Join us to attend Davis Makerspace’s general meeting for March 2026, a virtual meeting. We will address business items and then follow with time to show off projects and chat informally.
See you There!
Topic: Davis Makerspace General Meeting
Time: 7pm
Date: Monday, March 2nd
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89832215547?pwd=bVpVcEQwdXJhV280Vmpod2RhMnozZz09
Meeting ID: 898 3221 5547
Passcode: 13371337
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Meeting ID: 898 3221 5547
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A Nation of Makers at the White House, 2016
“Do you guys have long prints? Yes, ok, you’ll have to wait”, says Julie, a volunteer at the Mary L Stephen’s branch of the Davis Public Library, as members of the public examine recent 3D printed objects and supplies in the makerspace room, a community room with tools, both technical and non-technical. I’ve joined her this morning to see what the usual crowd is like during open hours.
I watch as Julie finds a different reel of 3D print material (PLA), for a woman who wants to print. The woman’s print may not finish while she still has time and there’s an error in the 3D printer. Julie bends down to troubleshoot and finds the issue immediately, exclaiming “Uh oh…”. While the printer restarts, the small crowd of enthusiasts moves on to focus on the soldering area, always shifting to the next project.
Julie is president of a local Davis nonprofit called “Davis Makerspace”, a group that used to have it’s own community space filled with tools and 3D printers in a downtown Davis alley, but now moonlights at the public library and is seeking partnerships with other spaces in the area.
Having existed since 2013, Davis Makerspace rode the wave of the makerspace movement with a unique donation and volunteer based system which eschewed renting space to members. In 2015, then president Jax visited DC along with other makerspaces around the country to the “A Nation of Makers” conference and noted Davis Makerspace’s unique approach. Davis Makerspace has always focused on support and outreach to the public rather than being a co-working space.
A Different Model
Founded in 2013, Davis Makerspace emerged during the height of the national maker movement. Across the country, community workshops were forming — some membership-based, some attached to universities, others structured like co-working studios with tiered pricing.
Davis Makerspace chose a different path. Rather than charging members monthly rent for tool access, the organization structured itself as a nonprofit, volunteer-run, open-access space. No required memberships. No exclusive access tiers. If you were curious and willing to learn, you were welcome.
This wasn’t necessarily the easiest model. It meant relying on donations, grant funding, partnerships, and a rotating cast of volunteers who maintained equipment, taught workshops, organized open hours, and handled governance. But it also meant the group could focus outward — on public workshops, youth programming, and lowering barriers to entry.
“We may have been the only makerspace that was nonprofit, volunteer-run, and fully open-access,” recalls former board member and later president Jax. “At least among the groups invited.”
A Nation of Makers — and a Trip to Washington
In 2016, Davis Makerspace received an unexpected invitation: attend the White House “Nation of Makers” convening in Washington, D.C. At first, Jax wasn’t even sure the invitation was legitimate. “I was the board member tasked with figuring out whether it was a scam,” he says. It wasn’t.
The event, organized near the end of the Barack Obama administration, brought together leaders of makerspaces from around the country. It was hosted at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, inside the White House security perimeter. “It was a bit of a whirlwind,” Jax recalls. “Presentations, discussions, policy conversations. It felt almost like a research conference — but hosted by the federal government, in a very fancy location.”
The gathering focused on access policy, inclusive governance, and ways federal programs — including design challenges from agencies like NASA — could partner with community maker organizations.
For Davis Makerspace, what stood out most was how unusual its structure appeared. “There were very few nonprofit, volunteer-run, open-access spaces,” Jax says. “We may have been the only one that was all three.” Some of that may have been logistical — travel funding on short notice isn’t easy for volunteer groups — but the moment highlighted how distinct Davis’s model was nationally.
One major outcome of the convening was the (re)formation of Nation of Makers, a nonprofit organization created to represent makerspaces across the country and facilitate the sharing of operational knowledge between them.
After the official sessions ended, participants gathered for photos on the steps of the Executive Office Building. A few even wandered toward the West Wing for pictures before being politely redirected by security. President Obama wasn’t present that day — he was in Texas surveying flood damage — but the symbolism of being invited inside the White House perimeter left a lasting impression.
“It was exciting,” Jax says. “It was the government recognizing that the maker movement was doing something good.”
