EDWARDSVILLE - Usable art is in high demand for the upcoming Eville Indie Makers' Market.
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For the second year in a row, Micah Wall is hosting the Eville Indie Makers' Market at the Wildey Theater. While the event is not occurring until Oct. 21, Wall is taking applicants until July 1. Applicants must be artisans who hand make functional items. This could mean jewelry making, clothing, furniture and other usable items.
"We aren't just looking for art for the sake of art at this," Wall said. "These should all be usable items."
These items, however, are not all hand-carved and sculpted these days. The advent of 3D printing and laser-cutting technologies has revolutionized how people create functional art. Wall said the Lewis and Clark Community College managed fabrication lab in Edwardsville is allowing everyday people to utilizing cutting edge technologies to create.
"It has to be one of the best-equipped labs in the country," Wall said. "It's mind-boggling how much technology is in that building in Edwardsville operated by a small community college. It's not as expensive as people think it would be either for people to use."
The St. Louis Confluence FabLab is located at 622 Troy Rd. in Edwardsville.
Wall said 3D printing will also be displayed at the event through a group of women based from the University of Illinois in Champaign called "Maker Girls." The Maker Girls will bring 3D printing technology to the market and have young women between the ages of 7-10 sign up to learn about that technology.
"They are very big into teaching young women STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) values," Wall said.
Currently, Wall is using 3D printing to create brass and bronze molds for his projects, but added he was not sure if they would be available for display by the time the market rolls around in October.
Applications for the market may be submitted at evilleindie.com. Wall said he is welcoming to all types of makers, adding he would like to see more 3D printing and laser cutting in the future as those technologies become more accessible to the general public, and less expensive.
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