Meet the Makers is a series of interviews to help you get to know the people who are building our makerspace. Rowan and Solvey are YuKonstruct’s new summer students – so if you’re hanging around during the daytime, you’ll likely see them working hard in the sunshine.
Rowan and Solvey, what are your roles at YuKonstruct?
Rowan: I am a working on creating and maintaining a positive makerspace environment, and introducing people to the site and the idea of a makerspace. I’m also helping to bring attention and recognition of what we do at YuKonstruct via social media, events, blogs, etc, helping members with any technical or logistical questions, and of course using this opportunity to learn and hopefully build enough of a skill set to eventually begin working on some of my own projects.
Solvey: My role is to get involved with community building and promotion, contribute to summer projects and initiatives for the makerspace, as well as help with general maintenance.
Why did you want to work at YuKonstruct?
Rowan: I joined YuKonstruct for the opportunity to learn, to connect with other like-minded people, and to develop a solid background using many of the tools available for future endeavors.
Solvey: I got involved with YuKonstruct mainly because I’m interested in sharing my material arts enthusiasm with the community that I grew up in. I’ve been studying art in Toronto for the last 4 years now, only coming back to visit Whitehorse periodically, so I feel the need to get caught up on what’s happening, and what’s possible in this amazing (new for me) community space.
What do you like most about the makerspace?
Rowan: What I like most about Yukonstruct is its ability to bring people together. Its communal setting creates bridges between like-minded people who may not have otherwise met. Ultimately, these bonds create a better sense of community and comradeship, which (I think) may be more lasting than most projects ever could be.
Solvey: The extent YuKonstruct has grown in such a short amount of time highlights the potential this initiative has for future growth. Seeing how much support YuKonstruct has received from sponsors and members is a constant reminder of the creative potential in the Yukon!
What do you think will be our biggest challenge?
Rowan: I think YuKonstruct’s biggest challenge will involve creating a more comprehensive, flowing, organized environment, where all tools are functional and have their own space, and all members are trained and knowledgeable in all the applications of the site. The end goal being aimed to maximize efficiency and usability of our site.
Solvey: I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to say overall. But a challenge for myself this summer will be to help attract and support the Yukon visual arts community. We have so much amazing tools and equipment here, but not a lot of open studio space to just set up and work in.
What do you like to make and what projects are you planning for this summer?
Rowan: I would like to build anything with metal. Not to say I’m not interested in other projects, it’s just I’ve always had a fascination with working metal but never the opportunity to really indulge it. Some metal related ideas I’ve had are: random 3D metal bird reliefs/sculptures, a new tire mount on the bottom of my pickup, tool boxes, maybe a small vehicle chassis, a pickup rack to carry canoes/ tools/wood, as well as just small trinkets and bits of art mostly to practice on. I also would enjoy using the 3D printer to create sculptures with moving parts (adjustable wrench, maybe even a simple engine…). This also goes for the laser cutter- making small pieces of a larger project which hopefully has moving parts.
Solvey: The work I like to make is a combination of collage, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. I find a lot of my materials at the free store, and then I like to process the things I collect into something new. This summer I am looking forward to lots of art projects around the space!
Welcome to the YuKonstruct team Rowan and Solvey!
