In March 2013 I was working on two volunteer projects in Chicago (with Moving Design and HandsOn Tech), each of which met in artists’ lofts. This was a new concept to me. These re-purposed industrial buildings (of which Chicago has many) now rent space to artists and community groups. While the bare-brick walls and exposed duct work set the scene with a raw visual aesthetic, the studios emanate a strong sense of creativity and collaboration.
Such collaboration spaces hit me in a good spot, in a time when I’m being intentional about socializing my thinking and taking action rather than amassing piles of ideas that end on paper. This spurred my curiosity about collaboration spaces. The following is an outline of what I’ve found.
Artists’ Lofts
As described above, the artists’ lofts are commercial rentals in repurposed industrial buildings. To illustrate what the space is like:
My Moving Design group met in the studio of The Post Family - a group of seven (graphic) designers who rent a studio to work on individual and group projects. In this space, they have formed a tight community of self-sufficient designers, which spur such interesting works as The Noun Project (a universal language of symbols). In their space, they also host art showcases, parties, potlucks, experimental music showcases, and community design activists such as my Moving Design group. Here’s the vibe of The Post Family.
Over the course of my Moving Design project, we needed to do some screen printing. So, being in an artists’ loft, we walked upstairs to collaborate with Spudnik Press [sic], which is a membership-based non-profit that provides printmaking instruction and facilities for screen printing, letterpress, relief, intaglio, offset, and lithography. They also have a gallery, classroom, and studio space.
Co-Working Spaces
Co-working spaces have sprung up recently, as an option for entrepreneurs to have low-cost access to an office, including a desk, wifi, storage space, meeting space, conferencing systems, printer, and coffee. Beyond the facility itself, co-working spaces help entrepreneurs stay on task, feed off the enthusiasm of their office-mates, and have people to discuss ideas with. One example in Chicago is Coop.
“1871” – a tech incubator of sorts
1871 takes the co-working model and adds a higher level of collaboration, with a focus of getting tech start-ups off the ground. In addition to the co-working facilities, they host classes, speakers, workshops, and meet-ups to help their members grow their businesses.
Hackerspaces
Hackerspaces are shared workshops, where members have access to all sorts of tools (from hand tools to laser-engravers to 3D printers). Members include artists, designers, hobbyists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Some hackerspaces are more focused on providing quality tools (TechShop), whereas others are focused first on the community that they foster (Pumping Station: One).
Early this summer I visited Pumping Station: One in Chicago, and I felt like a kid in a candy store. It contained room after room of tools, projects, and interesting people. Whatever their members are doing, they can find other members to help them - whether to learn a programming language, use a particular tool, or develop an idea. Pumping Station: One calls themselves a do-ocracy, with a focus on doing rather than just talking about something. For example, they now have a brewing facility because a member just decided to build it. This means it’s a very flat organization where anything can happen. It’s freeing for some people but might be too disorganized for others.
My Dream
I dream of a space where… I can sit down to work (like a coffee shop) without being obligated to buy coffee… find interesting people to bounce ideas off of… access tools and working space for any project I’m tinkering with… find collaborators or join in someone else’s project… get people together for a night of ballroom dancing… brew beer… take part in sporadic, late-night jam sessions. Since this is a rather romantic idea and is ill-focused to succeed altogether, it’s probably best that such a diversity of collaboration spaces are developing!