Erie makerspace to host fundraiser for anticipated opening

CO-CREATE

The metal Quonset hut building on the Schofield Farm Open Space is set to house the new Co-Create Erie makerspace and open in late 2025 or early 2026. The first annual Cultivate and CO-Create fundraiser will help raise funds to buy equipment for the makerspace. COURTESY PHOTO — ERIE

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By Andrea Grajeda

agrajeda@prairiemountainmedia.com

The CO-Create makerspace on Schofield Farm in Erie is scheduled to open late this year or early 2026, to provide community members with access to wood working equipment, ceramics studio, laser cutting, robotics, 3D printers and sewing machines, as well as a place to collaborate with other artists.

The CO-Create nonprofit will host its first annual fundraiser to help buy much of the needed equipment for the makerspace.

A makerspace is a collaborative workspace that provides patrons with access to tools to create, design and build.

“These spaces are designed to encourage exploration and experimentation across a variety of disciplines,” CO-Create Vice President Julia Thomas-Glennon said.

As much as it is a place to create, CO-Create President Karen Hofmeister said, it is also a place to meet other creatives and bounce ideas off of. Hofmeister said one of the benefits of a makerspace is that patrons have access to equipment and materials they may otherwise not have access to, either due to the expensive equipment or not having the space to store it.

“Wood working is messy, ceramics is messy. We just want to provide the tools people may not have the ability to have in their home. But also it’s a sense of community,” Hofmeister said.

Having the necessary tools is just one part of the creative process, as Hofmeister said it can be beneficial to have more knowledgeable artisans around to bounce ideas off of and learn from.

“It’s a place where people are united through curiosity. It’s turning ideas into tangible projects, and sharing projects and ideas with others,” Thomas-Glennon said.

The makerspace will run off a membership-based model, with members paying a monthly fee to be able to use the space. Hofmeister said the makerspace nonprofit is looking at ways to ensure the fee is accessible to patrons. There are also plans to host open houses and one-time programs, to open up the space for the community without having to commit to a full membership.

Erie partnered with the nonprofit to provide a location for the makerspace on the Schofield Farm open space, where it will renovate a 2,400-square-foot building. The building is scheduled to undergo renovations later this year, according to a previous Erie Town Council meeting.

The nonprofit will host its first fundraising event with the Cultivate & CO-Create Garden Tour on June 29. Tickets range from $20 to $45, and attendees can tour a variety of gardens around town. Gardens with sustainability awards, a Claude Monet-inspired garden and a garden that has been in the works for 20 years will be available for the tour. The event will include an auction.

A group of local plein air artists will paint the gardens during the day, with the paintings to go on auction in the evening. Other items on auction include a hot air balloon ride and a handmade custom menswear shirt from a local tailor.

“These gardens demonstrate how Erie residents are creating their own botanical destinations complete with Rocky Mountain backdrops,” Nicole Zelyez, CO-Create member and garden tour organizer, said in a statement.

More information about the fundraiser is available at eriemakerspace.org/cultivate-co-create-garden-tour.