Makersville is at the heart of who we are and who we support. While neither is required to participate in the other organizations’ projects, projects created by Makersville naturally become Makersville Services projects and vice versa, with some adjustments and filtering by the individual organizations.
Makersville was created in 2012, by three individuals: Morio Murase, Caprice Rothe and Trish Tsoiasue. In 2020, when the pandemic hit we started the Makersville Services non profit.
What is Makersville?
Makersville Projects
OTHER PROJECTS AND BRANDS
Projects develop from the interests of our community. Any artist, Maker, volunteer can bring their interest, need or cause to Makersville. We work to extend our existing projects to include a way for that interest, need or cause. For those under 18, approval and support of parents is required.
The Makersville Makerspace (Priority Project)
While Makerspaces may be pop-up and travel with the Makers, we prefer a space to anchor our community and to provide them access to the materials and equipment we gather.
This creates the need for a community of Makers to support operation and use of the materials and equipment in the space.
The Rube-Inator – a Rube Goldberg Skills Learning Invention (Priority Project)
An international competition based on the works of the iconic American artist and inventor, Rube Goldberg, detailed at http://rubegoldberg.org. Local team hosted in 2020 and 2023-2025 year competitions hosted in Long Beach. We supported the West Coast National Rube Goldberg Competition.
We developed the Rube-inator, a mental space for us to identify the experiences and curriculum that we will deliver at events, local schools and our Makerspace. It is also a brand we will develop in support of the individuals and teams that might seek to learn and prepare for the Rube Goldberg regional, national and world competitions. Our first implementation will be the publication of a book or magazine by our grassroots publishing team.
BUILD: in LEGO(r) Bricks (Priority Project)
Makersville maker Trish Tsoiasue, is very committed to the educational, creative and engagement value of LEGO bricks. Trish created the Long Beach LEGO User Group which was a recognized LEGO User Group from 2011 to 2026. She participates in the LEGO Community, and is trained in the facilitation methods of LEGO Serious Play.
BUILD: is a concept that provides motivation, format and community for events involving LEGO(r) Bricks.
BUILD: can be further defined by place, sentiment or event purpose. e.g. BUILD: Long Beach; BUILD: Seattle; BUILD: Friendship; BUILD: Hygge.
The intent is that BUILD: events should permit the individual or group the opportunity to consider the value of an event experience, and to charge that amount for the event. It is expected that some BUILD: event managers might choose to discount their events, or make it free for some or all to participate.
Learning History through Making
Historic Long Beach and Historic Red Car explorations through building with LEGO(r) bricks, engaging artists in creating new historic imagery and students in creation of written works, comics and activity books.
2×4 Day – A Fan Created Global Day of LEGO(r) Brick Play – 2×4 Day has been celebrated in a number of countries, and provides a LEGO(r) centric approach to learning and an event creation opportunity.
Lunar New Year Project
Started in 2024, we developed the Lunar New Year activities for the Long Beach – Qingdao Sister City Association.
Below is the booklet for the event in 2024.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOFT INCOME
“Soft income” as we define it is that low-income stream funding that is flexible, and not tied to specific grant requirements. It can be used as the community identifies, and it is earned or donated through mechanisms we identify and create.
Practical Microfactory
This project type permits our Makers the opportunity to create multiples of the same kind of item and the need to find sponsors, create and execute events that include our products. As an example of the Practical Microfactory, we created the Bunny Factory.
Bunny Factory – Handmade bunnies with sponsor logos and artist images for events. A problem solving environment for our training program. Generates funding through creation of branded and customized bunnies. Can be offered for free, with grant funding, or can be sold or tied to another activity (e.g. Handmade Carnival)
Publications and Prints – We encourage our causes to develop publications that our communities can purchase in support of the causes. We have a number of examples of these publications completed and in work.
Long Beach Pike in the 1930s and 1940s.
Word Search Long Beach
Activities Long Beach
Lunar New Year art books
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oHxpe5nOlkE
Handmade Carnival
This project type permits our Makers the opportunity to create multiples of the same kind of item and the need to find sponsors, create and execute events that include our products. As an example of the Practical Microfactory, we created the Bunny Factory.
The handmade carnival gives our makers the opportunity to create new games, identify what things they can make that folks would pay for to possibly win, and what payment structure would be applied, if any.
Donation Robot
The Donation Robot is like a coin or bill operated machine. At its very best, it would be an art show where you could experience the Donation Robots of multiple artists or causes who could also be competing for a prize.
Here are some videos of the donation robots.
Sidewalk Spaces
Sidewalk Spaces are often sponsored partly or in whole by the Arts Council for Long Beach, the City of Long Beach or the Port of Long Beach. In Sidewalk Spaces, we activate the outside of a business or community space with a hands-on activity.
- Community members may offer experiences such as typewriter poetry
- Sidewalk sewing with the machine or hand-sewing
- Button Making
- Once we did Augmented Reality app making (but we don’t anticipate doing that again soon)
