Various nods and mentions from across the interweb. Bit of a humblebrag, but it sure beats a CV.

The Adam Savage Project Podcast - “Jen’s Foam Wig Project”

I joined Norm and Adam on the Tested podcast to talk about building the Marie Antoinette wig, and challenges in the design process.

Tested.com - Tested From Home: Customizing Home Studio LED Lights!

“Fabricator Jen Schachter walks us through her latest project: refurbishing and customizing lights for home studio and cosplay displays! Using a combination of off-the-shelf spotlights and found lamp hardware, Jen combines customizable smart bulbs with vintage spotlight looks, showing how she goes from sketched concept to prototype to finished build.”

Tested.com - One Day Builds: Custom Pistol Whip Controller

Made a small cameo in this video using the Cricut Maker to cut out a vinyl mask for acid etching! The finished result all polished up is soooo snazzy.

Hackspace Magazine - Volume 20: “Jen Schachter on Rosie the Riveter, hard work, and Barack Obama”

Welp, this is a first for me. Cover story of Hackspace Magazine! What a huge honor to be interviewed by the folks there and grace the pages among so many other makers I admire. This was an especially fun interview, and I got to pose for some pictures with my very waterlogged ET at the last Bay Area Maker Faire in 2019.

“Jen Schachter has gone from art, to bashing together shelves, to working for the Obama Whitehouse, to looking after Adam Savage’s vast cave of infinite stuff, as seen on Tested.com. She’s also part of the team behind the incredible Rosie the Riveter sculpture, so we thought we’d find out how such a thing came into being, why she’s carrying ET with her, and what it’s like being escorted across Washington by Secret Service.”

“ When Adam needed something – a particular prop or a piece of armour, for example – somebody has to know where all of that stuff is and pull all those items out of the cave, make sure they’re polished, clean, and ready. Simple things like transporting machinery, taking inventories, making sure everything comes back. Lots of logistical things, and also helping with project builds. I seem to have a brain for logistics, I end up managing a lot of big projects.”

“I was really interested in making stuff for my house. I needed a table and a shelf for my house, so I bought a saw and somebody else got me a drill, and I started creating things out of necessity.”

“ I got a call from Andrew, and he said, ‘What are you working on? Are you busy? Do you want to do a project for the White House with Adam Savage?’ …The catch was that it was due in three weeks. So, I quickly learned how to use a dado set on a table saw, and all these complex angles… I fabricated all the pieces, and Adam and I were sending sketches back and forth this whole time… Adam came to Baltimore and we met up with 50 kids from the Digital Harbor Foundation, and in a frenzied 13-hour day, we assembled, wired it up with LEDs, painted the whole thing, and then drove it to the White House the next morning.”

“[On the set of Savage Builds] Adam pulled me aside after a particularly rough day - I think he must have seen it on my face - he said, ‘Listen, I know I pulled you into this hurricane, and I can tell you’re worried about this, but I brought you here because you know how to think, and I can teach you everything else you need to know.’ ”

Tested.com - Tested from Home: Jen Schachter’s projects

“While the Tested team is working from home and practicing social distancing, we'll be sharing the projects we're taking on and our own strategies for making the best out of self-isolation. Fabricator Jen Schachter checks in with a toolbox organization project as well as new tools for her home shop for making picture frames.”

Tested.com - Custom Cricut Vinyl Cutter Mobile Workshop Cart

”A new shop tool appears! This past year, Adam incorporated the Cricut Maker vinyl cutter for making decals for prop builds, and tasked Jen with building a cart to house it along with related materials. Jen designed and built this beautiful shop cart as a vinyl cutting station, a standout addition to the cave's arsenal of tool carts. Find the design for this cart here!”

Tested.com - Hydro Dipping Carbon Fiber Blaster Grips!

