Fabrication and Folk Technology in downtown Providence.

AS220 Labs is proposing to expand the scope of the lab from software and electronics instruction to include the personal fabrication and machining technologies of a Fab Lab.

AS220 Labs is located on the 2nd floor of our Empire Street Complex. We plan to double the size of the existing lab to incorporate the Fab Lab tools and workshop space. We are currently seeking financial support to build the Fab Lab and sustain it during the startup phase.

The mission of the AS220 Fab Lab is to provide access to tools and training (to young people 14-21, especially) and to act as the home base and foundation for AS220's technical support functions. Our goal is to increase our non-financial resource-building capacity by hooking into the growing Fab Lab network of makers. We are interested in freeing the means of fabrication from wasteful, inequitable industrial processes and promulgating the idea of "folk technology" as an alternative to corporate consumer technology.

AS220 has acquired and is beginning to develop a third building on Washington Street in downtown Providence. Our longer term plan is to incorporate the Fab Lab program in the new building.

AS220 is actively working on developing the Fab Lab, which will open this Fall. We're in the midst of fundraising and grantwriting, but we realize that there might be surplus equipment or resources out there that could be put to use in the community lab. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to look over this list and see if there is something that you, your employer, academic institution, etc. may want to contribute to the effort.