Fwd: Maker Spotlight - Fort Wayne Regional Makers Faire 2012

[Bob Waldron]

fyi

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fort Wayne Regional Makers Faire <in...@tekventure.org>
Date: Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 6:59 PM
Subject: Maker Spotlight - Fort Wayne Regional Makers Faire 2012
To: bwal...@gmail.com

follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Jim Merz Sculptures in Motion Article by Steve Corona, Corona Consulting LLC   They say life imitates art but it may be the exact opposite for artist and Maker Jim Merz.  His computer controlled, kinetic sculptures are constantly in motion, as is Jim. These days he is moving quickly to complete work on two installations including a trip that will take him to the Tuscany region of Italy.  A second project is a display for Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he will be one of 1500 artists posting art in public areas.  And that work is in addition to his job as “Maker Manager” for Fort Wayne’s upcoming Fort Wayne Regional Maker Faire.   The Hermann Geiger Cultural Foundation in Cecina, Italy has invited Jim to install a four piece variation on “Luminariales 1” a 25-foot tall kinetic chandelier. Potter’s Wife Gallery, The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and Artlink also displayed earlier versions of this work recently.  His collaborator on the work is Sayaka Ganz   Merz says two artists, Jean Tinguely and George Rickey, have inspired his work.  Both men were highly regarded kinetic sculptors with Rickey’s work on display at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art; Tinguely has a massive installation on display—Chaos 1—in Columbus, Indiana.   Jim currently has a permanent installation at the Whitney Young Early Childhood Center, which is a part of the Fort Wayne school system.  The school’s front yard display’s “100 Directions,” a colorful kinetic sculpture that is titled after the concept of the “100 languages of children” from the Reggio Emilia approach used at the school. In this philosophy it is okay for students to explore their new learning in 100 different ways, like artwork, music or science experiment.   Merz will be displaying “Luminariales 2” and “3 Pendulums Horizontal” at the Maker Faire.  You can view additional pieces of his fascinating kinetic artwork at:  www.jimmerz.com   Casey Drudge is Maker of Many Things Article by Steve Corona, Corona Consulting LLC   It was a chance encounter at a town festival that now keeps Casey Drudge incredibly active with quilting, his life’s passion.  But, this isn’t your grandmother’s pattern that he stitches together.   At a recent quilting show, his work was awarded first place in the “Outside the Box” category.  And that made all the sense in the world to one of Casey’s good friends who said, “But Casey, you’ve never been inside the box.”   Drudge specializes in three-dimensional quilts and one dimensional quilts with unique stitching and curved piecing (his 3D quilt shown at last year’s Maker Faire graces the 2012 event poster).   Drudge, now retired, has been quilting for seven or eight years.  He proudly claims Bernice Enyeart of Markle as his mentor.  She’s the woman Casey met at the Huntington festival where he was taken by the intricate patterns on the quilts displayed by Bernice.  As a testament to her quality work, Drudge says that one of her quilts was once awarded four first place prizes at a big quilting show in Houston.    Drudge has always loved math, a skill that was essential in designing his latest quilt—a Mobius Strip—which features only one side and only one common boundary.  It will be one of several items he will display at this year’s FWR Maker Faire.   He will also be showing a chain reaction machine, complex contraptions made famous by Rube Goldberg.  Casey has competed in TekVenture’s local competition—Chain Reaction Challenge—held annually at the Allen County Public Library.    This renaissance man loves to sing, listen to Italian Opera, woodworking, write and do all the repair work on his auto. Plan to set aside plenty of time at Casey’s booth at this year’s FWR Maker Faire.  He’s got a lot to share.   TekVenture to Support PBS TV-39 Pledge Drive Check out PBS TV-39 this Friday, Sept. 7 from 8-11 PM as TekVenture volunteers help to support a great cause.  Call in your donation and one of our team members will help.  FW Regional Maker Faire & Brickworld Fort Wayne   Since so many Makers enjoy making with LEGOs, we are offering a special deal so you can attend FWR Maker Faire and Brickworld Fort Wayne, the premier LEGO event in North America. Show your Eventbrite ticket or event flier to FWR Maker Faire and get $1 off at the Brickworld gate on Sept. 22nd or 23rd.  Bring a voucher from Brickworld and get $1 off gate at FWR Maker Faire making it a win-win for everyone.   Call for Makers Extended   If you like to make things, tinker, or tear things apart and rebuild them, you might just be a Maker.  Join us Oct. 6 & 7 at Headwaters Park East to show off the cool things you’re making in your basement or garage.  The Call for Makers has been extended to September 15 so don’t wait too long to submit your entry to this unique family-friendly festival.  Projects coming to the event include robotics, engineering, urban farming, sustainable living, woodworking, alternative energy and more.  Complete the Call for Makers found at www.makerfairefortwayne.com and see how others create, invent, craft, recycle, build, think and play while we celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, food, music, science, and technology.  Buy Your Tickets Today and $ave   Tickets are will soon be available at makerfairefortwayne_eventbrite.com. Those who buy prior to event day will save.  We look forward to seeing you at the Faire! Bidding a Fond Adieu! Thank you to Carol Robinson of Visit Fort Wayne for all her support and hard work on the FWR Maker Faire.  Carol is leaving Fort Wayne and moving to Cincinnati immediately following the event.  Thanks Carol, for the minutes, your research, maker recruitment, and for being a good friend.  You will surely be missed.  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2012 TekVenture Incorporated, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in the work of TekVenture. Our mailing address is: TekVenture Incorporated PO Box 9145 Ft Wayne, In 46835 Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

[Pete Prodoehl]

It looks like a great Maker Faire too! (Too bad we've got BarCampMilwaukee that weekend. ;)

Pete

[Bob Waldron]

Good point, Pete!  Hey all you DHMN members and other makers. Head to BarCampMilwaukee,  https://barcampmilwaukee.org/ !

See you there...  (I hope!)

L-Dron