“For Adam's Star-Lord cosplay last year, he assembled a pair of blasters based off of 3D-printed parts. The carbon fiber grips were finished using water transfer film in a process called hydro dipping. Jen Schachter took the lead on that part of the build, and walks Adam through the lessons she learned in wrapping hydrographic film around a complex shape. It's a very rewarding process!”

Tested.com - Digitizing Objects from Smithsonian’s Enormous Collection!

Did you know that less than 1% of the Smithsonian’s enormous collection of objects is actually on display? During our trip to DC, I visited the Digitization Program Office to talk to their amazing team about how they are making more of this collection accessible to the public and the highly technical process of scanning a 3d object.

You can view their hatch scan in 3D at here!

Microsoft News - “Microsoft makers recreate iconic Apollo 11 hatch for 50th anniversary of historic moon landing”

Microsoft completely outdid themselves with the hatch base frame, stand, and plaques for Project Egress. There was a monumental amount of work and engineering challenges to tackle on a seemingly impossible timeline, but they delivered! Excerpts below from a wonderful article on their contribution.

“For a month, a dozen people worked long hours on a big project inside one of Microsoft’s vast model shops. They designed, measured, drilled, turned, hammered, welded, shaped, painted, tested and redesigned again and again. The final product was unveiled on a festive stage, but it wasn’t another Surface, Xbox or HoloLens device. Instead, the hardware is a full-size replica of the Apollo 11 hatch from the Columbia command module.”

“ ‘This was a passion project that people put their whole heart and drive into,’ [John] Haley said. ‘They went above and beyond, because the regular work didn’t stop. It’s going to be amazing to have a piece in the Smithsonian.’ “

“In addition to making the 65-pound hatch replica, the team designed and welded a 140-pound steel stand, encased in plywood, to display the hatch when completed. The team integrated 211 brass inserts into the hatch, so Savage and other builders would be able to attach parts faster during the live assembly. Savage’s team also asked the lab to supply descriptive plaques, which the lab quickly made with a waterjet and ultraviolet printer in-house just in time.”

“Much of the logistical work landed on Jay Trzaskos, a model maker and prototyping architect who iterated on the design challenge over many late nights and early mornings to meet a long list of goals. ‘To be able to say I worked on something connected with the Smithsonian is huge,’ said Trzaskos, whose grandfather had worked on Apollo guidance systems. ‘But just looking at the Apollo missions and what the engineers accomplished, it’s inspiring. Saying ‘something is difficult’ wasn’t an option. You have to push to be successful and find the most elegant solution within the timeline.’ “

“ ‘It’s the perfect story of human ingenuity,” Trzaskos said. “It’s a story of how much can we persevere and come together to meet a goal. That’s what we do – adapting and working together to solve problems to create the best product that reaches and inspires everybody.’ ”

HACKADAY - “Forty four hackers and a hatch: PROGRESS EGRESS takes off”

A great write-up by Hackaday about Project Egress. Always an honor to be featured here!

“The 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing is rapidly approaching, and uber space-nerd Adam Savage is in the thick of the celebration of all the amazing feats of engineering that made humanity’s first steps out of the cradle possible. And in a grand and very hacker-friendly style, we might add, as his Project Egress aims to build a full-scale replica of the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia’s hatch.”

“Project Egress is far too big a job for one person. To spread the work around and make the build more interesting, Adam has enlisted over 40 well-known makers and hackers and assigned them all a specific part to recreate. The list reads like a who’s who of the maker movement: Jimmy Diresta, This Old Tony, John Saunders at NYC CNC, Fran Blanche from FranLab, and our own Quinn Dunki, also known as BlondiHacks. The list includes DIYers, prop makers, cosplayers, 3D-printing nerds – the entire spectrum of maker genres is represented… Pretty much every method and material in the hacker armamentarium will come to bear, and the parts will be a mish-mash of everything that makes what we do every day so powerful and so much fun.”

Autodesk Blog : Between the Lines - “Project Egress Build Thursday July 18th at the National Air and Space Museum”

Shaan Hurley of Autodesk came out to DC to lend a hand in setting up for Project Egress and document the process.

