Derby Museums’ Mini Maker Faire returns tomorrow, part of The Silk Mill’s dedicated five year transformation in to The Museum of Making, and there will be a brand new exhibition running throughout Derby Mini Maker Faire 2015 – Museum of Making: Lite, an opportunity to take a closer look at some highlights of the Museum collection, brought out of storage especially for this spectacular event.

For the first time, there will be a Maker Showcase Marquee in the nearby Cathedral Green where visitors can meet the 70 Makers who will be sharing their projects and making processes.  There will also be a chance for visitors of all ages to meet Makers from Rolls-Royce, DerwentWISE, the British Science Association, The Big Bubble Man and from Hackspaces around the country.

“The Derby Mini Maker Faire provides the perfect opportunity for makers of all sizes to showcase their work and for visitors to explore and engage in hands-on experiences for learning and enjoyment,” said Hannah Fox, Silk Mill Project Director.

Derby Museums has secured a first round pass for major grant funding of £9.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £4m Derby City Council towards a £16.4m development to create Derby Silk Mill – Museum of Making.

The project will open up the whole of the Silk Mill, creating large spaces to inspire visitors and will provide access to 100 per cent of Derby Museums’ collections of Making and Social History.

“The Museum of Making: Lite presents a wonderful opportunity to get even more of our collections out on display, many of which have never been seen by the public before,” said Daniel Martin, Curator of Making. “It will be a meaningful taster of what’s to come from The Silk Mill in the future. It will also show how modern practices, such as hacking, that will be on show throughout the Maker Faire, have their roots in the city’s historic collections.”

A key object from this display will be a wind-tunnel model for aerodynamic testing from the LMS research works in Derby.

Derby Mini Maker Faire will take place tomorrow between 10am-5pm, at The Silk Mill Museum.

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