From Alley Workshop to Library Partnership
Founded in 2013, Davis Makerspace emerged during the height of the national maker movement. Across the country, community workshops were forming — some membership-based, some attached to universities, others structured like co-working studios with tiered pricing.
Davis Makerspace chose a different path. Rather than charging members monthly rent for tool access, the organization structured itself as a nonprofit, volunteer-run, open-access space. No required memberships. No exclusive access tiers. If you were curious and willing to learn, you were welcome.
This wasn’t necessarily the easiest model. It meant relying on donations, grant funding, partnerships, and a rotating cast of volunteers who maintained equipment, taught workshops, organized open hours, and handled governance. But it also meant the group could focus outward — on public workshops, youth programming, and lowering barriers to entry.
“We may have been the only makerspace that was nonprofit, volunteer-run, and fully open-access,” recalls former board member and later president Jax. “At least among the groups invited.”
written by Emily Schleiner
Feb 25, 2026
Creators of “Elsa’s Brew”, the Virtual Reality Witchcraft Game will discuss and demo the game. More details at the Mary L. Stephens (Davis Public Library)’s website.
Who
Davis Makerspace, hosted by the Davis Public Library, will be putting on a repair cafe to help folks get their odds and ends fixed from 11AM to 2PM. Everyone is cordially invited to bring broken bits and bobs to see if they can be repaired instead of replaced. Maybe the Davis Makerspace community (or our tools) can help!
What is a Repair Cafe?
Instead of buying the same gadgets again and again, how about having the the ‘good one’ that’s been gathering dust in the corner repaired? At repair cafes, volunteers stand by to repair broken items brought in by the community.
Where
This is a location change for Davis Makerspace! This Repair Cafe event will be taking place outdoors in front of the Public Library in Davis (Mary L. Stevens).
Join us to attend Davis Makerspace’s general meeting for August 2022, a virtual meeting. We will address business items and then follow with time to show off projects and chat informally.
See you There!
Topic: Davis Makerspace General Meeting
Time: 7pm
Date: Monday, August 1st
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89832215547?pwd=bVpVcEQwdXJhV280Vmpod2RhMnozZz09
Meeting ID: 898 3221 5547
Passcode: 13371337
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,89832215547#,,,,*13371337# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,89832215547#,,,,*13371337# US (Houston)
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 898 3221 5547
Passcode: 13371337
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kduRW65j7i
Who
Davis Makerspace, hosted by the Davis Public Library, will be putting on a repair cafe to help folks get their odds and ends fixed from 11AM to 2PM. Everyone is cordially invited to bring broken bits and bobs to see if they can be repaired instead of replaced. Maybe the Davis Makerspace community (or our tools) can help!
What is a Repair Cafe?
Instead of buying the same gadgets again and again, how about having the the ‘good one’ that’s been gathering dust in the corner repaired? At repair cafes, volunteers stand by to repair broken items brought in by the community.
Where
This is a location change for Davis Makerspace! This Repair Cafe event will be taking place in front of the Public Library in Davis (Mary L. Stevens).
Come on down to the public library and attend our Davis Makerspace general meeting. We usually have some items of business to take care of followed by some time to show off projects and chat informally.
See you there!
Music, Food, & Gadgets
Friday June 14th Davis Makerspace will have a night of music and pizza to raise funds for a new piece of equipment, a new Laser Cutter.
Put your fun pants on and come and listen with your ears, your eyes, and your mind. Temporarily becoming a music venue for a night, Davis Makerspace will be putting on an evening of tunes that will get everyone powered up for exciting new times! Welcome to a world where the general public in Davis will have access to a laser cutter. Woo hoo!
FEATURED MUSIC:
The Pacific Players
Teacher Mary and ED
SUGGESTED DONATION:
$20 Per person
Our Goal: Raise $6000
What is a laser cutter you ask? Why do we want one? A laser cutter (at least the kind we are interested in) is a programmable machine that uses laser beams to cut intricate patterns and shapes into and out of various materials like wood, metal, plastic and glass. This will be a fun, practical, and creative resource for the Davis Makerspace community, and the larger Davis community as well.
Get ready to pull out your wallets and make your donations!
Laser Cutters Under Consideration:
Have an opinion about Laser Cutters? Tell us about it!