80 Past Events at Madjax Maker Force

Mon Oct 24 and Weds Oct 26 – Learn to create engaging content like selfies or reels with special backgrounds with The Selfie Scene, located in Madjax. Then create your personal brand and put it on your own merch using equipment in the Design Lab! 

Join us for a pottery class! Learn to hand build wall- or ceiling-mounted clay ornaments, mobiles and bells. No previous experience is necessary to register. Face mask is required. Drop in or secure a space by emailing info@clay-wood.com, or call (616) 540-7419.

Do you love board games? Join us for this fun and creative workshop where youth and adults will work together at making their own! You’ll learn what goes into making a good game, then design your own prototype using equipment in our Design Lab. Registration requires at least one youth and one adult. Families may register as a unit for up to 6 people.

Join us for a humorous collage workshop! You’ll use magazines and vintage print publications to create your very own work of art. All supplies will be provided. To register, email Debra Gindhart Dragoo at ecoartfun@gmail.com.

Just in time for the holidays! Hand build and decorate holiday ornaments for your home or to give as a gift. No previous experience is necessary to register. Face mask is required. Drop in or secure a space by emailing info@clay-wood.com, or call (616) 540-7419.

Are you needing a creative boost? This two-phase workshop will lead you on a journey of creativity with some maker-inspired artistic challenges to help boost your creativity and teach you the techniques of making a one-sheet “Zine” to feature and promote your creations.

Participants will explore a variety of mediums including collage, paint, and print.

Instructor: Mary Arnett-Delaney

Recommended ages: 13 through adult
Ages 6–12 may accompany a registered adult

Create your own personalized pet accessories! Learn about 3D and sublimation printing. Choose from a variety of pet products for dogs, cats, and more. NOTE: While pets are treasured members of our households, they don’t make for great collaborators in the Design Lab. Please leave your pets at home.

Instructor: James Lodl

Recommended ages: 13 through adult
Ages 8–12 may accompany a registered adult

Celebrate your favorite Muncie memories and places by creating your own custom jigsaw puzzle and storage box.

Participants will create a digital collage using their own photos, images, or artwork and will use the sublimation printer to print and press your own 48-piece jigsaw puzzle and accompanying storage box.

Instructor: Lena Reid

Date: Saturday, April 8 | 4–6pm

Recommended ages: 16 through adult

Ages 8–15 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $15

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org.

Learn the basics of using the Canva design platform, then create and print your own personalized stickers. Stickers can be used for hydro-flasks, laptop cases, phone cases, wall decor (they peel off easily), window clings, etc.

You may also bring original artwork, photos or create a hand drawn design to use on your stickers.

Instructors: Meghan Anacker and Olivia Ward

Date: Thursday, April 13 | 4–7 pm

Recommended ages: 13 through adult

Ages 6–12 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $5

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org.

Learn how rain barrels can help contribute to a more sustainable local ecosystem, and learn to build your own rain barrel. Make a barrel and take it home ready to use.

There are two registration options for this workshop. Please make sure you choose the correct registration button for your preferred option below:

Barrel and Education only: You will receive a list of supplies to purchase on your own, plus a reclaimed barrel free of charge.

Barrel, Education, and Kit with guided instruction: For only $15 you will receive all the parts, the reclaimed barrel, and the on-site instruction to complete your kit during the event.

Instructor: Jason Donati, Stormwater/Recycling Educator at the Muncie Sanitary District

Date: Thursday, April 20 | 6–8 pm

Recommended ages: 16 through adult

Ages 8–15 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $0 – Barrel ONLY, no parts kit | $15 – Barrel AND Parts Kit

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org.

Join Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning for a Design Thinking workshop that is specifically designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. This hands-on experience will help students tackle complex challenges through systematic, creative problem-solving. Come and learn more about how to think like a designer!

This workshop is offered in Partnership with the Ball State University R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning.

Instructor: Derek Bohm

Date: Saturday, April 29 | 10 am–12 pm

Recommended for students in Grades 6–8

Cost: $5

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

Join us on April 29 for the 2023 Indiana Black Barbershop Initiative Health and Beauty Show!

Celebrate Black hair, and learn about managing your health risks through free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings provided by Open Door Health Services.

This event is being held in partnership with Open Door Health Services, Muncie Juneteenth Celebration, the Indiana Black Barbershop Health Initiative, and SteVen Knipp Hair Studio.

