The Artisans Asylum

The Artisans Asylum
Name	Artisans Asylum
Type	Community fabrication space
Founded	2010
Location	Somerville, Massachusetts

The Artisans Asylum is a large community fabrication space and makerspace that provided shared workshops, tools, and collaborative project space in Somerville, Massachusetts. Founded by local makers and entrepreneurs amid a wave of interest in distributed fabrication, the organization connected artisans, technologists, artists, designers, engineers, and educators through shared resources and programming. It operated as a hub for prototyping, fabrication, and exhibition, interacting with institutions, startups, galleries, and public projects across Greater Boston and beyond.

History

The organization emerged in 2010 during the expansion of the maker movement alongside institutions such as MIT Media Lab, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, and community initiatives like Open Source Ecology and Noisebridge. Founders and early members drew inspiration from predecessors and contemporaries including Fab Lab, TechShop, Eben Upton, Arduino, RepRap, Maker Faire, Make: (magazine), and Instructables. The space expanded through collaborations with regional partners such as Somerville (Massachusetts), Cambridge, Massachusetts, Boston (Massachusetts), and organizations including Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts, MIT Hobby Shop, Harvard Innovation Labs, and MassChallenge. Over time it hosted projects connected to Boston Dynamics, iRobot, Formlabs, Carbon (company), and artists associated with ICA Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology List Visual Arts Center. The Asylum experienced shifts in operations reflecting broader trends affecting TechShop-style makerspaces, urban development pressures in Kendall Square, and nonprofit governance models exemplified by Ecdc (community development)],] and Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Facilities and Workshops

The facility included specialized shops for metals, wood, textiles, electronics, and digital fabrication, drawing parallels with resources at MIT.nano, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wellesley College, and Northeastern University. Workshops housed laser cutters, waterjets, CNC mills, lathes, welders, injection molding equipment, and industrial sewing machines akin to those in TechShop San Francisco, Fab Lab Barcelona, and Stanford Product Realization Lab. The electronics bench supported prototyping with microcontrollers such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and BeagleBoard and test gear comparable to labs at Draper Laboratory and Lincoln Laboratory. Makers used 3D printers inspired by RepRap and companies like MakerBot, Ultimaker, and Prusa Research, as well as metrology and finishing tools used by product teams at IDEO, Frog Design, and Continuum (design consultancy). Textile and fashion work intersected with networks tied to Parsons School of Design and Rhode Island School of Design alumni.

Membership and Programs

Membership models mirrored structures used by TechShop, Noisebridge, Pumping Station: One, Hive76, and university-affiliated makerspaces, offering access tiers, class series, and sponsored residencies with partners like MassArt, Cambridge Innovation Center, Greentown Labs, MassChallenge, and New Lab. Educational programming included workshops and certificate courses similar to curricula at General Assembly, Boston Architectural College, MIT xPRO, and Harvard Extension School, and hosted community-focused events comparable to Maker Faire Boston, Boston Design Week, and Open Studios. The Asylum supported artist residencies and research collaborations that connected to MIT Media Lab projects, Harvard Kennedy School civic initiatives, and entrepreneurial accelerators such as Y Combinator and Techstars alumni.

Notable Projects and Exhibitions

Members produced a wide range of prototypes, public art, and product designs linked to exhibitions at ICA Boston, MassArt Bakalar & Paine Galleries, SoWa Art + Design District, HubWeek, and Boston Design Week. Projects included kinetic sculptures referencing practices from Christo and Jeanne-Claude, electronics art in the lineage of Nam June Paik, furniture designs echoing Charles and Ray Eames, and community infrastructure efforts resonant with Strong Towns and The Trust for Public Land. Collaborative builds involved teams connected to startups like Formlabs, iRobot, Boston Dynamics, and academic labs such as MIT Media Lab, Wyss Institute, and Harvard Biodesign Lab. Exhibitions and public demos were presented alongside institutions like Museum of Science (Boston), Massachusetts Institute of Technology List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge Arts Council, and festivals including Burning Man-adjacent gatherings and regional Maker Faire events.

Community Impact and Education

The space served as an educational resource for makers, students, inventors, and artists, interfacing with schools and programs such as Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Somerville High School, Lesley University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Northeastern University Cooperative Education, and community organizations like Boys & Girls Club of Boston and Year Up. Outreach initiatives paralleled efforts by Citizen Schools, Boston Public Library, YouthBuild, and nonprofit tech-education groups like Code for America and Black Girls CODE. Public workshops, maker camps, and internships fostered skills used in careers at firms including GE Aviation, General Electric, Raytheon Technologies, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Research. The Asylum’s activities contributed to local creative economies discussed in studies by Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and MassINC Polling Group.

Governance and Funding

Governance and funding reflected hybrid models seen at Coolidge Corner Theatre-style nonprofits, TechShop membership businesses, and community land-trust arrangements similar to Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Revenue streams included membership dues, class fees, event rentals, project commissions, grants from bodies like Massachusetts Cultural Council and National Endowment for the Arts, corporate sponsorships from companies such as Autodesk, Adobe Systems, Intel, and philanthropic support from foundations in the manner of Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Knight Foundation. Board and advisory structures engaged local stakeholders including representatives connected to City of Somerville, Massachusetts State Legislature, Cambridge City Council, regional universities, and community development corporations.

Category:Makerspaces