The Hawk Makerspace, an immersive shared workspace designed to empower makers of all abilities, unveiled on Wednesday a unique 3D interactive gear mural designed by local middle school students. Created under the expert guidance of The Hawk Makerspace staff, and with generous support from the Bosch Community Fund, the installation highlights the creativity and collaborative spirit of students from the City’s After School Youth Program. The unveiling took place on Wednesday, June 12 at The Hawk in Farmington Hills, during the City’s “Kick Off 2 Summer,” a free community event welcoming the summer recreation season.

 

“The creativity and hard work the students put into this project is truly inspiring,” said Mayor Theresa Rich. “The mural is a testament to what our youth can achieve when they are provided exceptional resources and support. The City and The Hawk Makerspace are grateful to the Bosch Community Fund for their continued support of creativity and innovation in Farmington Hills.”

 

The mural was created by Dakshith Ale, Harmoni Cutler, Felix Gajdos, Jordan Graham, Cecilia Rottet and Leyah Wilson. The students were joined by Farmington Hills Mayor Theresa Rich, City Council Members and City administrators, Beth Bonds and other representatives from the Bosch Community Fund, The Hawk Makerspace staff, and representatives from the City’s Special Services Cultural Arts Division for the unveiling. The students were selected from the City’s After School Youth Program based on their interest in art and design, enthusiasm for the mural project, and willingness to collaborate.

 

Bringing together elements of art and engineering, this permanent mural, titled “Community in Motion,” demonstrates how the different programs at The Hawk work in sync to create a thriving community—a concept developed by the students as they were designing the project. From the onset of the project, students participated in every step, from learning CAD software for blueprinting to fabricating gears using CNC routers, laser cutters, and 3D printers and more. This hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) exercise also allowed the students to develop essential skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and more.

 

"The highlight of working on the mural was that I learned how to 3D print,” said Jordan Graham, one of the student artist/engineers who created the project. His other favorite part was the teamwork with his peers. He added, “I'm proud of what we created!”

 

Located within The Hawk, the City’s award-winning recreation and performance venue, The Hawk Makerspace is a creativity incubator that aims to empower makers of all ages and abilities by providing access to a high-quality space and a creative community with abundant resources and knowledge, from woodworking to sewing and more. The Hawk Makerspace offers guided programs catering to beginners, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs, as well as daily, monthly, or annual studio passholder options for self-directed use.

 

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