Looks kinda weird empty, doesn’t it? As you may have guessed, we have some bittersweet news for you. After roasting and selling coffee here for the past four years, Thread Coffee Roasters have outgrown Open Works and are moving on to a larger roasting facility. The great folks at Thread will be missed, but we’re excited for their new place and are looking forward to seeing what’s next for them!!!

For many of you, coffee is a serious matter and you may be questioning the grounds on which we could call ourselves re-opened without sufficient caffeine distribution protocols in place. Listen, we understand and have the situation under control. Now, we can’t spill the beans just yet, but plans are underway to assure that every last twitchy eye and shaky hand at Open Works will be just as close to their next cup of coffee as they were pre-pandemic. 

Until then, please pardon our dust. The café space will need a little work before it’s ready for another tenant, so be on the lookout for that!

Where art, wellness, and family meet is where you’ll find Rikiesha Metzger and Dr. Lyneia Richardson. You may recognize them, or their company, Selah Mind.Body.Spirit, which focuses on perinatal health, from their numerous workshops and pop-up appearances here at Open Works. We are always excited to see how they use Open Works facilities like our textile shop and laser cutters in service of their mission, which is to bring women and mothers back to a place where they feel connected to their mind, body, and spirit. Check out some of the great work they are doing, and consider picking up one of their beautiful aromatherapy rice packs. A portion of the proceeds will go to fund workshops they provide to various communities throughout Baltimore.

We are so excited that Thea Canlas is now teaching embroidery at Open Works!!! Thea is an artist and freelance designer, making everything from custom branding & digital content to textile-based conceptual artwork. Her current body of work focuses on Filipino post-colonial identity and dismantling white cultural hegemony. She’s been a Baltimore native for over a decade with her husband David and tiny ball of joy, Iggy. She’s a master of sewing, search engine optimization, and Prince karaoke. Feel free to say hi any time you see her staring intently at the Melco in the electronics lab, trying to unravel its secrets. Sign up for classes!

Let’s be honest, in most cases it’d really ruffle our feathers here at Open Works if we were accused of being “low-tech,” but not coming from the folks at the Low-Tech Lab. This French non-profit defines “low-tech” as “techniques, technologies, services and know-hows that stick to three main principles: Useful. Accessible. Sustainable.” Useful, accessible, and sustainable? That’s our jam!!! Seriously, our director, Will even wrote a book about it!!! They’ve created this great wiki with plans and tutorials for all kinds of useful DIY projects like this small composter for kitchen scraps or this upcycled solar powered lamp/charging station.

This got us to thinking, surely the brilliant, creative, resourceful, industrious, charming, and talented community here at Open Works has some of their own “low-tech” solutions or inventions. Show off your “low-tech” inventions or ideas under the hashtag #lowtechatopenworks and tag us!!!

Last week you saw the new table out front on our patio and we promised more. Here it is!!!

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Ok, by “it,” we mean the makings thereof, but still SUPER exciting. In the coming week these aluminum beams will be fashioned (by our talented staff) into the support structure for the NEW PATIO SHADE we’re installing. I mean, the patio is already a rad place to hang out, but just imagine how much nicer it’ll be once this project is finished!!! 

If you haven’t filled out our Welcome Back survey, there’s still time!!! Don’t worry, it’s short, but it’s also really important for us that your feedback is included as we all relearn how to share space.

Link Soup

+ Applications are now open for the 2021 Johns Hopkins Medicine Leadership in Analytics and Data Science (LEADS) cohort.

+ Virtual Tour of Baltimore’s Municipal Buildings TODAY 1PM.

+ Clean energy and microgrids in MD coal country.

+ TOMORROW! Tool yard sale at Station North Tool Library.

+ Neighborhood Design Center is hiring a Community Design Programs Manager and an Operations Manager.

+ It’s Design Week next week at Good Neighbor featuring so many great workshops and conversations, including one with Open Works members Darryl Patterson & Lawrence Moore.