Hackerspaces Sprouting Up Around The Midwest

[Chris Cooper] wrote in letting us know that this weekend is the grand opening of QC Co-Lab, a hackerspace in Davenport, Iowa. They kicked the weekend off in grand fashion on Friday by sand casting bronze medallions with a blast furnace. The 4000 square foot facility has plenty of room for new members so if you’re in the area check it out. It’s not too late to join in on the tail end of the festivities.

Sector67 is also making plans for its grand opening. The Madison, Wisconsin based hackerspace will officially open on October 15th. There was a strong turnout for the first viewing of the facilities on September 7th (see for yourself), with plenty of building, arranging, and accumulating to be done before the official start. [Chris Meyer] has been working hard to get the organization off the ground, acquiring several grants, and working with the School Factory (something of a quick-start incubator for hackerspace-type non-profits). Want to see more? Thanks to [Andrew Seidl] you can peruse a set of quality photos from the event.

19 thoughts on “Hackerspaces Sprouting Up Around The Midwest

  1. The one in Madison is only a couple hours drive from me, the Davenport one is about three hours, so I might stop by and check it out.

    I’d love to open one of these in Illinois but I’m not sure where to start or even if there’s enough people who’d want one.

  2. I’m from Madison. I can’t wait until I get back to check it out. Should be a neat spot.

    The Schenk-Atwood neighborhood is a very fun liberal hippy type area, with a lot of innovative shops and awesome people, and it’s only a couple blocks from the lake max. Notable spots to check out nearby would be the Barrymore Theatre and Williamson St Co-op.

  3. I´m from São Paulo, Brasil. Co-founder of a hackerspace that at nucleation… currently being called hackerSPace /tmp/G-HC however the name are also in the decision.

    It’s always interesting to see news from other hackerpsances being founded around the world.

  4. Yesterday was a blast! We had a great time out at the QC Co-Lab. The tesla coil was going off, more forging, and a ton of awesome talks.

    I got to see DNA extraction, impromptu soldering workshops, a ton of food, and fun. I’m sure someone will be posting all the pics and video soon.

  5. We’re trying to get one off the ground here in Colorado Springs, CO called MUNG (Mash Until No Good) labs. Recruiting and participation have been our major obstacles thus far, so if you’re in the 719 area, stop by and check it out.

  6. I’d like to see more info on how these hackerspaces found their space. We are getting kicked out of our current location due to renovations and are having a hard time finding affordable space.

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