Pete Prodoehl, Author at Maker Faire Milwaukee

We’ve accepted 150 Makers for Maker Faire Milwaukee! You’re probably kicking yourself for not applying, but stop kicking yourself, because you still have some time! You have until Friday, September 1st, 2017 at 11:59pm to submit your application for the Call for Makers. (And then you can start kicking yourself!)

The application requires some photos and various bits of information about your exhibit, and if you get stuck, don’t worry, because you can save your work and continue it later. Save and continue! If you get stuck and need to ask questions, just shoot us an email and we’ll help you out.

Not applying as a Maker this year, and just want to check out all the awesome things at Maker Faire? Make sure to pre-register for your tickets! When you get tickets ahead of time, you save time getting into the Faire, and make life much easier on our volunteers. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW so we can see you at Maker Faire Milwaukee on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!

As mentioned last time, kids (and adults) love to draw and color, and one of the activities we did at Betty Brinn’s Be A Maker space involved asking kids to draw what they wanted to see at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. They came up with some interesting ideas, so we’ve selected a few of our favorites and we’ll share them with you in this post. (Maker Faire is all about sharing, right?)

Super Heros, eh? Sometimes super heroes are people in costumes, and yes, we will have people in costumes! Be sure to check out Laughing Rat Cosplay, Shaman Cosplay, CMLeahy Designs, and others!

So you want to see blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee? We’ve been working on a secret project that involves blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee. Obviously someone let it slip that we’ll have blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee. So yes, there’s a good chance you’ll see blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee.

As we mentioned last time, there will definitely be robots. We’ve got the SE Wisconsin R2 Builders, and while R2-D2 is a droid, we’re going to let that slide. We’ve also got Columbia Gadget Works with their “cardboard fighting robots”… And what are “cardboard fighting robots”? Well, you’ll find out at Maker Faire Milwaukee. If you like art more than you like fighting, maybe Lee Bots is more your style, with robot sculptures that are handcrafted from discarded electronics.

We’ve got the Milwaukee Association of Radio Control Clubs and they’ll have model boats, and some might be sailboats! If you want a larger sailboat, you’re in luck! This year we’ve got LOY, which is an 18 1/2 foot sailboat with two sails in a balanced lug yawl rig and an 18 foot tall mast! LOY has been a project-in-progress at Milwaukee Makerspace for the past five years, so it’s beyond exciting that it’ll be moving out of the building, into the water, and then joining us at Maker Faire.

Well, there are no submarines yet, though at least one member of Milwaukee Makerspace has proposed building a submarine, so maybe next time? We will have underwater remotely operated vehicles from South Milwaukee High School and the MATEROV from SFROBOTICS and those are submersible, so I think that counts.

This one doesn’t have a title, and we’ve discussed it with the team, and no one is quite sure what it is. Nonetheless, I hope we see this at the Faire. Maybe you’ll want to make it and bring it along?

Besides all these awesome things, what we really want to see at the Faire is you! We want to see everyone at Maker Faire Milwaukee, along with their family, and friends, and super heroes, and sailboats. Make sure you pre-register for tickets so we can see you at State Fair Park on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!

We’ve just approved our 125th Maker! The Call for Makers closes on Friday, September 1st, 2017 at 11:59pm. Don’t delay! If your thinking of applying, do it now. Even if you’re project is not completed, apply to the Faire, bring it, and show it off. Talk about where you are in the process. Share with others, and inspire people to make things!

And, tell you Maker friends! Let them know the Call for Makers is still open, but time is running out. Maybe they’d like to share a booth with you, or maybe you want booths right next to each other, just let us know when you apply.

If you start your application and can’t finish it in one sitting, no worries! You can save it part way through to continue later. Save and continue! If you get stuck and need to ask questions, just shoot us an email and we’ll help you out.

Tickets for Maker Faire Milwaukee are now available! Please check out the Tickets & Pre-Registering page for everything you need to know, and most importantly, to get your tickets.

Once again we are proud to present Maker Faire Milwaukee as a FREE event for the community. We’re able to do this with help from our sponsors, but we also provide a few ways for the community to help as well. When you get your tickets, you can choose the free ticket, or choose to pay for a ticket. Any proceeds from ticket sales help to offset the costs of producing the event, and bring amazing things to see and do to Maker Faire.

If you don’t want to pay for a ticket, but still want to support our efforts, you can choose a free ticket, and then donate any amount. It’s our “name-your-own-price” ticket level.

Make sure to check the information on the Directions page (including parking and mass transit) and find out Where to Stay if you’re coming from out of town.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW so we can see you at Maker Faire Milwaukee on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!

Kids (and adults) love to draw and color, and one of the activities we did at Betty Brinn’s Be A Maker space involved asking kids to draw what they wanted to see at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. They came up with some interesting ideas, so we’ve selected a few of our favorites and we’ll share them with you in this post. (Maker Faire is all about sharing, right?)

Water? You got it! Milwaukee is known for our work with water, and we’ve got two water exhibit so far, the Graphical Waterfall by Pevnick Design and the The Immersive Fluid Flow Experience by Tom Hansen. Okay, the second one doesn’t actually feature water, but does demonstrate how water flows. And as for the Graphical Waterfall, it’s pretty magical in the way it creates art using computer-controlled water droplets.

