Paper short abstract:

University MakerSpaces serve both commercial and creative purposes. This paper considers these dual applications in order to develop an understanding of participant’s visions of “making” within an institutional context. What activity – and whose knowledge – is central to the goal of innovation?

Paper long abstract:

At the core of MakerSpaces is a dedication to personally meaningful activity. The popular discourse around MakerSpaces centers this constructivist ethos, foregrounding their potential to empower individuals and contribute both physical and intellectual resources for creative invention. Yet, MakerSpaces are often embedded in larger institutions that have a vested interest in encouraging these types of activities. "Tech transfer" has long been part of the Research & Development agenda in university settings where patents provide millions of dollars in royalties. However, more recently university language around invention has shifted from the tradition of "commercialization" to a larger mission of "innovation." Commercialization is defined by profit. But, innovation is a holistic activity that encompasses ideas, methods and outcomes.

For universities, MakerSpaces are a possible site of innovation - and they contribute more than just money to institutions. As a new phenomenon the purpose of MakerSpaces is in active negotiation across the social groups who use them. The proposed paper is based on ten weeks of field research in a university prototyping space. How do makers make-sense of their activities, within the larger goal of the space? I identify four actor-based categories: entrepreneurialism, access, branding and revenue, in order to explain what the MakerSpace is "supposed to do" and what it is that the MakerSpace does. Of specific interest are the disciplinary and gendered lines that emerge as actors categorize and participate in activities that are viewed as either central or peripheral to the ultimate goal of innovation.