New Hampshire: Makerspace Network

An artist participating in the Artist in Residence program at Claremont MakerSpace, funded through a NHSCA FY2019 General Projects Grant. Photo courtesy of New Hampshire State Council on the Arts

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) is committed to uplifting maker spaces as both communal creative spaces and assets for the creative economy. As part of the New Hampshire Makerspace Network, NHSCA facilitates monthly meetings with 14 maker spaces across the state to encourage resource sharing, cooperative marketing, and new partnerships that benefit both makers and the communities in which they reside. NHSCA also routinely features makerspaces in its agency communications, to highlight the role that both nonprofit and for-profit maker spaces play in creating economic opportunities, such as MakeIt Labs, in its November 2020 Spotlight.

The Makerspace Network garnered attention during COVID-19 when volunteers at member maker spaces committed to churning out personal protective equipment for health care workers when supplies fell short. This quick, statewide collaboration was made easier because of the strong network that was already in place. The network also has played a role in supporting recent conversations about safe operation at maker spaces during the pandemic, helping spaces to remain open. For more information on the Makerspace Network, contact NHSCA Creative Communities Program Coordinator Lisa Burk-McCoy.