Fab Lab brings art and technology together so community can create

Jul. 28—SHARON — Special Program Manager Jonathan Richardson sings the praises of the Valley Fab Lab's large-format printer, one of several pieces of equipment the lab employs to help Shenango Valley residents bring their creative impulses to life.

"It's basically the same printer the Smithsonian has," Richardson says. The device can be used to reproduce works of art, in extremely high quality, on canvas, card stock, and various other media.

Richardson points to a photo on the wall above the printer, a color reproduction of a classic shot depicting baseball legend Jackie Robinson shaking hands with Montreal Royals teammate George Shuba, a Youngstown native, after hitting his first home run for the team in 1946.

The photo, printed right here in the Fab Lab, is one of the highest-quality color reproductions of the historic image in existence, according to Richardson.

And that's just one of several machines contributed by Whole Life Services, a social service organization in Hermitage. Others include a 3-D printer; a laser used to create engravings on glass, wood, denim and other materials; a small CNC machine; and a 59-inch laser printer which can be used to produce banners, posters and other large items.

There's also a vinyl cutter that can craft stickers and large decals, as well as a heat press, which can be used to emboss those images onto articles of clothing.

"You can bring a T-shirt with you, learn how to design an image or graphic you might like, and then use the machine to transfer it onto the shirt," says Maggie Horne, director of the Erie-based Small Business Development Center, which oversees the administrative side of the Fab Lab's operations.

Whole Life Services contributed nearly $120,000 to purchase equipment for the lab, according to CEO Cindy Vogan, while the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce obtained a four-year grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to fund the day-to-day operation of the facility. The city of Sharon kicked in money for training.

Laurel Technical Institute, finally, provided space to house the Fab Lab at its satellite campus in Sharon.

'Integrating with the community'The Fab Lab is a fairly unassuming facility considering all the services it has to offer. About as big as an average-sized college classroom, with four rows of long tables, each equipped with four straight-backed wheeled office chairs, occupying the center of the room. The machines are arranged along all four walls — walls adorned, in each case, with examples of that machine's handiwork.

The Jackie Robinson photo. A wood engraving of the Pittsburgh skyline. A cutting board emblazoned with the image of recording artist Lionel Ritchie, the words "Hello... Is it me you're cooking for?" etched into the wood.

Whole Life serves individuals with intellectual disabilities.

"Our folks are really creative, and they like to make things," Vogan says.

Whole Life clients have made signs, stickers, banners, engraved glass items, and even cooking utensils for local businesses like Underdog BBQ, according to Vogan.

"It provides a work opportunity for the people that we serve," she says. "We want our people to be integrated with the community, so we like to get them out of our facility, and into a place where they can engage with the community, as often as possible."

The Fab Lab is equipped to serve a much larger population than Whole Life's clients, however.

"This is also just for hobbyists," Vogan says. "Or it could be a learning experience, or a way to get certified on some of the machines."

The lab will soon begin offering classes and workshops where anyone in the community can come in and make use of the machines, according to Horne. Some will be offered at no cost, while others might require a small fee to cover the cost of materials.

Horne said hole Life Services' Amy Zell — whose Twitter profile describes her as a "maker, trainer and innovator" — will teach most of these classes, some of which will focus on specific topics.

"And then there are open classes, where you can come in, bring whatever you're working on, and she'll give you some guidance," says Horne.

Not content to rest on their laurels, Fab Lab's leaders are looking to expand its offerings, according to Horne.

"We're looking to determine what other types of machines would be useful," she says. "As people come in and give us feedback and tell us what they'd like to be able to do."

The lab's logo — a collection of gears with flowing, artsy-style script floating above — symbolizes the Fab Lab's mission perfectly, says Horne.

"We want to bring together both sides: the creative community and the mechanical side," she says.

Vogan agrees.

"Technology and art," she says. "Anybody, no matter what their interest, should be able to find something in the Fab Lab."