Minnesota Makers and Artist Guild Celebrating 8th Year of Mankato Makerspace with Expansion Plans
For eight years, Minnesota Makers and Artists Guild has been synonymous with Mankato Makerspace. The non-profit and its board of directors have facilitated the growth of the Makerspace and the promotion of creativity and independence in the region through the provision of space, tools, and expertise in visual arts. Mankato Makerspace is celebrating its eight birthday on February 22nd, where we will celebrate the accomplishments of all the volunteers, instructors, staff, and members of the space. We’ll also look forward to what’s coming for the Guild and the Makerspace in 2025 and beyond. The public is welcome to join us for an evening of music, community and celebration at 1700 3rd Avenue.
The Makerspace’s successful communal model provides the brick and mortar for small creative businesses and the tools necessary to carry out the creative vision of makers. But, rapid growth has lead us to outgrow our existing space. The Makerspace is positioned to grow to better accommodate the needs and demands of the community, and an expansion project & capital campaign is underway! We’re raising funds to build out an additional 6,000 square feet of warehouse space to double the footprint of the Makerspace and develop clean, quiet, and effective instruction space, artist studios, and event space. The community can expect new facilities coming in 2025 including studios with natural light, classrooms with tools for beginners and advanced makers, and oodles more instruction for a variety of creative art forms ranging from leatherwork to metalwork.
It is also time for the Guild to grow to provide resources and advocacy, not just in the visual arts, but in all forms of creativity. The Guild has a proven track record of creating welcoming and effective spaces for the development of skills and creativity, not to mention product development
and small business development. It’s a model that works and our strategic plan calls for the organization to become a resource for the performing arts, culinary arts, and musical arts. Our vision is a broad arts organization that serves as a hub for resources, advocacy, collective action, and most importantly the facilitation of creative growth and cultural enrichment of Mankatoans and Southern Minnesotans. Not only can we ensure access to creating in woodshops and ceramics studios; we can work to create music spaces, cooking spaces, and performance spaces that help individuals and businesses grow. The Guild will become an organization that provides the tools, space, expertise, and advocacy for Minnesotans to make anything.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Guild’s strategic plan is welcome to visit their new website at www.theguildmn.org which will go live as we celebrate on February 22nd. We are seeking donations at theguildmn.org and mankatomakerspace.org for the capital expansion campaign. Anyone seeking more information about fundraising or how to be involved with the Guild’s campaign can contact tyler@mankatomakerspace.org
To hear more about the work of the Minnesota Makers and Artists Guild and the Mankato Makerspace, make sure to check out Tyler Vaughn’s interview earlier this week on Lisa Kaye’s Talk of the Town.