“Jen Schachter and Andrew Barth worked into the evening to get as prepared as they can get for this complicated build of many parts some 3D printed, some machined, and some sourced.”

“Its going to be an action packed build of hundreds of parts requiring precision which will make for creative solutions on the fly.”

Collectspace.com - Adam Savage to build full-scale replica of Apollo spacecraft hatch

“Adam Savage is preparing to make Apollo history — literally. The Mythbuster, maker and host of Science Channel's ‘Savage Builds,’ Savage has partnered with the National Air and Space Museum to create a full-scale replica of the crew hatch from an Apollo command module, the spacecraft that flew astronauts to and from the moon.

The build, to be conducted in front of the public at the Washington, D.C. museum on July 18, is part of the Smithsonian's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing.”

Making It podcast: Episode 219 - “Really? Plastic? REALLY??”

Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett and David Picciuto have an awesome podcast. Project Egress is mentioned in this episode as Jimmy and Bob discuss some of the challenges with making their parts.

Stream it here or download where you get you podcasts.

“I’m starting to realize that whoever designed them designed them in a way that there’s a lot of right angles and even though it looks complicated and there’s a lot of compound angles, with just a little bit of jigging and rigging I’m able to get 90° so I can pass everything through the bandsaw blade at the proper angle. After working them by physically by hand I can see the reasoning of the development of the person who designed it in the piece.”

When Jen Schachter asked if I wanted to be involved I said ‘Absolutely’… but I looked at this set of drawings and my first reaction was, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ I panicked for a second and then I was like this is that moment in time when you get challenged and you have to live up to the challenge. This is like the maker gods are testing me: ‘Oh yeah, you think you know how to make stuff? Make this!’

“We got this new printer and then we used new resin and new silicon, so there’s been a whole bunch of learning that’s gone into this.”

Still Untitled Podcast 7/16/19 - “Project Egress”

After the big move to California to work in Adam’s shop, I sat down to catch up with Norm and Adam about the culmination of our next big assembly, “Project Egress”, a life-size replica of the Apollo 11 Command Module hatch for the National Air and Space Museum, and reminisced about being on set for Savage Builds just as the season was wrapping up on Discovery.

Tested.com - Announcing “Project Egress” a Collaboration with the National Air and Space Museum

“I'm SO excited that I can finally announce this, but I've been working with the National Air and Space Museum on a special build to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission, the first time humankind set foot on the moon. We're calling it Project Egress, and it consists of a LIFE-SIZE replica hatch to exhibit in the museum!

Most of all, I will be assembling it LIVE at the National Air and Space Museum on July 18!" … I will have the challenge on build day of fitting them all together, but luckily I'll have the help of Jen Schachter and Andrew Barth. (And yes, we'll be filming this for Tested.)”

Make (Break) Podcast: Episode 110 - "Community Builds and Adam Savage with Jen Schachter"

I joined Brandon Cullum on his podcast recently to chat about the large-scale community projects I’ve become known for, and what it’s like working with Adam Savage now that I’m full-time at his shop.

You can stream it from his site here, or download it wherever you get your podcasts!

Book Nook video

Project Egress build video

Spot rickshaw

No Face build

Favorite Things 2019

Savage Builds - Mad Max

CNET - Savage Builds Behind the Scenes

Savage Builds - Iron Man

Maker Faire Bay Area

Cool Tools Podcast: Episode 157 - Jen Schachter, Multimedia Maker

I chatted with hosts Mark Frauenfelder and Kevin Kelly about three of my favorite “cool tools” - RZ Mask cloth filtration respirator, The Matrix bolt-on multi-tool, Yongnuo 300 Air LED light, and my Dovetail Workwear Pants. Listen in on Soundcloud about why I love these and a bit about some of my recent projects.

