Gateway Community College officially opened its community makerspace near the Grand Avenue Arts District last week with the tools and equipment to help inventors bring their ideas to life.
Phoenix Forge, located at 535 W. Van Buren Street, is a partnership between Gateway Community College, ASU, the City of Phoenix, APS and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to provide access to a community space, software and training for the public, ASU and Maricopa County Community College District students.
“We wanted to create a place with entrepreneurship in mind,” Stephanie Adames, the public relations and marketing manager for Phoenix Forge, said in a statement. “Phoenix Forge has been a long-time idea of GateWay Community College who saw the need for a central place for people to learn and create regardless of their current skill set.”
Bruce Balfour is the executive director of Phoenix Forge and said the makerspace is a community workshop with tools and equipment for everyone to use. He said these tools will provide inventors with the space to build, create and design whatever they please.
“One thing that makes it hard for some people to understand is that you can do so much in there, it’s hard to kinda pigeon-hold what you do in a makerspace because there are so many different opportunities to work on different things,” Balfour said.
The facility officially opened on Feb. 16 in a 100-year-old, 22,500 square foot building, making Phoenix Forge the largest makerspace in the Southwest. Adames said the building was donated to the MCCCD and was previously used for storage.
“Our goal is to be a place for people to create and learn,” she said in a statement. “We look forward to creating partnerships within the community and being a space for people to connect and learn together.”
The makerspace has the tools for a variety of trades and mediums like prototypes (3D print), electronics and robotics, glass or wood. The space will also have classes offered in areas like jewelry-making, blacksmithing and laser-cutting.
“For most things, you would probably plan on bringing your own materials, particularly if they’re more specialized,” Balfour said. “We’ll have some around, but we only have a limited amount of space we can store things, so it makes it a little bit harder for us to store bigger materials.”
The makerspace is currently available for people to use between 2 and 10 p.m. When COVID restrictions can be lifted, these hours will be extended, and Forge will allow people to come and go as they please, Adames said. For now, reservations are required to use the space.
“We also have hand sanitizer stations, are wiping down equipment on a regular basis, and have placed social distancing markers on the floors of our woodshop and metal shop,” Adames said. “Everyone is also required to wear a mask at all times while visiting Phoenix Forge.”
Anyone interested in using the makerspace will complete a safety orientation, as well as either sign up for a membership for $65 a month or pay a daily rate for each use. ASU students can sign up for a free MCCCD membership by emailing entrpreneurship@asu.edu.
Contact the reporter at dnet1@asu.edu.
