They made it themselves, and you can too.
The new art display at the Two Rivers Gallery in the Rustad Galleria room is cobbled together from all the creative activities of MakerLab, the studio upstairs where the fun-loving mad scientists of the city get together each week to see what they can build together.
They could perhaps have called this exhibition MacGyver after the TV show depicting a fictional crime fighter who monkey-wrenches and jerry-rigs his way through difficult situations. Organizers chose to call the show Made It as an homage to the MakerLab activities.
"It's a great way to collaborate right within our own walls," said Maeve Hanna, assistant curator at the gallery.
"The makers come each week with great ideas, a lot of talent, they worked hard to make these amazing things, so we thought it deserved its own exhibition."
Artists, or "makers," involved in the show include Ryley Simpson, Karli Simon, Carolyn Howarth, Ken Turner, the gallery's aboriginal artist-in-residence Lenard Pacquette Jackson, Joel Klingler, Troy Lindstrom, Kathleen Angelski, Oro Barton, Douglas Freer, Darren Ditto, John Makowsky and others who join in at Open Make held every Thursday evening.
"We have a needle gauge for knitting made on the MakerLab's 3D printer, and that fits in your hand easily; we have dolls that are doll-sized; up to the percussion bike," said Hanna discussing the variety of sizes and shapes all these items encompass.
"All sorts of eccentric things in an eclectic show."
The main attraction since the Made It show opened is the curious and creative contraption that looks something like a bicycle built for Neil Peart were he a sci-fi clown instead of a legendary drummer. "The pedal-powered percussion machine we acquired from the Lower Mainland," said Hanna. "But there were boxes of spare parts so we can add to it. Work was done to it by MakerLab people.
"It's one of the things in the show you can touch. You can ride it and make it play."
Several of the Made It items can be handled by gallery audiences.
Ask at the front desk which ones can be held and physically explored and which ones are only for the eye.
Made It is on in the Rustad Galleria until June 7.