A Flower Garden? We’ve got The Grow Room by Peter Graven which is an alternative building concept for urban gardening, and Fairy Garden Fun by the Sun Lakes Girl Scouts. Maybe not exactly a “Flower Garden” but they are both garden related!

“A robot that can talk and walk around and interact with people” is pretty specific! In fact, we had a long conversation about how to classify robots, cybernetic beings, cyborgs, plants, and other living creatures. We’ve got a lot of robots lined up for Maker Faire: ChiBots, Wisconsin Robotics, Robotics Association at UWM, a robot that can weld, Rock’em Sock’em Robots, and more. Hopefully one of them will be able to “talk and walk around and interact with people” (but maybe not the welding robot.)

Daleks? Yes, Daleks. Why, our friends at Dalek Asylum Milwaukee will attempt the world’s largest gathering of Daleks at Maker Faire Milwaukee! We also hope you’ll bring a Dalek, or at least a Dalek costume, and take part in the fun. Rumor has it Dalek Asylum Milwaukee may also provide a “Make Your Own Dalek Costume” station at the Faire. So yes, you will definitely see Daleks at Maker Faire. (I know, it looks like an adult may have drawn this one, but I’m okay with that.)

Hi Reinaliz, we think it’s awesome that you want to see your family at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. We want to see them too! We want to see everyone at Maker Faire Milwaukee, along with their family, and friends, and robots, and cybernetic beings. Make sure you pre-register for tickets so we can see you at State Fair Park on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!

We’ve just approved our 100th Maker! With just 50 days until Maker Faire Milwaukee, and less than 30 days until the Call for Makers closes, we’ve hit our next milestone. (Okay, we’ve actually got 101 Makers, because we approved another one as we were writing this post!)

We’re still working through submissions, and have another dozen in the queue, but once again, if you plan to apply and haven’t yet, do it now! Did you know that you can start the application process and save it part way through to continue later? Yes, that’s a thing. Save and continue later! If you get stuck and need to ask questions, you can take a break and finish up at a later date. (We’ll send you a link so you can pick up where you left off.)

Curious about the Makers joining us this year? Check out the Maker Exhibits page. You can view the Makers as a visual gallery or a textual list, and each Maker has a page with more info about what you’ll see at the Faire.

We’ve been getting a lot of great applications for Maker Faire Milwaukee, but we know some of you need a bit more time, or just plain forgot to apply!

Never fear, we’re here to help, so we’re extending the Call for Makers to September 1st, 2017.

If you’ve been procrastinating, stop doing that… the time is now! Fill out the application, and share what you make with the thousands of people who attend Maker Faire. (And the hundreds of Makers that join us as well.)

Even if your project not 100% finished (hey, what project is ever 100% finished!?) you can bring it and show it to others. You never know what you might learn, or who you might inspire.

But don’t wait too long! Apply to the Call for Makers today!

(It’s free to exhibit at Maker Faire Milwaukee if you are not selling or promoting a product or service. We want to help you share what you create with the world, but if you are selling or promoting a product or service, there is a fee required.)

The Power Racing Series is back for 2017! If you’ve never heard of the Power Racing Series, it involves teams building electric vehicles (typically starting with a kid-sized Power Wheels Car) and racing them to glory and the occasional electrical fire. Teams are limited to just $500 to build a working vehicle, which means they need to compromise on quality sometimes. (Don’t worry, brakes and other safety features are not included in the budget.)

We’ve got six teams lined up right now, with over a dozen vehicles, and there’s still time if you want to build your own and race it at Maker Faire. Visit powerracingseries.org to learn more, and then apply to the Call for Makers!

As we’re sure you’ve heard by now, we will be attempting to set A Dalek World Record at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year, working closely with Dalek Asylum Milwaukee over at Milwaukee Makerspace.

We’ve even got Daleks coming across state lines to join us, but we still need more help, and that’s where you come in. Did you know you can create your own Dalek for around $12? You can!

Now, it won’t be an exact replica of the Daleks seen in Doctor Who, or quite up to the quality that Dalek Asylum Milwaukee is creating, but every Dalek counts! If you want to build a Dalek costume and join us, download this PDF!

Remember, a World Record is at stake. We can’t wait to have the largest gathering of Daleks right here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on September 23rd, 2017!

Maker Faire Milwaukee will once again be holding a special program for educators during the event. On Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 from 9am to 4pm we will be hosting the Making in Education Conference, which will highlight educators already featuring making in their classroom, as well as experts from related fields sharing their knowledge about making and how it ties into education.

If you’re an educator who wants to learn about makerspaces, standards-based maker projects, the impact of making on student achievement, the tools and technology needed for a space, as well as other topics, registration is open now.

If you’re an educator who has already added making to their classroom, our Call for Proposals is open, and we’d love to help you share your knowledge and connect with fellow educators.

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and Learn Deep will co-host this special program, and we’re grateful to Rockwell Automation for sponsoring the Making in Education Conference.

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