The Museum of Making celebrates origins of the maker movement.

The maker movement is a subculture that embraces and celebrates the physical act of creating something. Borrowing from traditional hobbies such as woodworking, textile design and metalwork, there is a strong emphasis on repurposing existing objects and finding fun and fulfilment in the act of creation, writes Jamie Doward in the Guardian Newspaper (Jan 2021).

The world’s first factory, in Derby, UK has been opened as a museum to celebrate the role of the maker as a driver of innovation. It is part of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Museum of Making is located on the site of silk mill that opened in 1721 and was the first fully mechanised mill supplied by a single power source.

Tony Butler, executive director of the museum explains in the article that the museum aims to acknowledge that innovation can be driven by individual revelation and genius but also requires a supply of workers and raw materials.

Artefacts on display will range from a tiny little engine run by a human hair to a huge Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine.

It is intended that the museum will explore the links between the first factory and the Derby of today which is home to Rolls-Royce and Toyota. Butler explains that the maker movement is not just lads with beards tinkering in sheds but a whole culture of making that resonates across the world.

More information https://www.derbymuseums.org/locations/museum-of-making