This year’s 11th annual East Bay Mini Maker Faire hosted a lineup of dynamic makers!


See below for a recap of these incredible Makers and their projects!


ART AS ACTIVISM

Mural by artist, Tracy Piper (Kaiser Permanente, 969 Broadway)

Join this engaging discussion with leaders in the Oakland community who are driving an arts movement through cultural expression, community empowerment, civic activation, and creative placemaking:

Desi Mundo of the Community Rejuvenation Project, Christina Chung and Lukas Brekke-Miesner of Oakland Kids First and the Town Force 1 Comic Book project, Artist and sports educator, Dania Cabello, and Meredith Winner and Lisa Vortman of Paint the Void.

KIDS, KIDS, KIDS!

This East Bay Mini Maker Faire is known for its high energy kids activities and support for young makers, and this year’s virtual event is no exception to that! Join our host, story teller and puppeteer, Emily Butterfly on the KIDS CHANNEL as she leads us through a creative day of activities for kids of all ages. Here are some of the highlights that you can expect…

MAKE YOUR VERY OWN ZINE
In this workshop you will learn how to make your very own zine, a small book folded from just one piece of paper! We learn the technique of how to crease, cut, and fold it and then you will get to create your own short story or comic. All you need is a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, any writing or drawing materials you’d like, and your imagination.

Materials List: a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, any writing or drawing materials you’d like, and your imagination
SAMAIRA MEHTA has been a speaker at over 70 conferences nationwide. She has held over 160 workshops that spotlight her board game, and taught over 5,000 kids to code. She received a letter from then First Lady Michelle Obama and was offered a job at Google. Did we mention she’s 12? Meet her at this year’s EBMMF!
TARN (T-SHIRT YARN) PLANT HANGERS WORKSHOP

Tarn is “yarn” made from t-shirt fabric. At this workshop we will show you how to make a plant hanger with tarn using only ten knots! We will show you how to make your own tarn using an old t-shirt.

Materials List: A old t-shirt & fabric scissors

The Crucible’s Fuego Leadership Program welcomed 5 teens back to the classroom this summer where they honed their artistic skills and created stunning industrial artwork. Join teen leader Leslie Kwok as she shares her final presentation in the Jewelry Department with a demonstration of metalsmithing. Get an up close and personal view of Leslie’s industrial and fine art techniques and artistic endeavors recorded live at The Crucible.

Returning for his fourth appearance at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire, join Alan Kahn as he presents his unique spin on STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Magic through a fun workshop: HOW TO BE A MAGICIAN USING OBJECTS FOUND AROUND THE HOUSE.

Materials List: cards (doesn’t need to be a full deck), paper, pens, rubber bands, markers, white board
MELITA SILBERSTEIN is a singer/songwriter, folk musician, childrens’ performer, and ceremonial song-leader based out of Berkeley, CA. She is also a founding member of Octopretzel, a popular Bay Area band for kids! Join her for a fun, engaging and participatory music experience in the kids room at this year’s East Bay Mini Maker Faire!
The Maker Hub Club Initiative is a student-led educational non-profit project on a mission to support communities of student Makers in secondary schools in the U.S. Join a talk with three inspiring young makers, Xieshi Zhang, Aadhav Prabu and Dilan Mehta from the Maker Hub Club who have piloted innovative projects.
MEET THE MONTCLAIR 4-H GOATS!

Take a tour of the Montclair 4-H barn and meet some of the adorable goats who live there!

SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

There is never any shortage of innovation, creativity, and inspiration from the East Bay Mini Maker Faire’s speakers and presenters! Join host, Sarah Cohan, creator of alternative lifestyle podcast, LIT AF for a dynamic lineup of uniquely fascinating, avant-garde presentations. Here’s a sampling of what you can expect…

A Talk with Annalee Levin : Captured Carbon Art

ANNALEE LEVIN is a visual artist and educator specializing in hand embroidery and sculpture. She is the first Artist in Residence of Carbon Upcycling Technologies, a company in Canada that creates products out of upcycled CO2 emissions. Her new project, Captured Carbon Studio, was started in 2020 as a space to explore captured carbon as an art medium. Come hear her talk about her new body of work, a series of art, textiles, and consumer products made with upcycled CO2 emissions.  
A Secret History of American River People

A Secret History of American River People is a project to build a collection of personal stories of people who live and work on the river from the deck of a recreated mid-century shantyboat. The project engages people living in contemporary river communities in dialog, examining the personal stories of ordinary river people and the ways that river communities respond to threats such as economic displacement, gentrification, environmental degradation, and the effects of global climate change. Join artist and educator, Wes Modes for a talk on his unique and project and the historical work he has done through his voyages.

Tweethaus wants YOU to participate in creating a more habitable, beautiful, and sustainable city for all the species that live in it!  A collaboration among the FLUX Foundation and community partners, Tweethaus is a public art + ecology project focused on citizen science, interactive learning and collaboration that fosters community through the design, construction, and installation of bird habitats in public pathways and urban environments. This collaborative, online/virtual workshop will introduce the TweetHaus project and invite participants to engage as ‘citizen scientists’, members of the public that engage in the process of scientific investigations, as well as artful place-makers, design-thinkers imagining ways to make places that create community. A free, hands-on TweetHaus Maker activity will also be provided to participants. (Image by: Elizabeth Marley)

Glassworking Pumpkins with Rowan Littell

After treating himself to a flameworking class at The Crucible, Rowan fell in love with the magic of hot glass and quickly built a home studio. His work is an attempt to draw out the sense of wonder and whimsy of what he sees, whether it is light and playful, loving and sensuous, or creepy and adorable. Join him for a live demo where he will teach us how to create a beautiful glassworked pumpkin….just in time for the holiday season!
Retro Roadshow

Join Huxley and Sarai Dunsany, creators of the Retro Roadshow for a talk on the origins and roots of modern macOS / iPhone OS in historical computers built by Apple and NeXT, Inc. (Steve Job’s other, often-forgotten computer company) in the late 1980’s.
Learn to Make Artisanal Organic Chocolate with Bliss Belly Kitchen!

Learn to make Artisanal chocolate from the best ingredients. Learn how chocolate is produced from bean to bar all around the world.

Materials List:
1 cup cacao paste + ½ cup cacao butter OR 12 oz unsweetened Baking Chocolate
⅓ cup sweetener of your choice: maple syrup, honey, or coconut syrup
Flavorings: Any toppings you may want ie. dried fruits, sea salt, rice krispies, nuts, seeds
Mixing bowl and spoon, a whisk or a fork, spatula, measuring cups and spoons, baking sheet/cookie sheet OR a dinner plate, parchment paper OR foil, dish towel for clean up, small soup pot to make a double boiler

LEARNING & SHARING

No Maker Faire would be complete without the space to share, learn, network and converse with fellow makers! Join hosts, Brad Silva (of the Faire’s beloved Grandpa’s Train) and TJ Lee (creator of the Time Traveler’s Vignette) for a quirky talk show style, show-and-tell meeting space. Everyone is invited to participate in this fun conversation about what tools, materials and methods work best for the projects that you are interested in doing!

COME PLAY WITH US!

Step right up and get in line for your turn to play! This year’s East Bay Mini Maker Faire is hosting 2 semi-virtual game interfaces available for community wide participation!

Retro-Future Remote Play
Play retro games via your phone or computer’s browser with other players over the internet, and a live webcam feed shows the game played on an old-school RGB LED matrx of 128×128 pixels. Powered by WebRTC on a Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi RC Kart Remote Play
Watch AI powered RC cars drive on a flat paper racetrack, and request a turn to drive one of the RC cars from your phone or computer’s browser. Powered by WebRTC on a Raspberry Pi.

AND, CHECK OUT OUR ONGOING VIRTUAL EXHIBIT ON MAKE: PROJECTS

The East Bay Mini Maker Faire is also proud to be hosting an evergreen, virtual exhibit space to showcase our diverse community of makers and their projects. Check out what they are up to and join the discussion!