Is northern Michigan’s first official makerspace coming to Fife Lake? The nonprofit Fife Lake Makerspace, in existence since 2012, is now honing in on a permanent home.

Sometimes called hackerspaces, makerspaces are community-operated workspaces where people with common interests can gather to work together and socialize. The interests/projects can include everything from computers, machining, and technology to science, art and more. “It’s a national movement,” says Teresa Founder, the group’s organizer. Indeed, Education Week recently called makerspaces “the tool that can transform learning.”

The group now has an agreement for land at the corner of US-131 and Vans Lane for $20,000 – but must raise the cash for the property. Once the purchase is complete, a pole building will be built for a new permanent home. “We have free labor, as long as we supply the materials,” Founder says.

The group was previously offered a space in Traverse City, but Founder says it’s important to remain in the Fife Lake area, given that members come from across the region. “We have (people) from Kalkaska, Wexford, Grand Traverse and Missaukee Counties,” she says. If they’d opted to go to Traverse City, she believes the group would have lost support from those outside Grand Traverse County.

Founder says the group can be nearly all things to all people. It does or can encompass numerous skills and activities: sewing, screen printing, cooking, baking, 3D printing, blacksmithing, fiber arts, robotics, welding, soldering – the list goes on and on. The Fife Lake Makerspace even includes a 4H club.

She also notes that the group is committed to working with all individuals, from students to adults, regardless of skill level, and it is open to persons with disabilities as well.

“We had three autistic teens help build our Fourth of July float,” she says. That is in keeping with its mission statement: “We strive to provide to the community and those that come within it a space that will socially trigger empowerment, allegiance, manifestation, innovation for inventors, hobbyists, artists and entrepreneurs, while being inclusive of all genders and generations.”

Founder says the Fife Lake Makerspace is the only such group north of Ludington. It has applied to the national MAKE chapter for licensing to hold the first northern Michigan Mini Maker Fair. They hope to hold the event in May at the American Legion hall in Fife Lake.

Founder sees it as an opportunity to provide skills and experiences that may not be available elsewhere. “We hope northern Michigan sees the validity. Schools are losing funding,” she says. The group may be able to offer students opportunities they can no longer get in their schools. Founder compares it in part to workers learning trades as apprentices from skilled trades masters, such as electricians and plumbers.

Founder adds that the group has produced a new “Northern Michigan is Making” TV show, which will soon air on UpNorthTV.

The group is looking to continue to build its base and raise funds for its future home. For more information, click here.