By Mark Muckenfuss

More students are becoming familiar with CSU Monterey Bay’s Makerspace in the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library. It drew just 17 students the first week it opened for regular hours in 2019. During the week before this semester’s finals, coordinator Rachel Hester said more than 350 Otters used the space.

What began as a place where students could come to exercise some creativity – whether drawing, painting, modeling or making jewelry – has grown into a social nexus as well.

“I would say I feel like part of a small community,” said Julian Pembrook, a second-year cinematic arts and technology major from San Jose. “It has that atmosphere where it feels very welcoming and very friendly. It’s a really fun place.”

Some students find it beneficial even if they’re not pulling beads or clay or other materials off the shelves. While others braided paracord bracelets, painted plastic dinosaurs and assembled collages, Diego Denson, a third-year marine science major from Upland, sat at a desk behind a partition at the rear of the room. 

“I just feel better in this room because of the atmosphere,” Denson said, noting that he finds it quiet and comfortable. “So I’ll use it as a study space.”

He said he comes to the Makerspace at least once a week and sometimes daily.  

“I like to do crafts to decompress from school,” he said. “I gravitate towards pin-making. I make miniature versions of album covers I like. They go on my backpack.”

He lifted his backpack to show a series of pins attached to the straps. 

Personal items such as necklaces, earrings and keychains are popular among student users. But many also find the space useful for class projects. A group of six communication students was seated around a table working on a zine as part of their final class assignment.

“I’m here pretty often,” said Marissa Torres, a second-year communications student from San Jose. “We were struggling to find a topic,” she said of her fellow students, “and I suggested the Makerspace.”

Torres, who began coming late in the fall semester, said she has seen a surge in interest among her classmates.

“I definitely notice a lot more people coming here,” she said. “It’s really busy right now.”

In fact, on the recent afternoon when she was speaking, there were people at every table in the room. 

“We’ve had over 1,200 unique users this semester,” Hester said, “and over 6,000 visits.”
Hester said she really didn’t know what to expect when she began running the space in 2019. It had actually been established the year before, when CSUMB received some hardware from the Monterey County Office of Education, including some standard, laser and 3D printers. But the space had been open only occasionally until she was hired as a full-time coordinator. 

The Makerspace offers shelves packed with different materials. 

“We have pretty much anything you would want here,” Hester said. 

For example, Cambria Novelly of Auburn was working on a final project for her art class – painting a sculpted face. 

“We didn’t have paint pens,” said the senior environmental studies student. “ I needed paint pens.”

She found them in the Makerspace along with something perhaps more important. Even for those working on school projects there was a nearly universal feeling that they found a certain degree of solace. 

“It’s a really good way to help people be creative and relieve stress,” Novelly said. “I’m going to be here as much as I can while I still have the option.”

Summer hours have been limited, but Hester said the regular schedule will start back up with the fall semester.  
 
For more information, go to the Makerspace web page.