[Crosspost] Libre Lounge interviews Mitch Altman (Noisebridge)

Frici is assembling a core group of people interested in starting a hackerspace in Sonoma County California, but he’s got some questions. How do you get enough paying people to start affording rent? How do you proceed when you don’t have a space or 501c3 status yet? How do you create something from nothing?

We talked with The Cedars Union at the start of the pandemic in July 2020, but here we catch up with them in July 2021 to see how they’ve adapted to uncertain times.

The Cedars Union has been a Dallas-area art incubator and makerspace since 2015. They have shared and private studio and work spaces, and primarily function through artist residencies in a system of cohorts. In this episode Rachel and Matt chat with the host about surviving COVID, structuring membership and training, access and membership software, and blending art with making and 501c3 status.

Zandi has been involved in running The James Black Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, since 2014. The gallery is a live-in, nonprofit, artist-run studio based in a home that’s as old as colonial Vancouver itself. In this episode they chat with the host about rescuing a struggling space, structure vs anarchy, cultivating diversity, managing burnout and residencies, establishing a healthy inspiring collaborative culture, being a positive leader, and handling conflict.

Makerspace Managers is all about interviewing people who've run makerspaces, but the Libre Lounge podcast beat us to the punch! Pop over there to hear their interview with Mitch, who founded Noisebridge. https://librelounge.org/episodes/episode-24-hackers-and-hackerspaces-with-mitch-altman.html

In 2009, Jeremy Leung and the host both helped start HeatSync Labs in Mesa Arizona, with backgrounds in organizing tech/hacker communities at their schools. Since then, they’ve both moved into other consultative/volunteer roles. In this episode they chat about starting out, handling difficult members, handling burnout, and making spaces inviting and inspiring.