Tested.com - The Kinetic Sculptures of Nemo Gould

While in town visiting Tested, I got to visit the workshop and gallery space of Nemo Gould, whose work I have been admiring from afar for some time. Tested covered the visit in a two-part series!

As I said in the video - the pictures really don’t do justice to the depth and dimension of these pieces! If you’re inspired by dioramas, nostalgic memorabilia, salvaged machine parts, or kinetic political cartoons, absolutely check out his work!

World Maker Faire, NY - Hosting the Mythbusters Jr. Panel

Maker Faire this year was a whirlwind. Thankfully, @AndysTechGarage captured the whole Mythbusters Jr. panel on video, which I had the incredible honor of hosting. It was a humbling and nerve-wracking experience to share the stage with such talent - hundreds of eyes, no script, and no second takes.

Adam said he tries to channel calm to put other people at ease. Well we all loosened up as soon as he fell through his chair moments after I introduced him!

World Maker Faire, NY - Adam Savage and Mythbusters Jr.

“Adam Savage and the Mythbusters Jr cast will join mixed-media maven & maker Jen Schachter live on stage at Maker Faire. Six of the nation’s most talented kids came together for this upcoming Science Channel series to show off their amazing ingenuity and STEAM skills. They will tell you tales of tackling myths similar to those seen in MythBusters, ranging from driving, explosions, chemistry, physics, popular culture and more.”

Adafruit blog - #WeTheRosies success at NOMCON 2018

"We The Builders set out to build a 6-foot-tall Rosie the Riveter from 2,625 individual parts of 3D-printed blocks – the project was assembled at the Nation of Makers’ conference NOMCON earlier this month. The build was a success, and the sculpture looks fantastic!"

Instagram - @therealadamsavage

"Here's @schac_attack and @custom3dstuff with the fist of #rosietheriveter about to go into place! #nomcon #wetherosies"

"It’s done! Rosie is all together! For size reference the small Rosie is over 2 feet tall! Big Rosie is made of 2,635 separate pieces from 700 different collaborators, on 6 continents. The only color guideline that was given was to choose a “skin tone.” #wetherosies #nomcon"

Walls.io/wetherosies

This wall aggregates posts on the #wetherosies project from across social media platforms. It updates live as people post and there are some pretty inspiring stories from around the country (and even the world). I encourage you to scroll through and see what folks are sharing!

Nation of Makers Community Call - LadyAda Guest Appearance

Limor Fried joined a Nation of Makers community conference call on May 10th to discuss the #WeTheRosies project by #WeTheBuilders.

"I want to give a shoutout to the sculptor Jen Schachter who made this beautiful sculpture, and again it's getting pieced up so everyone can make a small piece."

"Some of those backgrounds are not often well-represented in the maker community, or in media that covers makers or inventors... I like that this project is focusing in particular on women and non-binary makers and having a project for them." 

"I like to use the phrase from Dean Kamen, 'We are what we celebrate'... The artistic or creative part of engineering isn't always celebrated... If in the maker communities, we celebrate and support and show the work that these people are doing and amplify it for other people to see, then people who have those kinds of ideas will realize 'my work, my creativity has value', not just 'do I fit the textbook example of how engineering must be done?'"

"If you have the stage, if you have people listening to you, it's time to say 'hey, let's point out other people who are doing really cool stuff' and lift them up and give them a voice, and maybe lend them our voices so people can hear them."

Ask an Engineer 5/9/18 LIVE

Another nod to We The Rosies from pt and Limor during this segment of Ask an Engineer (and of course tons of other awesome content). Check it out.

Adafruit Mailing List

Top of the mailing list is a pretty high honor. Infinite thanks to Adafruit for supporting the We The Rosies project!

SmartLogic Announces 2018 BWiT Micro Grant Recipients

"One of the main goals of the Baltimore Women in Tech (BWiT) Micro Grants Program is to support and empower women in the Baltimore tech community by giving women the opportunity to receive funding for their tech project... It was a very competitive year for the program. We received 49 applications from tech-minded women in the community."

