LYNN — The Brickyard Collaborative, the city’s hottest makerspace, needs more space.
The creative co-op opened at 71 Linden St. Feb. 15, and by March 1 its 3,600 square feet of floor space was full. Members, of which there are 35, are joining at a rate of about four per month and Ted Dillard, the collaborative’s founder and director, says the break-even goal of 50 full members is well within reach.
A sign on the door states “This is our happy place.” Dillard said he’d be even happier if there was even more space available.
Dillard said he was inspired by Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville, which was started by a few guys in a garage. They then moved to 20,000 square feet of space, and now occupy 40,000 square feet.
First, though, we should explain that a makerspace is a series of work spaces run by a collaborative community that pools talent, support and ideas to make things and solve problems. Provided for use is a variety of equipment, including 3-D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines and other technology that is prohibitively expensive for an individual to buy.
“If you’re in your garage working on something, you’re not going to spend $3,000 on a piece of equipment, like a CNC router. We have it here, and it’s available, and there’s a lot of teaching going on,” said Dillard.
The Brickyard Collaborative has space devoted to electronics, woodworking, metal fabrication, robotics, a photo studio, fabrics and sewing, welding and more. It’s a series of innovation stations where everyone learns and everyone teaches. There’s also a repair cafe, a free service where broken things can be repaired rather than tossed in the trash, and the owner will learn how to fix stuff in the process.
“There’s obviously a need and desire for the kind of things that happen here,” said Dillard. “Money’s tight, and it limits how quickly we can grow our offerings and our facility. There is 12,000 square feet available in this building. We’re looking for just a few key backers. We need, at least, some cash to cover a few months of expenses. At best, we could use enough to give us that boost we need to get fully off the ground. Whether it’s a donation or a loan, it can make the difference between taxiing along on the runway, or taking off.”
Haley Sullivan, an artist who grew up in Lynn, previously rented space in the LynnArts building. She’s preparing for a show in New Hampshire, and likes the collaborative spirit and open floor plan here. “I get to play with others, and we help one another,” she said with a smile.
Hugh Pyle, who has a thing for old teletype machines and has a few here he’s repairing, said, “I was looking for a space, a social space where I could play and learn from others with a team spirit. It’s much better than disappearing in your basement. I’m not a big machine shop guy, but I can learn things here from others that will help me repair and fine-tune my teletypes. A 40-year-old plastic piece had disintegrated; you can’t buy that piece in a store. But we found information about the part online, especially its size, and were able to make one here on the 3-D printer. Now that machine runs like a dream.”
Casey McNulty of Lynn teaches classes here that “instruct and delight.” Her experience includes work as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) instructor with Summer at Tower School in Marblehead. She recently worked with kids 7-13 years old, teaching them coding and what a 3-D laser printer does. While we chatted, she cut an image of a masked face onto a white tile that will become a local band’s logo.
Mitchel Ahern, board chair, operates a printmaking/letterpress workspace at The Brickyard, one of only a few in the Northeast. It features vintage presses, equipment and a large collection of type of various fonts.
“Everything is covered here,” said Dillard, “from 21st century 3-D printing back to 18th century letterpress.”
“Lynn has always been a center of manufacturing. When 7-year-old kids are being taught how to code, like Casey did here, that’s the future of manufacturing. People here are learning 21st century manufacturing skills. The 3-D printer is manufacturing on demand.”
The Brickyard Collaborative works with KIPP Academy, North Shore Community College, Lynn Tech, Salem State University, Raw Art Works, LaVida Scholars and the Lynn YMCA.
“I read something in the Item that struck me a while back. It was a story about Tom Demakes (CEO of Lynn-based Old Neighborhood Foods), when he was getting recognized for his work for Lynn. He said something like, ‘I know how to make really good sausages. But that’s not what I want to be remembered for.’ I love that, and I feel the same — if there’s anything I want to be remembered for in this city, it would be this makerspace and the amazing things that are coming out of it from our members.”
“Everything is covered here,” said Dillard, “from 21st century 3-D printing back to 18th century letterpress.”
For information on memberships, upcoming programs (including a “Basic 3-D Printing” class on Sept. 25), and more, go to www.thebrickyard.org.
