Join Tinker Time every Thursday and receive lessons from master buttonist Leilani Conaway
On Thursday, Aug. 27, the first open Tinker Time of the semester was held in the Keble Makerspace. Gathering in the lower level of Chapman Hall, the learning lab gives students a free space to create with others, offering various stations stocked with creative supplies. This semester, the organization plans on centering “open tinker,” which allows participants to be very fluid with what they create. Despite that, everyone this week was focused on buttons.
Tinker Time is organized by Dr. Helen Douglass, who also teaches the accompanying Intro to STEM Education course.“I’ve done this before in my classes” she stated. “The premise is to bring people together, have them come out of their thinking process and just start making and doing.” Regardless of the activity’s STEM focus, students of any major are encouraged to join and participate. This openness is built into the creative space. Douglass went on to explain that, “This is all due to the gift of the Kelbe family. Dr. Eileen Kelbe was a faculty member in the education department, so our space is also used as a teaching space.” The generosity that allowed this space to exist can be seen in how it operates: everyone works together, none of it costing a dime for students or requiring any prior experience.
The button station I spent my time at was fairly straightforward. We were given a circular piece of paper that you could either print off a design for, or draw one yourself. Once you had your preferred design, you then went over to the button-press and ran your paper through the machine. This was a pretty easy process for most people, but I could not seem to figure out the button-press, and so the organization’s in-house buttonist showed me how it actually worked. I ended up making the “I <3 Collegian” buttons pictured in this article.
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[/media-credit] Buttons made with love, albeit not much experience.[/caption]
I think this experience with Tinker Time shows that even someone like myself, who is a complete amateur at whichever activity is going on, can still find their place in an environment as open as this one. That openness was something apparent from the moment I entered and ended up being felt by other students as well. Polett Conaway, a sophomore media studies major and makeup artist, said that it was her first time going to a Tinker Time event. “The atmosphere was very friendly, people were talking to each other immediately and it didn’t feel closed off or anything.” She also stated, “I can definitely see this spreading more, maybe even towards the community, not just campus.” It is not a far-fetched idea. The barrier to entry is a table, some supplies and a willingness to just sit down and create.
As for what comes next, Dr. Douglass mentioned a few ideas including “running design challenges on any problem or issues that are important to the student group.” She also mentioned that she hopes “for Tinker Time to really be a ramp to Fab Lab Tulsa.” Fab Lab Tulsa, acquired by the University of Tulsa in 2024, is a nonprofit makerspace that works with the wider Tulsa community. The learning lab also plans on hosting several events this semester, including: Intro to 3D Printing, Intro to Sewing and Intro to Physical Computer. These plans are still early, but the premise is taking shape.
STEM related fields and activities are seen as fairly cold and uninviting by some, but Tinker Time has shown how a makerspace can be one of the warmest rooms on campus. The lab meets every Thursday on the lower level of Chapman Hall for those who wish to visit for themselves. Additionally, the organization is also highlighting that they are looking for people who can work with all sorts of creative equipment such as 3D printing, vinyl printing, woodworking, sewing and more.
