MakePhilly (www.MakePhilly.com) was founded in the winter of 2005 to provide a casual forum for creative individuals in the Philly area to meet, exchange ideas, learn and build things together. As of 2010 MakePhilly currently has 600+ members possessing a wide range of skills, expertise, educational and professional backgrounds -- from electrical engineers to ceramic sculptors; college students to PhDs. Click here to learn more about joining MakePhilly.
Meetings
Each meeting of MakePhilly provides structured activity so informal community can happen in the margins. Each meeting is characterized by three main ingredients: an "Open Make" segment allowing attendees to share a project with the group, a subject matter presentation by a member or outside speaker, and a Maker Challenge -- a building activity.
All meetings strive to both raise the "technical consciousness" of ourmembers while enabling access at all levels of skill. These skills include:
Classical Technology
• sheet metal working
• casting/carving
• woodworking
• machining
• weaving, sewing, crochet
• music
• painting/drawing
• welding/brazing
Current Technology
• analog circuitry
• digital circuitry
• micro-processors/controllers
• robotics
• sensors
• animatronics
• digital or electronic music
• multimedia
MakePhilly's Art Buggy Derby
In 2006 MakePhilly organized the world’s first "Art Buggy Derby" (www.ArtBuggy.com) which energized local artists and engineers to collaborate in building "buggys" that generated "art" as they were being raced. A second larger Art Buggy Derby was held in the Spring of 2007. The event drew excitement from bloggers around the US and a local Philly crowd of around 200. The third and most recent Art Buggy Derby was held on October, 19 2008 and was an official event of Design Philadelphia.
Funding
Currently we do not have membership dues. To keep it this way, we ask our members to make voluntary contributions (~$5) which we use to pay for parts and tools.
Donations
We graciously accept financial and surplus parts donations from businesses and organizations interested in supporting MakePhilly. To donate, email us at MakePhilly@gmail.com
Thank You
With huge gratitude, everyone in MakePhilly extends a hearty thank you to all who have so far given of their time and/or dollars to making MakePhilly a reality. Needless to say, the least we could do was set up a thank you page to acknowledge their generosity. As you can imagine, a group like this is made entirely from labor of love passion and good old fashioned maker elbow grease.
To lend your support, contact us at MakePhilly@gmail.com
Organizers
MakePhilly was founded by Harris Romanoff and Josh Kopel in the winter of 2005. Meetings and guest speakers are organized by Harris Romanoff and Far Mc Kon. Additional support from Vanja Buvach and Jack Zylkin. Send us all rants, raves, circuit diagrams, and bug reports to us here - MakePhilly at Gmail.
Join MakePhilly
Click here to learn more about joining MakePhilly.
Contact Us
Email us at makephilly@gmail.com
