CHARLOTTE – Maker Faire is coming to Charlotte! On October 10, 2015 Discovery Place will launch Charlotte’s first Mini Maker Faire, a one-day community celebration of local maker culture that pushes the limits of art, science and technology. The Charlotte Mini Maker Faire will take place from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. both inside Discovery Place and along N Tryon Street between 6th and 7th Streets.

Part science fair, part county fair and part something entirely new, Charlotte Mini Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of crafters, educators, tinkerers, tech enthusiasts, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, designers, students, performers and exhibitors. All of these Makers come together to showcase what they have made and to share what they have learned.

“Charlotte has a very strong community of innovators, and we are thrilled Discovery Place has the opportunity to help showcase and celebrate the people who make our city a great place to live and work,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, president and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc. “Our goal is to educate and engage the local community with the Maker movement in order to attract and inspire curious thinkers, doers and learners, in addition to serving as a platform for local and regional talent.”

In addition to launching Charlotte’s first Maker Faire, last month Discovery Place was invited to present at the National Maker Faire in Washington, DC to showcase how Discovery Place brings Make to the community through education. With Museum exhibits like Think It Up! and Innovate 301, a free community outreach initiative introducing residents to the Maker movement, the hope for launching Charlotte’s own Maker Faire is to bring Charlotte’s curious people together in order to continue growing this increasing community of local innovators.

Discovery Place is now accepting applications for talented makers, designers, crafters and artists to exhibit their projects at the Charlotte Mini Maker Faire. Creative people of all kinds are encouraged to apply, from electronics prototyping and 3D printing to creative experimentation and artistry. Interested applicants can apply online at cltmakerfaire.org. Deadline for submission is Monday, August 24.

For more information, visit cltmakerfaire.org or join Charlotte’s online Maker community on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter at @CLTMakerFaire. Check out all the fun at #CLTMakerFaire.

Charlotte Mini Maker Faire is independently organized and operated by Discovery Place, Inc. under license from Maker Media, Inc.

About Discovery Place

One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature. The Museum brings relevant, contemporary science to life through groundbreaking exhibitions, interactive educational programming and hands-on activities.

Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum’s parking deck – the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex – at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place, call 704.372.6261, visit discoveryplace.org or connect with Discovery Place on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Discovery Place, Inc. owns and operates Discovery Place, Charlotte Nature Museum, Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville and Discovery Place KIDS-Rockingham and is supported, in part, with funding from the Arts & Science Council.

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.

The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2015 celebrated its tenth annual show with some 1100+ makers and 145,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in four years to 600+ makers and 80,000 attendees. Detroit, Kansas City, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Orlando, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Silver Spring, Ottawa, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Newcastle, Hannover, Oslo, Trondheim, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and Shenzhen are the home of larger-scale, “featured” Maker Faires. In addition, over 120 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the United States and the world—including right here in Charlotte.

About MAKE Magazine

MAKE is the first magazine devoted entirely to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology projects. MAKE unites, inspires, informs, and entertains a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages. MAKE celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your will.

“Charlotte has a very strong community of innovators, and we are thrilled Discovery Place has the opportunity to help showcase and celebrate the people who make our city a great place to live and work. Our goal is to educate and engage the local community with the Maker movement in order to attract and inspire curious thinkers, doers and learners, in addition to serving as a platform for local and regional talent.”
Catherine Wilson Horne, president and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc.