There is a certain magic found in firsthand experience, suddenly what once was abstract or passively understood as with video becomes real, tangible, possible in your hands. GetPrinting3D has set up shop in Evanstown Il. with the intention to provide its denizens with in-person demonstrations of the capabilities a customer might find in their printers. Home to Northwestern University and easily accessible from Chicago via rail, Evanstown is a suburban location sitting against Lake Michigan. The store, dubbed a café with demonstrations functions as a hands-on educational venue for all ages and markets, yet a key emphasis remains academics at all levels. In a promotional video on their Facebook page, students ranging from elementary school to university level exhibited a sense of possibility.
The young minds strained to express the ideas piqued by the technology they witnessed. Most of the demonstrations featured standard objects showcasing overhanging and multi-layered features of individual printers, and some of the ideas customers listed sprung from their personal interests. It is important for these locations to exist and that they appear in areas other than bustling urban settings. Prices vary, but even the more expensive models can be a project in itself prompting a collective effort, like-minded individuals coming together for printing purposes.
It is one thing to hear about a work or idea, and another to actually be able to visit it in person. Regardless of how many times I heard of Picasso’s genius or clicked through images of his work, nothing compared to actually standing in a room with Guernica. I knew he was a brilliant painter, but the images always possessed a remoteness, no computer image held the same impact as the real thing. The actual painting held texture, the brushstrokes and size that hushes any viewer. I know how fortunate I am to have had that experience, but also how inspirational because I, like others who view things in person, know that a human created that, a new possibility. And so GetPrinting3D brings the real thing, the experience to Evanstown.
Source: GetPrinting3D
