By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – After months of renovations and settling into a new home, Quelab is inviting the Albuquerque community to celebrate the grand reopening of its expanded makerspace.
The nonprofit organization has spent the past year transforming its largest home yet into a collaborative space where artists, engineers, hobbyists and makers can learn new skills, share knowledge and bring ideas to life.
“This is our third location over the course of 15 years, and this is the largest location we’ve been in yet,” says Rebecca Snyder, chair of the board of directors for Quelab. “This building is about 15,000 square feet. It’s a great place to be in the heart of Albuquerque.”
Snyder explains that the move happened quickly, leaving members focused on getting the space operational before hosting a public celebration.
“We had to move in here kind of on short notice, so we didn’t have a grand reopening for a while because we were still kind of getting things figured out,” says Snyder. “This grand reopening is a celebration of all their hard work, as well as reintroducing us to the Albuquerque community.”
Quelab has spent much of the past year, as Quelab President Adric Menning describes it, “running in stealth mode.”
“Once we got to move to [the new space], it was really great because it had a lot of great bones and really good options for us to build a lot of what we like to do,” says Menning. “Right here near UNM, right here on Route 66, right here kind of in the heart of everything, where we now have access to great food, we’ve got access to public transportation, we’ve got access to the freeways.”
The new building has also allowed members to rethink how the makerspace is organized and what it can become in the years ahead.
Menning explains that Quelab currently occupies about 70 percent of the building, leaving room for future expansion. Plans include additional workshop areas, a casting and jewelry shop, resin printing, lapidary work, blacksmithing and more community event space.
“We really want to revamp our classes,” says Menning. “A lot of our classes are kind of teaching what you know and sharing knowledge type structure.”
Snyder adds that many volunteers who spent countless hours preparing the new building are eager to begin teaching once the move is fully behind them.
“We hope to have more of those,” says Snyder. “We’re setting up a podcasting studio.”
While Quelab offers specialized equipment ranging from laser cutters and welders to 3D printers and electronics tools, both leaders emphasized that the organization’s greatest resource is its community.
“We call it a place to make things and a community of makers because we have not just the tools and equipment, but also the creative community of people,” says Snyder. “It’s not just about the tools. It’s about the people and what they’re up to.”
For Menning, helping people discover abilities they did not know they had is one of Quelab’s defining goals.
“A lot of people may not know how creative or capable they really are,” says Menning. “If somebody’s ever made it, there’s a really good chance you could do something similar or better, especially if you really put your mind to it.”
Menning compares creativity to building strength over time. “Making and creating is like muscle,” says Menning. “It is a creative muscle that gets built as you do it.”
The organization also prides itself on being entirely volunteer-run. “Nobody here makes $1 off of anything,” says Menning. “All the funds that get paid to memberships, classes, donations and everything else all get reinvested back in to pay things like rent, insurance, utilities, keeping lights on, buying upgrades and repairs.”
Snyder explains that Quelab has even helped inspire members to launch businesses of their own.
“We’ve even had members go on to start their own businesses,” says Snyder. “Sometimes just getting started into a new journey of creativity just takes going into the unknown and being bold.”
The grand opening for Quelab (1511 Central Ave. NE) grand reopening will take place Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The free event will feature tours of the makerspace, live demonstrations, opportunities to meet makers, food and family-friendly activities. More information about memberships and weekly Wednesday open houses is available at quelab.net.
If you go…
Quelab’s Grand Reopening
- Saturday, July 25, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Quelab (1511 Central Ave. NE)
- Free!