The Department of Making + Doing, a youth-oriented makerspace in University City, will close in November, the organization announced late yesterday.
“While our efforts have been incredibly productive and fruitful, we believe that it is no longer sustainable to continue at the current location,” the email read.
The space opened nearly two-and-a-half years ago in NextFab’s former space on Market Street, with more than $360,000 in backing from the Knight Foundation, the Barra Foundation, Cognizant and ArtPlace America. The space, which became a meeting place for artists and youth, was behind fantastical projects like a mobile maker cart built by teens, an enormous spirograph and the weirdest karaoke machine ever.
Last winter, the group held its first holiday exhibit and sale, featuring items built by DMD members, many of which are young people.
https://instagram.com/p/wtwTZjCQQo/
The workshop’s partners — The Hacktory, NextFab, Public Workshop and the University City Science Center’s STEM program — will all continue offering programming, just no longer at 3711 Market Street. The Hacktory plans to find a new location in West Philly, director Georgia Guthrie said in the email announcement. It’s not clear what will become of the equipment in the space.
“The DM+D Partnership built a space where all of the partners could explore and grow their organizations, their impact and their capacity,” said program manager Michael Darfler in a statement. “In that regard it was wildly successful.”
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