"Jennifer Schachter: We the Rosies is a project by We the Builders that will create a sculpture of Rosie the Riveter in a rainbow of skin tones as well as a call for video submissions where women can share their own stories and their thoughts on who Rosie could and should be."

Makezine.com - 2018's Rosie the Riveter is a 6 Foot Tall Crowdsourced Sculpture

"Rosie the Riveter is getting a 6 foot tall crowd sourced homage, thanks to We The Builders. This iconic image of empowered women has been sculpted by Jen Schachter, then 3D scanned and ripped into bite-sized pieces. You can download a piece, 3D print it in your home then ship it to We The Builders who will assemble the statue at NomCon this June in Santa Fe."

"There is a strong message of inclusiveness and empowerment in this project. Sharing diverse stories and influences is just as much of a focus as building the sculpture itself."

TESTED.com - Adam savage on "We The Rosies" project

"I will be attending NOMCON the inaugural Nation of Makers convention. I'll be there all weekend long working on a bunch of cool stuff, but specifically, I'll be doing a project with my friend, the incomparable Jen Schachter, who's doing a project with a group called We The Builders."

"They're making - and I'm helping them make - a six-foot-tall sculpture of Rosie the Riveter. But it's not a singular monolithic sculpture, it's going to be composed of over 2500 separate 3d printed parts!"

We The Builders project page

"We make crowd-sourced 3d printed sculptures out of hundreds - or in this case, thousands of parts, printed all over the world by people like you!"

"This year, for our fifth project, we're going big - really big. To celebrate the contributions and diverse identities of women and non-binary makers, we’re scaling up a sculpture of Rosie the Riveter to monument-size and printing her in a spectrum of skintones. The sculpture will be over six feet tall and made up of 2,625 parts - and we need everyone in the maker community... to help us 3d print them!"

"Jen sculpted the original Rosie bust in oil-based clay over a wire armature. At only 7" tall, the sculpture was 3d scanned, scaled up and sliced digitally into 2,625 printable pieces!"

We The Builders at 2017 World Maker Faire in NY

I met the awesome and inspiring DesignMakeTeach (Josh Ajima) at Maker Faire and talked about the original Rosie the Riveter sculpture from We the Builders for his Youtube channel.

You should really check out his 0 Things project about representation in 3D printing!

Makezine.com - Finding Creativity In Constraint: Our Saudi Arabia Maker Camp Experience 

"After getting a taste of the old in Saudi Arabia, we paid a visit to a very modern space in the city. Sarah and Sana Al-Dosary, two of the program facilitators, invited us to visit Tekspacy, an all-female makerspace that they own and operate."

"Jen Schachter, a Make: program leader who came for the last two weeks of the program, noticed how working on projects started to change the perceptions of the female students. She said, 'I watched a number of young women transform from being afraid of the tools, either because of their perceived danger or fear of ‘messing up’ to rolling up their sleeves and telling me they didn’t need any help.' ” 

Makezine.com- 4 Makerspaces That Came Together to Work on Big Projects

"Last fall, as one of the final hurrahs of the Obama administration, the White House held a South by Southwest (SXSW)-inspired bash that they named South by South Lawn (SXSL). One invited attendee was Maker Faire regular and MythBuster extraordinaire, Adam Savage. Being a nonstop maker, he teamed up with the amazing youth-focused makerspace, Digital Harbor Foundation (DHF), to build an interactive sign heralding the event: the SXSL letters."

"The letters, designed by Jen Schachter, came out to around 7-feet tall. The front of each letter had frosted acrylic and the inner boxes had strips of RGB LEDs, programmed by Shawn Grimes to change colors, responding to tweets sent out by attendees... DHF made sure that even their youngest members had a chance to join in the fun of working with Adam... Those letters now dominate the search results for “SXSL.”

