LYNN — The Brickyard Collaborative has accomplished much since opening its doors at 71 Linden St. in February 2019. It also has ambitious plans for 2020 and beyond, including a move downtown.
The collaborative is a makerspace/creative-coop where people with shared interests, especially in computing or technology, can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.
Ted Dillard, the collaborative’s founder and director, said the collaborative provides a variety of equipment, including 3-D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines and other technology that is prohibitively expensive for an individual to buy. Space is devoted to printing, electronics, woodworking, metal fabrication, robotics, a photo studio, fabrics and sewing, welding and more.
Recently, the collaborative reached out to the community and got countless volunteers to help make more than 4,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (hand sanitizer, 3-D print shields) that was given to the city’s Emergency Operations Center.
The collaborative has outgrown its 3,600 square feet of floor space and is looking to move to a downtown location to be determined, said Dillard.
Dillard added, “2020 is also the year we are moving into a new home – doubling our space, with far more capability. The owner of our building … is putting all the tenants on a Tenancy at Will arrangement. We need a space with a standard three-year lease, minimum.
“It’s the year we will grow into what we’ve always known is possible – a full, complete makerspace facility for the entire North Shore fostering creativity, innovation and collaboration among an amazingly diverse population of makers.”
“We, like everybody else, are trying to figure out how to deal with small workshops and classes safely in this environment. It’s an ongoing discussion and particularly a concern for our STEAM and Repair Café programs. We’re looking to schools, the governor’s office and other makerspaces for guidance as well. We are completely committed to re-activating our work with the folks within the new Education District in Lynn and making our contribution.”
Dillard said The Brickyard Collaborative needs the public’s help. It has established a $10,000 fundraising campaign through the MassDevelopment Collaborative Workspace Program. If $10,000 is donated, MassDEV will match that amount. Yesterday morning, $7,160 had been raised. The deadline to donate is Thursday, Aug. 6. Here’s the link to donate: The Brickyard 2020 on Patronicity.
