On Thursday night this week during the museum’s adult evening hours we launched a new, experimental program for curious tinkerers called Tinkering Social Club. Inspired by our current artist in residence Todd McLellan, we invited folks to don a pair of safety glasses, pick up a screwdriver or wrench, and explore the insides of familiar household objects.
After telling us a little about his work and some of his go-to tools & techniques, Todd jumped in with visitors to tackle a massive take-apart collaboration— an old Hammon organ (thanks again Urban Ore!)
Walter made sure great tunes were spinning all evening, creating a lovely atmosphere for engagement on all levels, from good conversation to both playful and focused tinkering. We were delighted to welcome friends from Make as well as one of our favorite tinkerers, Gever Tulley.
As the evening progressed we continued to unpack the mysteries of the Hammon organ, discovering amazing craftsmanship and beautiful complexity.
The evening flew by as we continued to work together on the organ, totally engrossed by its thoughtful and comprehensive construction. It was so nice to have a group of people to share in the excitement and discovery of dissecting such a masterful object.
Plenty of fun was also had unpacking smaller objects, and creating wearable accessories from their parts. Marie turned a few of the components from this old tape deck (or was it an answering machine?!) into earrings!
Thank you to all who joined us for our first Tinkering Social Club—our inaugural event was just about as good as we could imagine: a crew of new friends, expanded tinkering skills, and some surprising and delightful discoveries. Stay tuned for news of the next Tinkering Social Club and join us for more experimentation & fun!