Makezine.com - Maker Spotlight: Claire Smith

I cannot take credit for any of this young lady's amazing projects, but it was my honor to mentor her at Digital Harbor Foundation! Make published the story behind her incredible light-up prom dress which she designed, wired, and coded herself using an Adafruit Flora board:

"In the summer of 2015, I was chosen to participate in the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program in DC. I learned Python, JavaScript, Java, Scratch, HTML, CSS, and C++. I also became a member at Digital Harbor Foundation after I won the 2015 Baltimore Hackathon with my Nature Coders project. I learned about 3D printing, laser cutting, and worked with my mentor Jennifer Schachter as part of my YouthWorks Internship. The best part about DHF is that it showed me that someone did not have to be techy to use technology. If you love crafting, art, music, writing, whatever, you can incorporate tech into it. It makes it accessible to everyone."

Tested.com - Let's Build: X-Carve Milling Machine, Part 1

While hanging out at the Tested studio, I got to build an X-Carve with Norm and Sean! The video is only unlocked for premium members, so log in to your Tested.com account to watch!

"We're building a new tool for the Tested workshop! Joined by guest Jen Schachter, we begin the assembly of the Inventables X-Carve, a CNC milling machine with a massive mounting surface. Jen previously reviewed the X-Carve for Make magazine, and guides us through this build!"

Tested.com - Adam Savage Assembles the Maker Puzzle!

"Adam meets up with Jen Schachter in Austin to put together the amazing maker puzzle that Jen designed for this year's SXSW scavenger hunt! Meeting with the teams that found the puzzle pieces at the Thinkery, Jen explains the designs for each piece of this beautiful tableau. The design is now unlocked for anyone to download and make their own! (Find the files to make your own Maker Puzzle here.)"

TESTED.com - Adam Savage's SXSW 2017 Makers Scavenger Hunt

"South by Southwest festival begins this week and the city of Austin, Texas is buzzing with excitement and creativity! Adam and artist Jen Schachter have been collaborating on a Maker-themed scavenger hunt celebrating inventions, people and tools across all disciplines of making. Jen has designed an amazing laser-cut wood sculpture that showcases the breadth of maker culture, from engineering and electronics to art and design. This tapestry has been split into nine puzzle pieces, and it's up to you to collect them all and put the puzzle together!"

Tested.com - Laser Cutting the Maker Puzzle, Part 1

"Sean and Norm use our office's new Universal Laser Systems laser cutter to fabricate the first piece of Jen Schachter's beautiful maker puzzle. Our office remix will use both wood and acrylic parts, and we discuss some safety protocols for laser cutting this kind of project."

You can follow along with the next two pieces in Part 2, and Part 3.

Tested.com - The Work in Process: Vectorizing Drawings for Laser Cutters

"The Tested office and shop hosts artist Jen Schachter, who's in town from Baltimore to collaborate with Adam on an upcoming secret project. For this project, Jen will be using the laser cutter, vectorizing images using Adobe Illustrator. Jen walks us through her process to give some tips as she begins prototyping!"

Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project - Maker Spaces

"We're joined by a special guest this week--artist Jen Schachter, who worked with Adam on the White House SXSL sign and is in town to collaborate on more projects. Jen visits us from Baltimore, where she researches the cultures of maker spaces around the country. This is also our last podcast in the cave before Adam goes on tour, but we'll be recording with him remotely in the coming weeks!"

Baltimore magazine - "keeping House"

"Remington's R.House is a very, very, very fine house."

"A Few of 'R' Favorite Things: The greenery that gives the market an indoor-outdoor feel; the rooster wallpaper at Ground & Griddled, designed by owner Dave Sherman’s brother, who owns a custom wallpaper company; the mum-stenciled walls in the bathrooms by artist Kelly L. Walker; the robot ticket validator made by MICA grad Jen Schachter."

Make Magazine - Review: X-Carve’s Features and Community Offer a Great Entry Point for CNC Routing

I was lucky enough to review the Inventables X-Carve for Make's 2017 Digifab Shootout.

