Meet the Maker: Zach Wade, Open Works

Zach Wade is a technician at Open Works, and contributed not one but TWO parts to Project Egress!

If Open Works sounds familiar, it’s because it is the makerspace in Baltimore where Jen Schachter first fabricated the SXSL letters (before they were taken to Digital Harbor Foundation for assembly) and where Adam visited to help on the SXSW puzzle. Zach Wade is a technician there.

Read on to learn more about Zach and his (and Open Works’) role in Project Egress.

Bio: My name is Zach Wade, I am from Waynesboro, Va., and I graduated from MICA with a degree in animation. I have lived, learned, and worked in Baltimore for 12 years. I am a “Zach of all trades and a master of all”… I love to work in many materials (ie. glass, wood, plastic, you name it I work with it). Professionally I am a Glassblower, an EVSE Service Technician, a Technician at Open Works Baltimore, and a Rapid-Prototyper (aka, an art mercenary).

About Open Works: “Our mission is to make tools, technology, and the knowledge to use them accessible to all. Baltimore is a brilliant, beautiful city with a magnificent manufacturing legacy. It birthed the bottle cap, the railroad, and legions of Liberty ships. The twists of history have deleted some of that legacy, but remnants of that industrial power still remain all over town. Open Works sits in the heart of one of Baltimore’s original manufacturing districts, a stone’s throw from the old Crown Cork and Seal complex and the former Lebow Brothers Clothing factory.

But it’s not all distant history — making is mounting a comeback in Baltimore. This city is full of artists, hackers, micro-manufacturers, inventors, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and builders. The manufacturing economy is growing. Social entrepreneurs are succeeding. New businesses are blooming. Open Works is a place for all of us to learn from one another and collaborate on building out this new economy to its fullest potential – together.”

PARTS #5 & 6: UPPER HANDLE BRACKET AND HANDLE BODY

Artist Statement: “My life as maker started with my grandmother showing me how to carve wooden birds with a belt sander at the age of 5…not kidding. Almost needless to say my obsession to create, repair, and tinker is bottomless. Outside of making I like to support my communities. One of the reasons I love working at Open Works is being able to assist others with their passions. That’s why collaborating on “Project Egress” was an unforgettable experience, it combined all the things I love to do. Being a maker has opened my heart and my hands to the world, and I wont stop till I’m in a well-crafted box.”

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