What’s New?

Thank you Northwest Arkansas for being one of a million reasons for us to celebrate reaching a significant milestone in April. Since opening on July 15, 2015, the Scott Family Amazeum welcomed over a million guests from every state in the United States and many foreign countries.

Every innovation starts with the recognition that change is not only good, but also necessary to make a difference in someone’s life. Teachers who participate in Maker Boot Camp at the Scott Family Amazeum quickly recognize that the changes they experience translate to a richer, deeper learning experience for their students (and themselves). Taking educators through a process to discover making and tinkering at Maker Boot Camp leads to a fundamental shift in the relationship between teacher and students.

By Bailey Thompson

Boot Camp conjures up images of testing limits, hard work, determination, and pushing boundaries. There is also a certain expectation from Boot Camp, the expectation of a physical, mental, and procedural transformation that result in self-improvement. And that is pretty much what happens during Maker Boot Camp at the Scott Family Amazeum. By the end of the week, educators who participate experience a transformation in the way they work, think, and how they engage students in their classrooms, libraries, and makerspaces.

by: Bailey Thompson

A big year calls for a big celebration, and 2018 was huge at the Scott Family Amazeum. So, we we threw a party with almost 2,000 guests to help us celebrate 2018 and Zing in 2019 at our fourth annual (seriously, 4 years!)  Zing in the New Year!

A number of makers called the Scott Family Amazeum home during the first year of the Maker in Residence Program. Each brought a unique brand of creativity to the museum and community. And each influenced thought about creative work at the museum and beyond. Of all the makers who resided at the Amazeum in 2018, the impact of Fayetteville maker Eugene Sargent continues to radiate through the Amazeum and Northwest Arkansas.

If it looks like a mobile. Acts like a mobile. Moves like a mobile. Then, it must be a mobile. Or, is it more?

The Scott Family Amazeum's Maker in Residence Program introduces talented, creative makers to Northwest Arkansas and the creative culture that already exists in the region.  Makers from across the nation with unique skills, visions, and mindsets find a home at the Amazeum where they become part of the family. Amanda Willshire, the latest Amazeum Maker in Residence, moved in and got to work with the team who supported her with time, talent and tools as she worked on a piece of interactive public art.

This year's Tinkerfest could easily have been a multi-day "Tinker Festival" largely due to the quality and quantity of makers in attendance. The Amazeum's Makers in Residence Program provided the impetus for a whole new level of making and tinkering. Five talented, diverse makers from across the country came to Northwest Arkansas to collaborate with our team, interface with guests and the community. Their presence at our 5th Tinkerfest exponentially raised the creativity level at the Amazeum and in the region.