Makers Meet Up switches to show-and-tell at Lafayette County Arena

A free show-and-tell format brought Oxford’s maker community into the Lafayette County Arena on Wednesday, June 24, from 6 to 8 p.m., giving each participant five minutes to present a piece of work and five more minutes for guided audience questions. The session, Makers Meet Up: Show & Tell, centered on process, inspiration and constructive feedback rather than critique.

Ra’Drea Rayborn, the Makers Meet Up coordinator and an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, shaped the format after seeing that artists were often comfortable talking one-on-one or in small clusters but less likely to speak in front of a full room. She first asked artists about work they had completed, then developed a way for them to bring in pieces made at home and share them in a low-stakes setting.

Rayborn launched the monthly gathering for artists and crafters across the area. The program was created as a free place for painters, soap makers, weavers, jewelers and other creators to meet, swap ideas and build relationships that can lead to collaboration, sales and stronger business know-how. Rayborn has also been exploring ways to help small-batch makers reach local retail without having to carry large upfront inventory costs, including ideas such as curated gift boxes.

Makers Meet Up has already rotated through hands-on formats to keep the crowd engaged. Past sessions have included screen printing with UM Pixel Press, bath bomb making with Epson Salt Council and crochet instruction from a student artist.

The Lafayette County Arena is one of three event spaces managed by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, along with The Powerhouse and the Old Armory Pavilion. The arts council partnered with Lafayette County to help manage the arena in 2019, while The Powerhouse has served as the community’s art center since 2006.