Springfield Community Makerspace Makes a Permanent Home on Worthington Street

July 12, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kelsey Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086 & 617-448-9077 (cell)
kabbruzzese@massdevelopment.com

Make-It Springfield, Springfield’s downtown community makerspace, is establishing more permanent roots in the City. Make-It Springfield began as a temporary pop-up project on June 1, a collaboration between MassDevelopment, the University of Massachusetts Design Center in Springfield, and the Springfield Business Improvement District. Thanks to the success of the space’s public workshops and the continued support of Silverbrick Lofts, the building’s owner, Make-It Springfield will be in its current location at 168 Worthington Street for the foreseeable future. The makerspace aims to build upon the rich history and current renaissance of innovation and creativity in Springfield.

“We were very pleased with the diversity of workshop topics and participants coming through our doors – everyone from young neighborhood kids to seniors to young professionals from Longmeadow,” said MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative Fellow Laura Masulis. “With approximately 150 attendees each week and community support only growing stronger, we decided we had no choice but to make Make-It Springfield a permanent fixture in the community.”

Throughout June, more than 30 different artists, entrepreneurs, local nonprofits, academic faculty and students hosted interactive hands-on workshops open to the public, including sessions on 3D printing, tile mosaics, Vietnamese spring rolls, and bike repair. The organizers have re-issued an open call for workshop hosts for the coming months.

“We are excited to see a broad array of UMass faculty and students participate in Make-It Springfield next semester. Being at street level offers a unique perspective and allows for a deeper connection to the community projects faculty or students might be engaged in throughout the semester,” said Michael DiPasquale, an assistant professor in the University of Massachusetts Extension and Program Director of the UMass Design Center in Springfield.

To learn more about Make-It Springfield, including the calendar of events, open hours, and host applications, visit facebook.com/MakeItSpringfield/.

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2015, MassDevelopment financed or managed 294 projects generating investment of more than $2.5 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 6,100 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 2,000 residential units.