Maker Faire® Milwaukee Announces Fourth Annual Faire Dates

MILWAUKEE, WI – (March 28, 2017) Maker Faire^® Milwaukee producers have announced that this year’s free admission Faire will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, at Wisconsin State Fair Park.

Called the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth, Maker Faires happening in more than 40 countries around the world are part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new. Maker Faire Milwaukee joins a small group of other world-class cities, including Berlin, Detroit, Rome, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Cairo, Singapore, Istanbul, Paris, Barcelona, and others that are designated in 2017 as a larger-scale, regional Featured Faire. Maker Faire Milwaukee, which is the largest free event of its kind in the nation, is locally produced by the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum under a license from Maker Media, Inc., and is co-hosted by the Museum and Milwaukee Makerspace.

Online registration for this year’s Call for Makers will be available to individuals of all ages, schools, groups and organizations who would like to share projects and skills. There are also opportunities for commercial makers to exhibit. The Call for Makers opens on May 15 at milwaukee.makerfaire.com.

Maker Faire Milwaukee provides unique opportunities to highlight innovative projects in a broad range of fields, new products and manufacturing methods, and to teach, inform and engage visitors of all ages. The 2016 event welcomed more than 300 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees who benefited from hands-on workshops, demonstrations and performances provided by commercial exhibitors and startups representing a broad range of industries; college and university robotics, rocketry and engineering programs; and individual and group exhibitors presenting innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.

Maker Faires promote education, workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship, advanced manufacturing and economic development, and provide a unique platform for sponsors such as Intel, Google, Microsoft, IBM and GE to align their brand with this exclusive gathering in support of the maker movement. Prospective sponsors of Maker Faire Milwaukee can find our more at milwaukee.makerfaire.com/become-a-sponsor.

About the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum serves more than 240,000 people annually and produces Maker Faire Milwaukee as part of its Maker Initiative. The Initiative was established in 2013 and expands the organization’s core “learning by doing” mission to the larger community through year-round maker programs at the Museum, outreach and other activities. The Maker Initiative represents a critical investment in education, and in Milwaukee’s long-term economic and workforce development.

Our Maker Initiative includes:

• an 800-square foot Be A Maker Space that offers daily open making for Museum visitors, workshops and events;
• maker field trip programs that meet national academic standards and developmental milestones for early learners;
• Maker Faire Milwaukee, produced in partnership with Milwaukee Makerspace. The Faire, now in its fourth year, attracts more than 300 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees;
• A Making in Education Community of Practice, offering year-round professional development opportunities to local K-12 classroom educators, administrators and others in the field interested in bringing making into area schools;
• extensive community outreach efforts, including a new pilot program that brings monthly maker programs to some of Milwaukee’s high-needs neighborhoods, with partners that include the Milwaukee Public Library, neighborhood schools and social service agencies;
• education research, including two outcomes studies of maker field trip programs conducted in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University; and
• local, regional and national advocacy about the impact of the Maker Movement on education, workforce training and economic development.

The Museum is the Wisconsin ambassador for Nation of Makers and Museum staff are active members of the Global Maker Faire Producers Group.

About the Milwaukee Makerspace

The Milwaukee Makerspace is a 16,000-square-foot collaborative workshop in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood where members – professionals, hobbyists, artists, crafters and students – share their tools, knowledge and their passion for making.

About Maker Faire

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

Maker Faire celebrated 191 Faires in 2016 in 38 countries, reaching 1.45 million people around the world. The 11th annual Maker Faire Bay Area welcomed some 1,300 Makers and 150,000 attendees.

Located in San Francisco, California, Maker Media has been widely credited with jumpstarting the worldwide Maker Movement, which has been a transforming force in innovation, culture, and education. In addition to publishing Make: magazine and producing Maker Faire, Maker Media develops “getting started” kits and books it sells through its Maker Shed store as well as other retail channels.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2017 at the San Mateo Event Center in San Mateo, CA, will be held Friday-Sunday, May 19-21, 2017. Find a Maker Faire near you at makerfaire.com/map. More information about Maker Faire can be found at makerfaire.com.

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. Download a free issue here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.