Open Works
Open Works Weekly 7/17/2020
The last time America faced a crisis this big, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office. Fortunately, he just had a Depression to deal with — not a pandemic as well! Open Works supports dozens of small businesses, most of which are too small to have qualified for the Paycheck Protection Program or other governmental assistance. They need to get in the building and work to rebuild their income.
However, we have lost almost 1/3 of our studio tenants due to the pandemic. Help us replace some of that lost support by signing up as an affiliate member on our website today so we can keep extending resources to the small businesses who are falling through the cracks. Please sign up for a $5, $10, or $20 recurring monthly donation.
Open Works is Hiring!
Now that our emergency response is over, we are hiring! We’ve got a pile of contract work to catch up on, and need some more help with member services. Are you a maker with a passion for service? Want to join the hardest-working crew in the makerspace business? We are looking for Community Technicians (starting rate of $15.50/hour) and Contract Services Technicians (starting rate of $17/hour).
Yard Sale
As our first post-pandemic event, we are throwing a Community Yard Sale on Saturday, July 25th. We are letting this Pittsburgh Automotive 1 ton telescoping gantry crane with chain joist go for just $500. Don’t miss the chance to score some Covid deals! Do you have some odds and ends to to sell? Sign up to be a vendor here.
Virtual Community Orientation
Want to become a member? Need to (finally) get out of working from home? No worries! We are running virtual community orientations for folks interested in renting micro-studios on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Get a video tour of the space, an explanation the membership contract with our staff, and a Q+A session at the end. Sign up in MindBody here.
Making In Place Kits
Make along with us with our ‘Making In Place’ Craft Kits! We’ve designed 6 awesome DIY activities for the junior makers in your life to keep their little hands active over summer break. Each kit includes supplies for six projects to make along with video tutorials available on Youtube.
- Pocket Loom
- Face Mask
- T-shirt Tote
- Animal Mobile
- Sidewalk Stencils
- Recycled Crayons
$30 ($5/activity), local pickup only. Pickup on Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 AM-4 PM. Please note that orders will be filled on the following Wednesdays or Fridays after purchase or same day if ordered before 1. Purchase here, $30 ea. ($5/per activity).
Open Works Weekly 8/7/2020
Need to get out of the house? Open Works has been humming! (in an appropriate, socially-distanced, totally-masked-up-but-chill-vibes kinda-way ;) We'd love to have you down as a guest in our beautiful shops again. Sign up for a reservation and grab a multi-pack of day...
Open Works Weekly 7/31/2020
Need to get out of the house? Need access to powerful tools? We've got about 30 gorgeous micro-studios at your disposal, each with a desk, brand-new sneeze guards, four outlets, wi-fi, tons of natural light, high ceilings, fantastic ventilation, cool neighbors -- and...
Open Works Weekly 7/10/2020
Over the last 100 days, Open Works stood up while most of the world had to hunker down. We did whatever it took to protect our neighbors, our community, and the frontline fighters staring down COVID in hospital corridors and on city streets. Above are just a few of...
Shops Are Open!
Hello! We are ready for you! Sign up for a reservation and come on down for some shop time starting Tuesday, July 7th at 10 AM. Reservations are now active for all shops in MindBody or give us a call at 410-862-0424. Please note that we are closed tomorrow, July 4th,...
Countdown to Reopening — FIVE DAYS!
Hello! We are SO EXCITED to welcome you back next week! We've been busy upgrading the space, installing new storage, setting up new tools, and making sure we are ready to be as safe as humanly possible. Like that crisp orange woodgrain mask? It's fresh out of SewLab...
Open Works Reopening 7/1/2020
Hello! Happy Juneteenth! Today we celebrate the day the last enslaved people in Texas learned of emancipation at the close of the Civil War. Not familiar? Learn more about this holiday here. Going forward, we will be adding Juneteenth to the national holidays that we...
Open Works COVID-19 Update 6/6/2020
Hello! We hope everyone continues to be safe and healthy in these perilous times. In the past week, the country has been reckoning with decades of racialized policing. We are proud to have supported Baltimore's peaceful protestors by distributing over 500 face...
Open Works COVID-19 Update 5/29/2020
Hello! We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these perilous times. Thank you to everyone who filled out our survey or joined us for the Community Zoom call last Saturday. We've put the call up on YouTube here and would still love to hear your thoughts on...
Open Works COVID-19 Update 4/30/2020
As the COVID-19 crisis grinds on in Maryland, we are continuing to manufacture critical medical equipment for frontline workers. The Makers Unite initiative has grown so large that we just launched a new permanent online home for it at www.mdmakersunite.org. Check it...
SPECIAL COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT UPDATE
In light of rapidly unfolding public developments, including Howard County's closure of all public spaces under emergency order late this afternoon, we have made the difficult decision to close Open Works for one week effective 3 PM tomorrow, Monday, March 16. Please...
