

“Understanding that communities must foster innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in order to survive and thrive in today’s Digital Economy, our expectation is that SparkMacon will help make Macon attractive to citizens and businesses. We seek to be a spark that fosters the current and future revitalization in our community,” said Rob Betzel, SparkMacon Board Member and president of Infinity Network Solutions.