Vendor Callout! Health and beauty professionals are welcome to set up a table at no charge. For more information, contact SteVen Knipp at SteVenKnippHairStudio@gmail.com or 765-372-8090 by Thursday, April 27.

Using one of the oldest photographic methods, create your own work of art in cyanotype’s blue signature color. Using the sun, participants will create cyanotype photograms (or sun prints). Compose your own prints using local plants, foliage, found objects, and pre-made photographic negatives as inspiration.

Participants are asked to leave one print on loan to be featured in a two-week exhibition that will be on display at Madjax.

This workshop is offered in Partnership with the Ball State University R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning. Instructors have been chosen as a Ball State Madjax Fellowship.

Instructors: Jon Rees & Catherine Yong Hellsten, Ball State University

Date: Saturday, April 29 | 1–4 pm

Recommended ages: 13 through adult

Ages 8–12 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $15

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

Create paper mache sculptures of local birds from upcycled materials easily found around the home and local shops. Learn to appreciate the craft of sculpture and maybe notice the birds in your environment with greater appreciation.

Instructor: Aimee Maychack

Dates: Sunday, April 30 AND Sunday, May 7 | 3–4:30 pm

THIS IS A TWO PART WORKSHOP (Please plan to attend both sessions.)

Recommended ages: 12 through adult

Ages 6–11 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $10

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

Learn to use the Glowforge laser cutter in the Design Lab to etch a design into your own personalized, original bookmark—as well as copies to give as gifts and “plant” in local libraries as treats for others to find and treasure! Handwrite a phrase or create a drawing for the Glowforge to trace and etch.

Instructor: Molly Schaller

Dates: Wednesday, May 3 | 6–8 pm

Project pickup is Wednesday, May 10, at 6 pm, with an option to stay and embellish your bookmark. The instructor will provide more information about planting your bookmarks in library books at the workshop.

Recommended ages: 12 through adult

Ages 8–11 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $5

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org.

April showers bring May… plants! Come explore what plants need to grow. We will experiment with growing conditions including soil, music, lights, and water. Participants will be able to take home their own potted plants to continue their scientific exploration.

Instructor: Jenifer Pierce

Dates: Saturday, May 6 | 10 am–12 pm

Recommended ages: 12 through adult

Ages 8–11 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $5

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

Create paper mache sculptures of local birds from upcycled materials easily found around the home and local shops. Learn to appreciate the craft of sculpture and maybe notice the birds in your environment with greater appreciation.

Instructor: Aimee Maychack

Dates: Sunday, April 30 AND Sunday, May 7 | 3–4:30 pm

THIS IS A TWO PART WORKSHOP (Please plan to attend both sessions.)

Recommended ages: 12 through adult

Ages 6–11 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $10

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

This introduction to building stringed instruments guides participants in the creation of their own one-stringed “diddley bow” instrument using a wooden neck and an Altoids tin resonator. The diddley bow style can be traced back to West African origins brought to America by African slaves, later inspiring the origins of the Blues movement.

We will also explore the basics of playing with a slide, and design variations for building more advanced instruments. You will leave inspired and equipped with skills to continue your making journey with further instruments on your own, exploring different designs and aesthetic choices.

Instructor: Michael Pounds

Dates: Saturday, May 20 | 10 am–1 pm

Recommended ages: 16 through adult

Ages 10–15 may accompany a registered adult

Cost: $15

Scholarships are available to any individuals or families with a demonstrated need. Email Kyra Zylstra, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships, at kyra@madjax.org. 

Join us on Thursday, June 1st, to celebrate the reopening of the Design Lab at Madjax in its new downstairs location! Drop in anytime from 4–9 pm to tour the lab and view equipment demonstrations. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will be held at 4:15 pm.

The Design Lab is a membership-based space providing community members with access to professional-grade digital fabrication equipment and software at an affordable price. Equipment includes 3D printers, a sublimation ink printer and heat press, a WAZER water jet cutter, a Glowforge laser engraver, a vinyl cutter, and a poster printer. Training and project assistance are provided by our lab techs at a nominal cost. 

From now until the end of June, get an individual membership for just $25/month (one-year commitment required). Family and organizational memberships are also available. Visit the open house and discover what you can make at Madjax!