Classes + Events / Week of 3/16/2020
Our metal shop unlocks a whole new level of making, from sheet-metal forming to alloy welding to CNC plasma cutting. Level up with us this week -- we've got BOTH Metal 1 (Safety) and TIG Welding on the schedule. Give us a call at 410-862-0424 or click the link below...
SPECIAL COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello! Thank you for being a part of the Open Works community. In addition to our educational and community programs, Open Works supports dozens of small businesses and entrepreneurs who depend on our resources for their livelihoods. We take our commitment to all of...
OW Weekly / 3/9/2020
Youth Maker Camp registration is now LIVE! Join us for one of our 5 week-long, half-day Maker Camps starting July 6th. We have sessions in drones, laser cutting, and sewing this summer. Register here! Not affordable for your family? Scholarships available. + Maker...
OW Weekly / 3/2/2020
Our spring session of Youth Maker Shop is now open for registration! It runs Thursday afternoons from April 16th to May 21st from 4-6 PM with everyone's favorite instructor, Ms. Sharmane! Youth will learn to sew from patterns and make their own bags, clothes, and...
Classes + Events / Week of 3/2/2020
Last year, we had 68 enrollments in our Senior Foundation series! Over 55? Join us for a 4-class series in Wood or Textiles or a revised 5-week version of our Laser class. Can't afford the sticker price? No worries -- it's pay what-you-can. Last year, over half of our...
OW Weekly / 2/24/2020
Meet Blou Harrison! She is a fashion and shoe designer who just set up shop in our upstairs studios. She first engaged with Open Works in 2017 for the very first cohort of our Teen Maker program, then continued into the next school year. After graduating from...
Classes + Events / Week of 2/24/2020
Always wanted to fix that old chair that Grandma gave you? Have an alley rescue that needs a little DIY love? Join us for our Upholstered Footstool class on 3/1! This five hours class covers all the basics of upholstery -- AND you get to keep your...
OW Weekly / 2/17/2020
This photo was taken 8 years ago -- a year before our building was acquired and 4-1/2 years before we opened our doors as Open Works proper. Since then, we've seen hundreds of new affordable housing units -- and hundreds of new faces -- move into the...
Classes + Events / Week of 2/17/2020
Check out our 2-session CNC Plasma Safety class this week. The first session is this coming Tuesday evening, 2/18, from 6-9 PM. Not enough metal for you? Follow it up with TIG Welding Safety on Saturday morning. Prefer less sparky crafts? We've got something in...
OW Weekly / 2/10/2020
Long-time member and 2017 EnterpRISE 2nd-place winner Groundbird Gear just expanded to a FOURTH studio last week! We are so excited to have been able to facilitate their growth with more space, training, and access to tools over the last 3 years. Their...
Classes & Events / Week of 2/10/2020
CNC routers are some of the most powerful tools in our shop, capable of machining plywood, hard plastic, and even aluminum! They are big, loud, and can seem a bit intimidating -- that's why we offer a 6-hour CNC Safety class, so you can get a more thorough intro...
OW Weekly / 2/3/2020
Thank you SO MUCH to Made in Baltimore members for voting us Best Maker Resource 2019! We are also excited to welcome MIB back as a tenant -- expect some new workshops and programming later this spring. Want to join them and 103 other awesome maker-neighbors? We...
Classes & Events / Week of 2/3/2020
Interested in becoming one of the most legendary designers of all time? Winning the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel of architecture)? Cool, no biggie, just join us for Wood Bending on Monday and learn how to get sculptural like Frank Gehry. We can't give you the...
Open Works Weekly 10/9/2020
Now that our Makers Unite reward packages have shipped, it's time to celebrate! Join us next Friday, Oct. 16 from 4:30-6 PM for a virtual happy hour and maker awards ceremony. Grab your Makers Unite t-shirt, brew up a mug of Thread coffee, and come hang out! RSVP on...
Open Works Weekly 10/2/2020
We shipped our FINAL rewards package for Makers Unite this week! Our top ten contributors got one of these super-sweet gold squirrels in full PPE. Got an idea of your own for ending the pandemic? Apply to EnterpRISE 2020! You have ONE WEEK left to get your idea in --...
Open Works Weekly 9/18/2020
Our 4th annual pitch competition is live! Over the last four years, EnterpRISE has invested $54,000 in local manufacturing startups. In 2018, a company called Clear Mask won a $5,000 investment for their unique clear surgical mask design. They have now leveraged that...
Open Works Weekly 9/4/2020
Open Works is turning 4! On September 26th, we will be celebrating four wonderful years of supporting makers, building community, and educating creative minds of all ages. As we reach this important milestone, 26 amazing people have already signed up to be monthly...
Open Works Weekly 8/21/2020
Curious about what makes Open Works such a special place? The incomparable Brandon Soderbergh makes the case in the latest print edition of BmoreArt Journal of Art and Ideas. Learn more about how we pivoted to emergency PPE production, what our members make, and our...
