Technocopia, an industrial makerspace located on 44 Portland St., Worcester, is like no other. It is a collaborative workspace, with a welcoming community of makers, artisans, educators and entrepreneurs. Not to mention, great educational-based courses open to all!  

Membership to Technocopia offers the use of a variety of tools and equipment, opportunity for rental space, workshops, youth education and tool training! Some of the equipment offered at Technocopia includes vinyl cutters, glass flame-working, MIG/TIG welders, 3D printers and more! There is also a great range of workshops you can take, including screen printing, glass frame working, laser cutting, 3-D printing and wood shop. Technocopia is also growing to fit the needs of its members by building out more rental cubes and a textile studio!

I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the members at Technocopia and was enlightened to hear how beneficial this makerspace is for all of them individually.

Technocopia is a community of nearly 100 members of all different ages. The spaces consist of people with families, students, children, and craftsmen and tradesmen who use the space to make a living.  Each member comes from a different background with different interests but the same need to create. The diversity between each artist is influential in that everyone collaborates with each other and is able to help give a different perspective than others. Mike D’Angelo, a co-director and board member of Technocopia states, “We have a built-in fan club here as far as your projects go.” Mike is a metal shop steward who teaches a variety of metal shop courses from welding classes to plasma cutting.

I also got the chance to speak with Annie Stegink, an active member of Technocopia and a stewart of the textile studio. Annie found this makerspace when she really needed it most. She was searching for a community to be a part of in Worcester. Here at Technocopia, she found the place that was meant for her and her creative needs. She explained how she fit in with such a great variety of people. Annie has been able to grow within the community in a way that she feels she must now give back to it.

“This space is really about empowering people, and I feel that I have learned a lot here and learned that I have a lot to offer and teach to other people, too.”

Jacob Berry, another member and teacher of the group Happy Hacker Society in Technocopia was able to give me more information about the educational programs going on in the makerspace. He explained how worthwhile it is to see artists who come from all over and take what they learned from the course and use it to move forward in future art pieces. He also touched on the education program available for the youth and how beneficial it really is. Technocopia offers programs in STEAM education for children ages 5-17. The programs offer children a look outside of the box and explore amazing creative and educational opportunities for a range of interests.

“For kids, it really opens them up to something new and something different they might not get exposed to in their traditional schooling that their going through.”

He also added, “It expands their career path choices- it expands knowledge in general, and how they approach problem solving can even change with art.” Not only for youth, but for anyone who has an interest in art, it can help you troubleshoot problems just by looking at it from a different perspective.  Technocopia can help you strengthen and extend your creative palette not only through art but in different aspects of your life as well!

This makerspace’s purpose is not just for a shared space of tools and materials, but a great community that you can grow and learn from.  For more information on memberships and upcoming workshops, check out their site!

Berkeley Wlodarczak