MAKEnight, April 4
MAKEnight is an amazing event held at the Museum. It is an after-hours event that lets adults (and only adults) play and explore in the Museum. The event has been a huge success over the past couple of months. We decided to make this latest MAKEnight a little bit different from the others. Typically, we only have attendees explore and…
Puppets and technology
How do you mix paper bag crafts with technology? Our usual answer to a question like that is “put a light on it!” Basically, we tried to figure out what we could add to a paper bag puppet to make it more “techy.” Rebecca created a very cool example that combines a paper bag with an electronic circuit. When you…
Light Painting Results
We have finally gone beyond the prototyping stage of Light Painting. Rebecca explained a lot about the process in this blog post. I have had some more time to set up the workshop side of MAKESHOP to better facilitate light painting with our visitors. The exploration of this technique is really fun. I have had kids and adults of all…
Light Painting Inspiration
We’re exploring with light painting this month, but that’s just a starting point! If you can’t get enough of light painting or need some inspiration for a bigger project, then watch these amazing light videos and get some ideas! If you’re one of our older visitors, you may remember this Sprint television commercial from about five years ago. It’s short,…
Identity Fun: Superhero Costume Tutorials
With Halloween right around the corner, costumes are popping up in many stores, offering people of all ages the opportunity to take on a new identity, even if it’s just for one night. Rather than dress up for just one night, why not create an easy, DIY superhero costume that will allow you or your little ones to take on…
SparkTruck Pit Stop
We had some amazing guests visit the Museum from Stanford University in sunny California. Jason, Didi and Eugene have spent the summer traveling across the United States in a mobile workshop dubbed the SparkTruck. Check it out! Along the way, they have been stopping at museums, community centers, events, and parks… Anywhere they can find. Their truck is full of various…
DIY Activity – Paint Chip Pixelization Tutorial
One of my favorite displays at last weekend’s Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire was the Paint Chip Pixelization. This project will show you how to take a traditional piece of art, like Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers… … into a modernized, pixelized version like this! Interested in making your own? Follow these easy instructions! 1) Download and Install GIMP! (Image editing software…
Prototyping New Programs
The MAKESHOP staff likes to prototype our programming. Sometimes this step can be the most fun part of developing new activities for our visitors. Our theme for the month of September is “Books and Bags.” We set out at the end of August to figure the best ways for visitors to create these two things. Along with the best ways…
Pittsburgh is Art…
The Museum visited the Three Rivers Arts Festival over the past two weekends. Our tent featured versions of activities that happen in the Makeshop and Studio, so we had a lot of fun letting visitors get a taste of what goes on in the Museum. We let visitors play with our ShopBots and experience some hands on woodworking processes. It’s…
Announcing: The MakeShop Show!
Hey kid-makers, there’s a new website just to show YOU how to make cool projects! Use your creativity and things you have at home to make cool stuff like pillowcase pajamas and real furniture out of rolled newspaper. The MakeShop Show is a new online maker hub for kids ages 6-10 packed with project videos, resources, downloads and bright ideas to create…