"The X-Carve is one of the most popular desktop CNCs on the market. The new version from Inventables is the gateway drug to subtractive manufacturing and brings quite a few refinements to the line while also increasing performance."

"This edition is a major upgrade with its single extrusion gantry, spindle rail, and clever new clamps. The design is open and inviting, with full visibility of all the action and moving parts. Changing bits can be a bit awkward (not uncommon for a router), and I found myself wishing for a third hand at times. The clamp system, however, is nothing short of genius."

Makezine.com - See Who Scored the Best out of 17 of This Year’s Newest 3D Printers

The first of hopefully many years at Make's Digital Fabrication shootout. You can't tell from the picture, but this is the sweatiest band photo I have ever posed for.

"This is the culmination of months of work, the most we put into any issue. We have spent months planning, testing, churning through the numbers, comparing, reviewing, and going over every detail to bring you the best guide possible.... We collect an immensely diverse, talented, and knowledgeable group of testers each year to ensure we bring you a guide you can trust."

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM - Here’s What You Missed At the White House’s First-Ever South By South Lawn Festival

"It’s not everyday that you see food trucks, giant works of art and big-name celebrities on the White House lawn. But South by South Lawn (SXSL), the White House’s first-ever festival of ideas, art, and action, brought food, demonstrations of new tech, music and a whole lot of creative people to the president’s backyard on Monday. It also earned President Obama a new distinction, as “commander in cool.”

"Adam Savage and a team of makers from Baltimore made the giant letters 'SXSL' that lit up every time someone posted to social media using the hashtag #sxsl."

Adam Savage on Faceook about SXSL

"I went to the last South Lawn event of the Barack Obama administration: the thought provoking and inspiring SXSL. One of the best days EVER."

Whitehouse.gov - A Peek Inside SXSL (Video)

"It was a festival of ideas, art, and action where changemakers, activists, and artists came together on the White House South Lawn to share how they're changing their communities."

BALTIMORE SUN - Baltimore kids, 'Mythbusters' co-star team up to build interactive sign for White House lawn

"Savage and the other kids at the Digital Harbor Foundation Tech Center in Federal Hill worked with Jennifer Schachter, a Maryland Institute College of Art graduate and the Robert W. Deutsch fellow at Open Works, to build a 7-foot-tall "SXSL" sign in wooden block letters."

"We got the project about two weeks ago," she said. "I got a phone call: 'Do you want to build some 7-foot-tall, light-up sign letters for the White House with Adam Savage?' I was like, 'Absolutely, I'm on board.'"

"Savage, who had the idea for the sign, sent Schachter some sketches and they hashed out the idea over a few phone calls. Then she put in about a week's worth of 12-hour days in the woodshop at Open Works, an artists' workspace and incubator on Greenmount Avenue, fabricating the letters for the kids to put together for the sign."

TecHnical.ly Baltimore - makers helped Mythbusters’ Adam Savage build the ‘SXSL’ sign for the White House

"On Sunday afternoon, Savage was joined by Jen Schachter, who is a familiar face around the Digital Harbor Foundation and is now a Robert W. Deutsch fellow at Open Works, as well as a crew of about 50 youth and community members at the Tech Center on Light Street."

"Savage and Schachter traded places giving directions and standing on top of tables as they painted, cut and placed supports for the letters. The letters also contain an LED strip and Arduino device. An especially tricky moment came in placing the acrylic front on an 'S.'"

"'This is the toughest letter, and we only have two of them,' Savage quipped."

BALTIMORE SUN - Baltimore-made art to be displayed on White House lawn

"Baltimore-made work of art will be headed for the White House Monday. On Sunday, 'Mythbusters' co-host Adam Savage, Robert W. Deutsch Fellow Jen Schachter and youth from the Digital Harbor Foundation will put the finishing touches on a 7-foot custom-made interactive art installation before sending it off to be displayed on the South by South Lawn festival Monday, the White House confirmed.