– Photos by Bobbie Toner

By Erica Scharn

“Oh, how great is this?” Mame Kennedy, visiting from New York City for parents’ weekend, had no idea that the second annual Somerville Mini Maker Faire was going on October 5in Union Square from 3-7 p.m. When karaoke broke out on ZingBox’s solar powered boom boxes, she stopped to join the smiling onlookers.

Maker Faire has grown into a global movement since its 2006 launch event in San Mateo, California. Maker Faire and local, independently-organized Mini Maker Faires showcase Do-It-Yourself culture. Artisan’s Asylum hosted the Somerville Mini Maker Faire in partnership with the Somerville Arts Council and Maker Media (the driving force behind Maker Faire and the Maker Movement).

“It’s about widening your sense of what’s possible in the universe, in a way that you can touch,” said Molly Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Artisan’s Asylum. She said that the point of something like a Maker Faire “is making people curious enough that they might actually explore making themselves.”

Saturday’s event highlighted more than 20 interactive creations, providing a space where arts, technology, engineering, robots, crafts and tinkering collided. The product taking the world by storm and reimagining what is possible – the desktop 3D printer – was on display. Families explored science at the hands-on Einstein’s Workshop. Faire attendees admired the intricate details of sculptures and swords made of duct tape and tested out the bike-powered blender.

The Faire’s spirit of sharing, collaboration and innovation is perfectly suited for Somerville. “There’s a lot of synergy…and it keeps the energy going,” said Heather Balchunas, Office Manager at the Somerville Arts Council. The city has a high concentration of artists, affordable studio space and a supportive mayor. Local organizations like the Council (and its ArtsUnion Project) and Artisan’s Asylum are dedicated to the artistic, cultural and economic development of Somerville and Union Square in ways that engage and enrich the community. “Somerville is trying to own this place, this intersection between the creative, and the technological, the innovative, to give it its own identity that gives it an edge,” said Rubenstein.

The delicate balance between opportunity creation and identity maintenance is one that not all cities have successfully navigated, however. Through her position coordinating Somerville Open Studios, Imaginary Maps creator Emily Garfield said that she’s learning about what local artists are concerned about, such as with the Green Line coming in, “whether people are going to be buying up art studio spaces to turn into condos…. That’s sort of a general pattern that happens: artists move in, a place gets groovy, people buy it up, it turns into a bedroom community.”

The enthusiasm surrounding Somerville’s Mini Maker Faires (and last winter’s giant snowball fight in Union Square) is an indication that Somerville has not yet lost its essence as it positions itself as a hub for growth. Somerville’s vibrant character and sense of community could be seen during Faire attendees’rousing karaoke rendition of a Prince song, as the surreal Giant Baby Carriage vehicle rolled away into the night.