History of the Organization

MAKETANK Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Ohio.  

Today our primary focus is working with newly arrived youth to help them create and share illustrated memoirs. We believe that young immigrants, refugees, and other language learner students possess unique funds of knowledge that can be shared through words and images in the form of illustrated memoir stories. We hope that by centering the lived experience of these young people in their classrooms and throughout their community we can foster their intellectual self-trust. We believe that sharing newly arrived youth’s life stories can build understanding of their strength, resiliency, unique ways of knowing and seeing the world.

We are an organization whose mission has always been to meet challenges through creative making and sharing. We value the many creative and intellectual resources in our community and seek to make connections between people and organizations to enhance the well-being of all, particularly under-resourced youth.

At our founding our mission was to help people of all ages find confidence in their creativity, to facilitate skill-sharing,  to build community through innovative programming, and enhance understanding of science, technology, engineering, art and math. We are artists, craftspeople, academics, and social and environmental activists, but we are also all makers.

Originally MAKETANK’s sole project (since 2011) was the administration of the Oxford Kinetics Festival (OKF), a day each April dedicated to celebrating and exploring art, science, innovation, and creativity in Oxford. We then expanded into year round programming by developing the MAKETANK Educational Initiatives - STEAM into Action and Access to Innovation. Through these, we built and managed collaborations between Miami University faculty and students, regional professionals, and the teachers and students of regional school districts, as well as clients of regional social service agencies. This programming supported our mission of community building, skill sharing, and confidence building, and remained tied to the festival-- the OKF - which showcased the results of the collaborations in the form of performance, exhibition, or competition. The funding for our projects comes from grants, awards, and donations. Some funding is provided by the partners we involve, such as the Talawanda - Miami Partnership, the Oxford Community Foundation, Oxford Community Arts Center, and the Oxford Visitors Bureau.  Additional funds come from local, state and national organizations like Artswave, Ohio Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts.

 As we continue to grow our outreach and help more young people share their unique funds of knowledge and lived experience with others we welcome partnerships in all forms. If you are interested in supporting this work, learning more about our current programming, or partnering please contact executive director, Kate Carlier Currie at ktccurrie@gmail.com.