Meet the Makers is a series of interviews to help you get to know the people who are building our makerspace.
Heather Callaghan is our new Makerspace Assistant. We’re excited to add her enthusiasm and creativity to our team!
Heather, what inspires you to make something?
Star Wars. Treeforts. Vintage Cameras. Nature and architecture. I am inspired by people like my Grandma who would take apart clothing, find fabrics that she loved, and repurpose them into newly designed parkas for her family. My Tlingit and Scandinavian roots. I believe all of our ancestors found ways to repurpose be it making earrings out of discarded fish vertebrae or using all parts of an animal — everything had a purpose and nothing was wasted. I am a Mom so that really grounds me in environmental awareness and makes me look at objects in a cycle and how they can be repurposed.
How do you feel YuKonstruct has impacted our community?
YuKonstruct intersects a lot of genres which allows members to nourish their own individual needs. The volley between it as a community organization and what individual people create is incredible because it enhances each unique person while simultaneously growing our northern community.
What would you like to build at YuKonstruct?
I would like to build a visually beautiful wind turbine and/or kinetic wind sculpture. I am a huge lover of gardens and plants which makes me want to design fusions of art and greenspace.
What do you like most about YuKonstruct being up and running?
YuKonstruct really embraces diy culture which I think fits perfectly in with the independent thought processes of Old Yukon.
It opens up a world of opportunity to explore through art and technology. I am always guessing every visit what type of projects will be coming through the space and that charge of ongoing curiosity is greatly valuable for me.
What are you working on now?
I have been doing a lot of work on props, set and costumes for local theatre companies but lately I am finding scrap recycled wood and turning it into jewelry with the laser cutter. The sewing room is like a candy store so right now I am working on some fun leather and lace outfits. I like taking old Boston Pizza containers and turning them into earrings. I always have a lot on the go and YuKonstruct is really a gym for your brain.