Dear Friends of The Making Place,
We are writing to you as the folks behind The Making Place. We are a group of local artists, makers and professionals alike working to create a makerspace for the Flathead Valley. It has been exactly a year since we started this journey, and we wanted to give a huge shoutout to all of you for following along with this project. We thought it was a good time to reflect on the past year, to give all of you a recap of what The Making Place has been up to.
For those of you that just started following along, here is a little background about us. The Making Place exists to provide creative space and resources for our community to make, share & learn together. We want to empower a community driven art scene & enable the local making culture to flourish. We officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in September 2024. This means we are a charitable organization with the primary purpose of serving YOU, the public.
In 2025 we hope to open our first location! The initial services that we hope to provide are:
Workshops and Classes
A Large Communal Workspace
A Tool Library
Even though we are still fundraising for our first physical location, we believe that the first season of popup workshops and events was a resounding success. Here are a few highlights from 2024 to share with you.
Open Critique: The first Monday of every month, makers and artists gather at the Whitefish Community Center for “Crit Night”. This gathering is meant to foster an environment for constructive feedback, inspiration and motivation. This year dozens of makers have gathered to share paintings, sculptures, pottery, fiber creations and more. Over the past year we have made new friends, shared ideas, and inspired each other to keep creating. Here is a quote from local artist, Sydney Boveng, about what these gatherings mean to her. “We are so rich here in the valley with creativity and good people. As a young person here starving for art friends/peers/mentors, I never would have dreamed what we’ve got going now at The Making Place”
Arts in the Park: The Making Place was thrilled to participate in Hockaday Museum’s annual Arts in the Park in July. Over the course of three days our volunteers shared their passion for creativity with the community, offering hands-on activities like screen printing, collage making, and learning the ancient Japanese art of Kumihimo braiding. We can't wait to be a part of this event again next year.
Craft Swap and Sale: In August, Allie Maloney put on the first annual Craft Supply Swap and Sale at the Whitefish Community Center. Folks from around the valley decluttered their craft stashes and swapped supplies with other local makers. One of the values of The Making Place is “Sustainability”. Swapping supplies helped these items find a new life with fellow crafters, therefore reducing waste. As a bonus, leftover supplies from the swap are being utilized by The Making Place for upcoming workshops. For example, fiber artist Noel Burgener is using leftover yarn from the craft swap to offer a FREE introductory crochet workshop on November 15th.
Events and Art Markets: The Making Place calendar was packed with events and markets this past year. Our goal is for the calendar to be the go-to source for gallery nights, art markets, and other opportunities to explore local art and support makers.
Workshops & Classes: Our workshops & classes brought together artists and makers of all experience levels to learn new skills and connect with others. Workshops & classes offered this year included: Plein Air Painting, Buckskin Hide Tanning and Crochet. We ended the summer with a three day Buckskin Hide Tanning Workshop at White Raven Winery, taught by local artist and high school art teacher, Lena Olson. During this class, Lena taught students how to transform a raw deer skin to a beautiful, brain tanned buckskin. Here’s what Lena had to say about the workshop “I could not have asked for a better crew to share this experience with. The people who showed up for this class helped each other, laughed through it all and were so wonderful to work with. Their satisfaction fed me so deeply when the class was over” Lena's workshop brought The Making Place to life, showcasing the hands-on creativity that fuels our community.
Harvest Moon Fest: The Making Place finished a busy season with Harvest Moon Fest, a celebration of art, music, food and community. This one day event, co hosted by Amy and Cooper, of Montana Harvest Moon, was the biggest event The Making Place has put on yet. Hundreds of community members showed up to enjoy this fall festival for free activities, local art, workshops, music and more! Here is what Justin Barry had to say about Harvest Moon Fest. “The activities were really busy – people came wanting to do, create, share and learn skills. On scene, people were painting, wheel throwing pottery, sand pouring, blacksmithing, printmaking, pressing apples into cider, serving up homemade doughnuts, playing live music, dyeing bandanas, building communal canvasses, and selling handmade jewelry and clothes, to name just a few. Several artists were giving live demonstrations or co-creating with participants.” Harvest Moon Fest was a powerful reminder of the creative energy in our community. Your presence and support have fueled our passion to create a makerspace. We can't wait to see what the future holds!
We're building The Making Place for YOU, our community! Want to be involved? Here are a few ways you can contribute:
Join the planning process: Attend our bimonthly meetings and share your ideas for the future of The Making Place.
Share your expertise: If you're passionate about teaching, propose a class or workshop. We'd love to hear your ideas!
Help us fundraise: Are you a grant writer? Do you love connecting with community members at events? Reach out and join our fundraising effort.
Help us find a home: Know of an amazing space available for rent? Let us know – it could be the perfect fit for our makerspace.
Make a tax deductible donation: We have big ideas and can't wait to see them become a reality. Help us get there sooner by making a donation at the link below!
End of year giving campaign > https://givebutter.com/KVy8jZ
Get in touch with us at themakingplacemt@gmail.com.
Thank you for following along as we build a community makerspace from the ground up. We couldn’t do this without your help.
With gratitude,
The Making Place Board of Directors
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