Maker spaces and make-and-take venues throughout Happy Valley offer a great opportunity for travelers to express their creative side while visiting the region. The Rivet, a 5,000-square-foot community workshop just outside of downtown State College lets visitors explore a wide variety of mediums and “Make Anything.”

Evan Rosenberger, manager of The Rivet, recently shared what the unique space can offer to visitors:

Can you provide a brief explanation of what The Rivet is?

The Rivet is a community workshop, or maker space, that offers hands-on classes using a wide range of tools and technology. We have everything you need for woodworking, pottery, welding, 3D printing, laser cutting, and more. When you’re ready to tackle your own projects, you can use the workshop outside of classes to make anything you’d like.

If I wanted to try something like this out but didn’t feel like I was creative enough, what would you say to me?

Plenty of our classes focus on a preplanned project, so even if you don’t have something in mind that you’d like to make, you can still get your hands dirty and learn something new. Once you get started on a project, I bet you’ll find you are more creative than you think! At the end of the day, it’s not about what you make, it’s about making anything at all.

What’s available for kids?

Camps and once-weekly youth programs at The Rivet are great options to introduce kids to the workshop and a variety of tools. Alternatively, we offer 1-on-1 lessons and private group classes for younger students and groups. We are always growing our youth offerings, and have some exciting additions in store for the future.

How can travelers experience The Rivet? Are there workshops they can attend? Open hours?

Sign up online for one of our numerous public classes, or let us know ahead of time and we will schedule something private for you and your group. If you’d like to stop by and visit before signing up, feel free to join us for a tour anytime Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. each day.

What are some of the unique things on the schedule for the space in 2024?

We have two big events on the horizon this year. A summer benefit series (August 2, 9, and 16) and our Winter Market (November 16 and 17). Both events will have activities, prizes, local vendors, food, and much more!

We are always excited to introduce new skills and arts in our space. This year we’ve brought on several instructors to teach new topics ranging from machining to loom weaving.

Rosenberger added, “The Rivet has grown tremendously this year, and we have many plans for the future. With so much on the horizon, now is a great time to get involved.”

Learn more about the maker space at therivet.org.