My point isn’t tied to the real or perceived value of the Makerspace (or their service offerings) at those price points. Artist Asylum has proven that their model works in their market. My point is that it’s far easier to manage member behavior/decorum and tools care and usage with ~400 members than it is with ~2,000 members. I don’t think anyone can expect anything that resembles reliable member behavior and reasonable tool care at 2,000 members working 24/7. And every time I see a Talk post about a ‘broken this’ or a ‘dirty that’ in an all volunteer-run organization of this size, I am actually surprised that it doesn’t happen more frequently.
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I couldn’t agree with you more!
It appears to me that as the membership cadre has grown, the number of qualified repair/maintenance people hasn’t kept pace. And before people get outraged - I’m not slamming the volunteers. People are willing to help, but they also have to be able to do the hard core machine repairs. I’m not talking about changing band saw blades … I’m talking about things like repair items like troubleshooting controller boards, rebuilding motors, pumps, and so on. Those take specific skills that only a small percentage of our population has.
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Not that these help directly but they’re interesting reading for the membership. Especially folks that have been around a while.
I suspect there are more experts in the membership than ever before but they might not care or they might not think their input matters (because it largely doesn’t anymore due to restrictions placed on chairpersons).
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I would like it if there were some classes that taught those skills. Something that would be a couple hours and on the calendar, makes it easier for me. I think woodshop has some maintenance days too, but I’m also not sure what goes on in those.
Trouble with classes like those far fewer people would be interested in maintenance type projects. But I am one of those individuals that enjoy repairing broken things or building a tool that is needed. Put class up on repairing/rebuilding an electric motor or what not and I will sign up for it.
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The people that use the space to supplement their income should be learning how to help maintain the tools instead of just complaining that no one has fixed it yet.
An example would be me learning how to maintain the laser cutters. I needed to be able to use them, so I kept them running for a long time.
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Artisan’s Asylum financials are also worth looking at:
http://wiki.artisansasylum.com/index.php/Financials
Their primary income stream is as as a landlord for the “studios”. Then membership dues and teaching classes to the public.
The DMS has a fundamentally different, and I would argue better, institution than Artisan’s Asylum.
The DMS is a place for anyone
The Artisan’s Asylum is a place for a few
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We had a doctorial candidate visit last year that I gave a tour to and talk with alot.
His thesis was about why Makerspaces fail and others don’t.
Basically from what he could tell all the ones that started charging and nickle diming every class and fee end up failing and it’s our model that has caused us to not fail and grow to the largest of our kind.
It’s the collective powers that bring synergy and help
I would hate to mess with a winning formula
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I get different results when adding up their budget.
Individual memberships = 636,180
this does not include
corporate memberships = 60,000
community partner membership = 15,000
Income from studios = 517,008
this does not include
pallet rent = 25,272
shelving rent = 19264
Education income = 333,200
Rent and memberships are basically equal.
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Just going to voice my opinion here and say what I feel about raising the pricing to such, the space would become a prestigious country club for only a small fraction of the population and no longer a non profit that serves the community. Personally, it’s something I wouldn’t want to be a part of as I enjoy the diversity of the current membership. I don’t enjoy elitism as it’s dull and can ruin the artistic vibe and actually hurt makers.
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Id say those of you wanting a to rise the price and have a smaller space should just leave and start a smaller space. Rather than taking the amazing place we have now, that lifts up even the poor in to a empty elitist ablest palace.
Our space is not perfect but we have come a long way. It gives a lot of us poorer folks opportunities we wouldn’t have normally and I know some of you don’t care, but ya really should, because there is nothing separating your from us but circumstance. And we all know circumstances change yours may not always be as good as they are now.
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I don’t think anyone here is suggestion we change our model, just discussing the differences and how other spaces operate.
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Yeah I get that its just discussion but we do have members who want that sort of thing. And if we poorer folk don’t take a stand against that early than discussion can easily turn into action.
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I have not forgotten that THIS makerspace was started so a group of people could share space and the cost of tools. Making access to such nice things possible.
This is not really a model war. I think people were lamenting that as we grow, the nature is to become more customers than community.
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