Sacramento State students and staff presented a plethora of STEM, fashion, culture and other art-related projects at the campus library’s StingerStudio Makerspace, where this semester’s Create, Make and Share Faire was held on April 23.
Each project, spanning from 3D-printed trinkets and fidget toys to painted hoodies and DIY candles, were displayed on inviting stands and tables set up inside the studio.
Visitors were encouraged to converse with the artists and innovators behind each project, who all proudly discussed the stories behind joining the programs and workshops associated with the Makerspace.
Greeting visitors near the entrance to the studio was the first instructional support technician Erin Gottis, who stood before a large table littered with 3D-printed anatomy models, toys, wooden structures and other objects created within the Makerspace.
Gottis said she started studying graphic design and discovered the Makerspace program while attending Sacramento City College after the COVID-19 pandemic. She later transferred to Sacramento State to pursue her studio arts major and currently works as the Makerspace’s full-time day operations manager.
“When I started going back to school, I said ‘all I want to do is work somewhere where I can make stuff every day,’” Gottis said. “I’ve always been into art. My grandma was an artist, and she would set up still lives for us to paint, and so I just grew up doodling all throughout school.”
Next to Gottis’ table were Sacramento State students Paolo Hidalgo and Joshua Opada, who presented a wide display of Japanese game pieces, brochures and decorative sakura flowers. Hidalgo, a computer science major, and Opada, an art major, are both minoring in Japanese.
Hidalgo and Opada’s table featured reconstructed boards and pieces for Japanese chess, traditionally known as Shogi. The project was created with the purpose of simplifying the game for beginners by altering symbols and adding new variations to each chess piece.
“Japanese chess is wildly different in design compared to Western chess, so I made these pieces to help people differentiate them from one another,” said Hidalgo. “Another goal with these pieces was to show how the pieces move.”
Near the opposite side of the studio is Sac State staff member Ale Reiher, who stood before a pink table full of pastel-colored candles, stickers, tote bags and other handcrafted goods from her small business called “My Sticky Shop”.
Reiher said she started her arts and crafts journey in 2021, where she picked up the hobby of creating her own stickers amidst the monotony of the pandemic. Her stickers featured Spanglish jokes and icons, which she created in hopes to better connect with California’s Latino community.
“I started selling out of markets, and they did really well,” said Reiher. “Once I got a little tired of making stickers I wanted to learn to craft some other things, so I expanded into candles and notepads.”
Reiher said that she is a frequent attendee of Sacramento’s Midtown Farmers Market, where she sets up shop almost every weekend. Reiher’s shop is also open for events during other Latino holidays, such as Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos and Mexican Independence Day.
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Preston Tobery, the secondary instructional support technician for the Makerspace, said the studio welcomes all staff and students to utilize the available tools to work on their projects, whether they be personal or for a class. Tobery mentioned that the space is also open to those who simply want to relax and observe, as long as the student or staff member has a OneCard to swipe in.
“You can be a fashion student and come in and use our sewing machines, you can be an engineer and use our 3D printers, it just doesn’t matter,” Tobery said. “The biggest benefit is we are a very safe environment, meaning we welcome everyone.”
Machines like CNC routers, laser printers, laser cutters and vinyl cutters are among the many tools that students and staff are able to use for their projects. Other materials like buttons, beads, paints, crochets and electronic parts like Raspberry Pi’s and Arduino kits are made accessible as well.
Tobery said the studio has readily available, well-rounded student assistants who provide tours and guidance for anyone interested in knowing more about the Makerspace and its tools. Weekly and monthly workshops have also been introduced to assist students and faculty using the space to their benefit.
“We just started this new thing called Fix-it Fridays where students, faculty or staff can bring in things that might be broken and we’ll try to help you fix them,” Tobery said.
Tobery explained that future workshops and events like the Create, Make and Share Faire can be found through the Makerspace website.
“The cool thing is that we don’t expect anyone to retain anything,” Tobery said, referring to workshop expectations. “We’re always here to help.”
The StingerStudio Makerspace is open every Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located on the first floor of the library in room 1529.
