Los Alamos Artist Earns 3D Printing Badge, Pursues Tech Career

Marissa, a Los Alamos creative, has earned a 3D Printing Master Badge through Career Team's WIOA program and is actively pursuing jobs in drafting and additive manufacturing, blending an artistic background with newly credentialed technical skills.

The credential positions her within a broader shift taking shape in Los Alamos County, where organizations like Los Alamos Makers are working to formalize pathways for creatives moving into fabrication-based careers. Los Alamos Makers, located at 1789 Central, is launching a Creative Workforce Development Program designed to help artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs move from digital concepts to physical products using design-to-fabrication workflows.

The program connects digital design tools, specifically Adobe Illustrator and Blender, to fabrication hardware including laser cutters, 3D printers, embroidery systems, and sublimation equipment. Participants develop skills in prototyping, small-batch production, and building sustainable creative enterprises, with business-readiness training covering branding development and market entry support.

"Los Alamos Makers is an important partner in nurturing local talent and connecting creativity with entrepreneurship," said Prisca Tiasse, founder of Los Alamos Makers. "Our hands-on, cross-disciplinary approach, integrating design, fabrication, media arts, and innovation, opens new pathways for residents to transform creative skills into viable careers and businesses. As a recognized hub for creative learning and technical experimentation, Los Alamos Makers is uniquely positioned to lead this workforce development effort."

The program requires no prior fabrication experience, carries no participation cost, and offers limited subsidized access to equipment to ensure broad reach. It is open to creatives across Northern New Mexico, and applicants from outside Los Alamos are strongly encouraged to apply. Commercialization support comes through collaborations with regional partners, connecting participants to local markets and exhibition platforms.

In January 2026, the state directed $463,000 toward New Mexico's creative ecosystem, with Los Alamos Makers among the named recipients, adding institutional momentum to the county's push to develop creative industry clusters where art, design, media, and technology converge.

Los Alamos Makers has also opened an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program targeting scientists, engineers, creative-tech founders, and independent innovators who want to prototype and test ideas outside the structure of a traditional incubator, with no equity requirements, no fixed cohorts, and no predefined timelines.

"This initiative will help advance Los Alamos County's identity as both a center for scientific innovation and a destination for creative enterprise," Tiasse said. Marissa's credential, earned through a separate federal workforce program, reflects exactly the kind of career pivot that effort aims to support.