Makerspace rolls out January lineup of classes, free community nights and new offerings for all ages
By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times
Local nonprofit Talent Maker City is keeping its hands busy over the holiday season and into the new year with multiple new and ongoing workshops with the goal of educating and enhancing community connection in the region.
The organization is bringing all sorts of activities for all ages in 2026 such as its free Community Craft Night on Jan. 13 and Jan. 27; a brand-new Brick Makers workshop for Lego lovers in Southern Oregon on Jan. 31; the new Intermediate Stained Glass series and more.
Talent Maker City is a makerspace — a communal space in which artists and artisans can work on personal projects, teach, learn and collaborate together with their fellow creatives.
“I think it’s so important for people to have a safe place to come and to build and create community together, and I think that’s one of things we’re going to lean on coming into 2026,” said Lisa Shinohara, Talent Maker City’s programs director, who’s been with the nonprofit for two years.
The some of the upcoming workshops and activities at Talent Maker City in January include:
- Turn it Up — Lathe Techniques, Jan. 7
- Welcome to the Wheel World — Intro to Clay Throwing (four sessions) begins Jan. 7
- Print Together! Assisted Open Studio, Jan. 8
- Second Spin — Intermediate Lathe, Jan. 9
- ClayTime — Handbuilding Techniques, Jan. 9
- Community Bike Maintenance (free), Jan. 9
- Get Inky! Deep Dive Screenprinting Series (four-part series) starting Jan. 9
- Double Dipping: Dyeing with Indigo, Jan. 10
- Intro to Stained Glass, Jan. 13
- Community Craft Night (free), Jan. 13 and Jan. 27)
- Make Your Own Musette: Intermediate Sewing, Jan. 21
- Laser-Focused: Introduction to the Laser Engraver, Jan. 31 Brick Makers, Jan. 31.
For more information and a full list of the various workshops and activities being offered by Talent Maker City, or to register, visit talentmakercity.org/adult-workshops.
The new year will include many fan-favorite workshops such as the returning free Community Craft Nights.
“We noticed it was such a huge hit; we were seeing more than 20, sometimes over 40 people, in a night and they all gathered and created things together and we realized that that’s a huge need in the community, a super low barrier way for people to come and even bring their own crafts if they want,” Shinohara said, noting that Talent Maker City provides free materials to craft with during the events.
“One of our new offerings is called Double Dipping and it’s dyeing with indigo … the indigo was actually grown in our dye garden in the back deck and that’s been harvested to curate an indigo vat … People get to come and learn about that whole process and they get to dip dyes,” Shinohara added.
The organization offers partial and full scholarships for people to participate in its programs regardless of financial circumstances, and the Flying Standby program offers discounted rates for last-minute workshop openings for those looking to get involved.
“We’re trying to make everything accessible for folks,” Shinhara said. “That’s why we can offer things at really affordable prices because there are makers out there that are done with their craft and they’ve donated those materials to us.”
Talent Maker City’s staff have many plans for 2026, including finishing renovating its tech space and adding two new Bamboo 3D printers, and continuing its fundraising goal of $4.4 million to provide additional workshops, tools and more.
“We’ve just now finally settled into our new building; we’ve been here for just over a year and I think at this point we’re hoping to make this place better and make sure all the systems run smoothly,” Shinohara said. Talent Maker City is always in need of financial and material donations. Those with materials such as bicycles, wood, paper, fabric and more are encouraged to email [email protected] with a photo and description of the items they want to donate.
For more information on the nonprofit, visit talentmakercity.org.
Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.
