Musecon 2013 Creatives Convention

Musecon
Musecon: August 2-4 2013 at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, IL

Later today I'll be leaving home to attend Musecon 3 which is being held at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, IL. If you are not familiar with Musecon, it is a weekend-long convention of classes and hands-on workshops for artists, musicians, inventors, gadgeteers, makers, tinkerers, and creative people of all ages. Areas of programming include:

  • Basic electronic tinkering
  • Knitting, Crochet
  • Leatherworking
  • Chain Maille
  • Music, music and more music
  • Using Software
  • Paperwork
  • Beading & Jewelry
  • Working with Electroluminescent (EL) wire
  • Drama and Improvisation
  • Paint war-gaming miniatures
  • Stained Glass
  • Dancing – Swing and Khaleeji (belly)
  • Vocal workshops
  • Costuming & sewing
  • LEGOs! (for grownups too!)

Musecon has quite an eclectic line up of classes and workshops, a few of which are:

  • Build a 10″ Singing Tesla Coil Stanford
  • Build a Catapult
  • Bodhran Basics
  • Build a Blinkie
  • Irish Language 101
  • Loom Knitting
  • Belly Dance for Fun & Fitness
  • Electric Bikes Discussion
  • Lyric Writing

For my part, the programming I will most likely be attending is:

  • Arduino Programming
  • 3D Printing Discussion
  • Hacker-spaces & Maker-spaces
  • Hardbound Journal Making
  • Stand Back, I'm Going To Try Science! (taught by friend Todd Johnson)
  • Blitzkrieg recording
  • Tesla Coil Q&A
  • Working with EL Wire (or in the same time slot Throwing Up With Style – it's not what you think – it's a juggling class)
  • Todd and Bill Provide Endless Amusement featuring friends Bill Higgins and Todd Johnson and the book Endless Amusement, published in 1820 and containing 400 scientific demonstrations, experiments, tricks, and projects.
  • Photography: Posing & Lighting taught by photography masters Richard France and Ken Beach who happen to be scheduled at the same time as Elements of Scotch Tasting. I wonder what would happen if the two were combined into a single class? Would Richard or Ken still trust me with their cameras?

My own contribution to the weekend will be teaching the class Internet Strategies for Artists & Photographers which is basically my seminar Building an Online Presence: The Internet for Artists and Photographers which explores a variety of topics including how to create an online presence, using social media, online selling, and email marketing. Note that I will be teaching this class in September for the Barrington Cultural Arts Center in Barrington IL (details to follow).

It is not too late to attend Musecon – you can register at the door. For details, see the Musecon web site.

I'll close with a quote on creativity from Scott Adams who wrote in his book The Dilbert Principle:

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

| Return to the Blog Index | This entry was posted on Friday, August 2nd, 2013 at 9:55 am and is filed under Art and Artists, Presentations.