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Arts & Entertainment

Meet the Makers: Henry Ford Hosts Weekend of Innovation, Technology

Dearborn's Henry Ford Museum will host the second annual Maker Faire this weekend, evoking the spirit of auto industry legend Henry Ford through art, technology and imagination.

Those who believe the Detroit area has lost its luster as a center of innovation, take heart: Make Faire, one of the area’s biggest displays of ingenuity, is coming back to Dearborn this weekend.

Held 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the Maker Faire will take place on the grounds of the , which has busily made room for 300 makers, about 80 percent of whom are new to the fair, said Carrie Nolan, a media relations manager at The Henry Ford.

“It’s hard to describe what the Maker Faire is,” she said. “This year we have more makers, and we’ve brought back some favorites. The event is about highlighting creativity and innovation in a way that is fun.

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“This for people who tinker, and people like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison liked to tinker,” Nolan added.

The Maker Faire was created by the publishers of MAKE Magazine and Makezine on the west coast several years ago. The event came to Dearborn for the first time last year, and highlighted some of the best in DIY arts, engineering, robotics, entertainment and technology. This year, the event is presented by Pure Michigan, Ford Motor Company and Ford SYNC.

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At the event, demonstrations and hands-on workshops will cover everything from sustainable living to fine arts to fashion.

First-time exhibitors include Robbie the Robot, a roving 5-foot-tall webcam robot that streams video and audio so attendees can see through the eyes of the robot; Green Girl Scouts who turn trash into treasures like neckties into sunglasses, old magazines into gift bows and belts into bracelets; and the Mannequin Forest, an artificial forest of mannequins, circuitry and interaction.

Old favorites will return, as well: The Life-size Mousetrap game, the Coke-and-Mentos guys, the Handmade Detroit area and the make-and-take Marshmallow Shooters. Exhibitors new and old will operate among robots, flame shooters, solar-powered sculptures and even a wheelchair-powered cupcake.

“There are the things at the Maker Faire that you can’t see anywhere else,” said Nolan.

Dearborn-based exhibitor David Smith, a specialist in what he calls “Easy 3-D Stereo Photography,” said he’s excited about this year’s event.

"What I’m doing is not as technologically advanced as what others are doing," he said, "but people who don’t know what stereo photography is will learn more about it and how to make photos of their own.”

Stereo photography is photography based on the simultaneous vision of two eyes, each of which perceives what’s in front of them slightly differently, creating a vivid, three-dimensional view of what a person sees.

Smith’s photography is based on taking a photo standing on one leg, then the other, creating slightly different views, and viewing them through special glasses.

Bill Boyke, who will be conducting ham radio demonstrations, said the event presents a lot of opportunities for the amateur-radio set.

“Amateur radio is experiencing a resurgence, and fairs like this let people know about it,” he said. “The event is like a craft fair, but for technology.”

Smith, along with representatives from three area ham radio clubs, will be educating people about amateur radio and its uses. He said Make Faire is the perfect place to meet that end. “It’s a great event," he said. "The Maker Fair is just really cool."

Nonmember tickets are at $28 for ages 13-61, $19 for youth ages 5-12 and $26 for seniors. Children age 4 and younger are free. Member tickets are $13, $8 for youth and $12 for seniors. Two-day and superpass tickets are also available.

All tickets include admission to the Henry Ford Museum.

To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit www.thehenryford.org.

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