Week of Making

“The White House will be celebrating the National Week of Making, June 17 -23. We invite libraries, museums, rec centers, schools, universities and community spaces to support and grow the number of our citizen-makers by hosting events, making commitments, and highlighting new innovations.

The week will coincide with the National Maker Faire here in D.C. at the University of D.C. campus on June 18 and 19, which will feature makers from around the country in addition to federal agencies or departments. Last year, exhibitions or presentations at the Faire included: the National Science Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development, Institute for Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Homeland Security, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, the Federal Laboratory Consortium, National Endowment for the Arts, General Services Administration and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

This year’s celebration continues the initiative originating in June 2014 when President Obama hosted the first-ever White House Maker Faire and issued a call to action that “every company, every college, every community, every citizen joins us as we lift up makers and builders and doers across the country.” Last year, President Obama built on the single event by proclaiming a National Week of Making and inviting people of all ages to hold events around the country celebrating ingenuity, inspiring creative problem-solving, and supporting opportunities for those from all backgrounds to tinker and make.”