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CCC Maker-In-Residence

Community Relations for Resilience, Wellness, and Creativity: Champaign County Community (CCC) Maker-in-Residence Program to promote health and wellness

The Champaign County Community (CCC) Maker-in-Residence Program

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Champaign County Community (CCC) Maker-in-Residence Program, an initiative designed to bridge and enhance the creative capabilities of our local maker communities. This program represents a collaborative partnership among the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab, The Urbana Free Library, the Urbana Arts and Culture Program, Grainger IDEA Lab, and the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, aiming to foster a vibrant ecosystem of creativity, learning, and community engagement.

The CCC Maker-in-Residence Program is rooted in the belief that making—whether it involves crafts, electronics, textiles, or digital fabrication—holds the power to unite people, cultivate essential skills, and promote overall well-being. By inviting makers from diverse backgrounds to share their unique talents and perspectives, we are not just facilitating skill development but are also knitting together the fabric of our community, making it stronger, more resilient, and culturally rich. This initiative will provide an exciting platform for local makers, artists, engineers, and inventors to collaborate, innovate, and inspire, thereby propelling Champaign County towards a future where technology, art, and community intertwine seamlessly.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support provided by Building Beyond the Barriers, the Community Grant Opportunity of the Campus-Community Compact to Accelerate Social Justice at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.


Goals of this program:

  1. Forge stronger connections between on- and off-campus maker communities.
  2. Support makers from diverse backgrounds, who will bridge different maker communities and share unique local maker culture and skills with the broader community.
  3. Inspire creativity and skill development among Champaign County residents by lowering barriers to making through partnerships.

Ultimately, we hope that the Maker-in-Residence program will foster a more connected, resilient, and culturally vibrant community

 

Events

Application Period Opens

March 1

Application Q&A Session

March 14th | 7-9PM @ Makerspace Urbana

Application Deadline

March 24

Selection Announcement

March 31

Residencies & Workshops

April 15 - May 31

Makers-In-Residence

Carson Smith

Hosting Location
CU Community Fab Lab

Dates
April 22 – May 31

Project
Multimedia sculpture

Workshop
Fiber arts community mural or crochet monster art

Tom Krepcio

Hosting Location
CU Community Fab Lab

Dates
April 15 – May 31

Project
Screen-printed jigsaw puzzles

Workshop
Screen printing

Gwyneth Krepcio

Hosting Location
CU Community Fab Lab

Dates
April 15 – May 31

Project
Quilt

Workshop
Mending clothes

Sylena Harper

Hosting Location
IDEA Lab at Grainger Engineering Library

Dates
April 15 – May 31

Project
Plant watering system, 3D-printed accessibility devices, or recycled 3D printing filament

Workshop
Creating a Vtuber Twitch channel

Jack Schools

Hosting Location
Makerspace Urbana at UC Independent Media Center

Dates
TBD

Project
Collage

Workshop
Collaborative collage

Participating Spaces

Program Team

Sara Ballenger

CU Community Fab Lab

CCC Project coordinator; Community Engagement Instructor

Emilie Butt

CU Community Fab Lab

Instruction and Engagement Coordinator

Elisandro Cabada

Grainger IDEA Lab

Director or Grainger IDEA Lab; Assistant Professor

Lauren Chambers

Urbana Free Public Library

Kyungwon Koh

CU Community Fab Lab

Director of CU Community Fab Lab; Associate Professor

Vivian Krishnan

Urbana Arts and Culture

Program Specialist

Miriam Larson

Independent Media Center

Program Specialist

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

No, unfortunately we don’t have the facilities available to house anyone. This is why it’s for local Champaign County makers.

Nope! All spaces are open to community members. However, most parking spaces on campus require a permit that can only be purchased by students or staff. But don’t worry, each site has metered parking open to the public, which is also free most evenings/nights

That’s ok! We have experienced staff who can help you prepare for the workshop and work on any skills to help get you ready to successfully teach. Furthermore, you won’t be alone for the workshop, you will have experienced assistants helping make the workshop run smoothly.

Many of the makerspaces are located on CU MTD route and within a very short walking distance from the stops nearby. If public transportation isn’t an option for you, rides may be arranged, just specify in the application you’ll need ride assistance.

It’s hard to know an exact number, but they can be anywhere from 10-30 people. Some of that depends on your preferences and the available space at the location.

Each space has public hours, listed above in the spaces section. However, access to the spaces outside of public hours can be arranged for the makers in residence.

All work done by the makers belongs solely to them. You can keep and take home whatever you work on. If you wish to donate any pieces or auction off anything as a donation, that can be arranged.
The stipend will be given as an honorarium through the University. The process can take awhile, so as soon as the makers are selected for the program, we will need them to fill out some information. Stipends should then be awarded by the end of the program in June.
We will evaluate applicants based off several criteria, including: level of skill showcased in their portfolio, project proposal is feasible with the time and equipment available, project proposal is engaging and interesting, proposed workshop fits the goals of the program, maker has some experience that will help with running the workshop, and the maker seems like a good fit for the overall intent of the program.