Madjax Makerforce
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Madjax Makerforce •
Don’t Wait Just Make
Location: Madjax Makerforce in Muncie, IN
Square Feet: 286
Don’t Wait Just Make is a mural created by our founder, Cara Bow, as part of the 2023 Madjax Makerforce Maker in Residence program. Cara was challenged to complete a placemaking project in the Madjax building related to the 2023 theme: passionate curiosity. The goal of the project was to inspire creativity, foster meaningful connections, and support the creative pursuit of individuals and the community.
Step 1: Research
To ensure that the mural was created to serve the Madjax Makerforce tenants and the greater Muncie maker community, Cara needed to know how these individuals interacted with the building, their experience as makers, and what they value about their relationship with Madjax. Cara gathered this information by sending out a digital survey, having one-on-one and facilitated group discussions, and spending time within the Madjax building observing daily activities.
Once the research was complete, Cara and the Madjax team narrowed down the findings into a couple of pain points that makers experience that intersect with the theme of passionate curiosity.
Step 2: Concepts
In the research, the team found that participants experienced the desire to have a safe place with a supportive community where they could take risks and be themselves. They also expressed that they faced challenges finding time and availability to work and struggled to muster the courage to try new things.
Cara and the Madjax team decided to focus on the concept of embracing failure and how it is a key component in the process of making. The team worked together to find quotes of famous makers from Indiana to incorporate into the mural design to add a human element that not only connects makers today through their experience but to also remind us that there are successful individuals that have gone before us and have experienced and overcome the same challenges.
Cara created multiple design mockups and the team went through various quotes and design iterations before landing on a final mockup to move forward with.
Step 3: Installation
Once the final mural design was approved, Cara worked with the Madjax staff to order supplies and create an installation schedule and then the painting began. Once the painting was complete, Cara worked with the Madjax Design Lab manager to create the final piece which was a painted board with a Madam CJ Walker quote in vinyl lettering that would hang on top of the painted wall. The quote sign was created using materials and equipment in the Madjax Design Lab.
