Tinker Tailor Crafter: Truckee Make Show A celebration of art, creativity, and ingenuity June 8 at Truckee Roundhouse
If you live in North Tahoe, you probably know somebody who is an artist, a crafter, a tinkerer, a woodworker, a quilter, or maybe a silversmith.
The local maker movement is alive and well, giving our community its uniquely creative character with opportunities to learn something new. For the maker-curious, it’s intimidating to learn a new skill on your own, so where does one start?
A good place is the ninth annual Truckee Maker Show on June 8, a celebration of art, creativity, and ingenuity in our community. It’s about bringing together all the creative outlets in our region while giving attendees the chance to dabble, experiment, and discover a medium that ignites their passion. At the maker show, you are the maker.
The Truckee Roundhouse began hosting this event in 2013 as a fundraiser to launch the nonprofit space in 2016. It’s still its largest fundraising community outreach effort of the year. “Making things is not only a practice of connecting deeply with one’s own creative self, but also a practice of connecting deeply with others,” said Truckee Roundhouse Executive Director Karyn Stanley.
More than 50 community partners and individual makers will be hosting hands-on activities, demonstrations, show-and-tell exhibitions, and workshops, many of which have creative programs of their own. “It’s great exposure for local artists and arts organizations, and shows our community where they can seek out meaningful enrichment opportunities,” Stanley said. “When we share our creativity with one another, we can see new solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.”
Attendees can try woodturning, candle making, screen printing, glass fusing, making a tin-can robot with Roundhouse volunteers, or making tiny creatures from foraged natural materials with Mez Solin from the Martis Camp Day School. Community partners such as the Civil Air Patrol Cadets, North Tahoe High Art Club, Sagehen Creek Field Station, Sierra Watershed Education Program, Sustain Tahoe, the Tahoe institute of Natural Science, and Sierra Community House are participating by hosting activities related to their programs.
The Wild River Waldorf School will return with its community weaving project and a cozy storytelling space. Trails & Vistas is also coming back with a willow weaving sculpture project, where attendees learn basket-weaving techniques. Tahoe Ability Program will host a good old-fashioned Shrinky Dinks activity. Josh Buchanan of Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal will teach 3D printing with recycled plastics. Laika Press will be stationed inside the Roundhouse, where folks can screenprint a bandana.
Obtainium Works is returning with Robot Rumble, a challenge in which remote-controlled robots made from upcycled materials battle it out. To participate, teams of kids and adults should attend the robot making workshop scheduled for May 17 at Truckee Roundhouse.
New for this year is a dark room where guests can look through microscopes provided by the San Francisco Microscopical Society, make LED wearable art with California Steam, check out light-up clothing from Blue Moon Designs, and remotely drive an underwater search robot courtesy of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.
Obtainium Works’ RC Robot, Recycletron. Photo courtesy Truckee Roundhouse
Truckee Roundhouse members, students, family, and friends volunteer to make the show happen. Fred Besch, a metal instructor who volunteers and mentors for Roundhouse youth programs, will cruise the show on his giant art bike. In the Workshop Lab, attendees learn things like soldering with Roundhouse tech volunteers Andy Crahan and Neil Lugovoy, create alcohol ink art with artist Nancy Holiday, or learn mandala drawing with Nicole Sterling, owner of Chickadee Art Collective in Kings Beach.
This year’s show-and-tell exhibitions are huge — literally. The BurnBot RX Machine is a giant remote-controlled vehicle used for prescribed burns and fire prevention that uses propane torches, water spray nozzles, and a heavy roller. The Truckee Tahoe Airport will have an experimental airplane on display. The Golden Mean, a steampunk snail art car that breathes fire and is well-known at Burning Man, will also be at the show.
Reno’s Bridgewire Makerspace is returning with its air-rocket activity and giant etch-a-sketch, plus demonstrations of its robot, which competed in the FIRST Robotics competition in Las Vegas this March. Metal artist Juan Sotomayor will exhibit his large-scale metal sculptures, and artist Sherry Tobin will perform an art car painting demonstration.
Dozens of local and regional vendors will be selling their handmade jewelry, art, ceramics, candles, clothing, accessories, homewares, and skin care. Longtime Roundhouse supporter Luca Stevens of Mountain Water Canvas will be selling her sturdy bags and textile art made from recycled sails. Kings Beach woodworker Andrew Cline, who is rebuilding his business after a shop fire last year, will also be there with his one-of-a-kind furniture.
Some vendors will also host hands-on activities or demonstrations. Piper J Gallery and BrasileArt will offer painting activities, jewelry making can be explored at Magpie Vintage, and Emerald Mosaics will teach mosaic.
Food trucks from MogRog, Tommy’s Eats, and Casa Baeza will be on site, along with Pacific Crest Coffee, Tahoe Pops popsicles, plus ice cream and a beer and wine booth.
Year after year, the maker show continues to pull people together. “As we face community issues like mental health and wildfires, the more connected and emotionally resilient we are, the more we will be able to face challenges creatively, together,” Stanley said.
