By Ariel Arana
If you wanted a glimpse of the future and its inventors in real time and all in one place, Maker Faire Long Island was the place to be.
The Long Island Explorium celebrated 20 years with the 8th annual Maker Faire Long Island on September 14th at its new location at Stony Brook University giving the annual event more room to breathe. Speaking of, more than 2,000 curious minds were drawn to the event which featured fire-breathing sculptures, Star Wars set pieces, and hands-on STEM power wonders.
Maker Faire is the original, worldwide maker event that brings together creators, innovators and DIY enthusiasts to showcase their projects.
Elliot Langston, 15, has been making figurines out of pipe cleaners since he was 12.
“I do either human characters or monsters,” he said.
Langston has since moved on from pipe cleaner creation to making digital action-packed characters for his website.
“I like the Maker Faire,” said Aubrey Kelly, a volunteer at the event. “I think it’s really cool what they’re doing.”
Maker Faire Long Island was created by Lisa Collet Rodriguez, co-producer and deputy director of programs, and Angeline Judex, executive director of the Long Island Explorium, a children’s museum of science and engineering in Port Jefferson. They both work with many people throughout the university, including teachers and students.
“We inspire the community, the visitors that come from all over as well as the schools that we visit, the children and the community members. Our workshop and programs are all around the Island and beyond,” Judex said.
Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay also joined in the fun posing inside the 501st Legion Empire City Garrison’s life-size trash compactor set from Star Wars: A New Hope.
Several other communities were present like the Lustgarten Foundation which spreads awareness about pancreatic cancer. Lynn Cetin, a volunteer for the foundation said “I think we’re bringing awareness to this deadly disease . . . Pancreatic cancer has a life expectancy of 13% and 5-year survival rate , which is one of the lowest cancer survival rates.”
Click here for our list of all geek, scifi, and cosplay cons on Long Island in 2025.
Launched in the Bay Area in 2006, the Maker Faire has gained a lot of popularity within the inventing community, with more than 200,000 people attending the Maker Faire annually in both New York and the Bay Area.
Ariel Arana is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
All photos: Lisa Collet Rodriguez. Courtesy of Maker Faire Long Island.
