COLRAIN — With an $8,000 grant, the Griswold Memorial Library will begin a new “maker” program this fall, with a movable “Creator Cart” filled with tools, kits and materials, along with free workshops to be taught by some of Colrain’s talented artists and crafters.
“It begins in October,” said Library Director Betty Johnson, “with the workshops to kick off in January. “What we’re going to do is have a mobile cart stacked with art materials, a sewing machine, a Dremel (rotary tool kit) and an art easel packed with art supplies, paints and watercolors.”
Some of the tools and materials on the Creator Cart may be loaned out, while others will be used in the library.
Johnson said the workshops, for all ages, will include basketry, turning re-usable metal objects into lamps and drawing workshops. By exploring the cart’s contents, “you might find something you are really interested in, for years to come,” she said.
The new IdeaLabgrant was developed by the Library Services and Technology Act to help libraries start and sustain an interactive creative space that brings the community together for lifelong learning events.
“This year’s grants illustrate the vibrant and dynamic ways that libraries connect with their communities,” said Robert Favini, head of library advisory and development at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the agency that awarded the grant. “The grants help libraries expand service offerings, impact lives and demonstrate why libraries continue to be a vital part of the civic landscape.”