Downtown Modesto’s Makers June event aims to help people cultivate creativity

Makers make, but how are makers made?

Through learning and practice, of course.

An event in downtown Modesto on the final day of the month will help cultivate creativity through beginners workshops up through master classes.

The all-day Makers June, to be held at Heart + Soul Coffee on 11th Street, will offer instruction on hand lettering, hand embroidery, photography, floral arranging, marketing and branding. There also will be a kids studio.

Makers June is the brainchild of friends Alexus Kearney, Ilse Perez and Ashley Garcia. Kearney and Perez both work for Final Cut Media, the former as creative manager, the latter as marketing manager. Garcia, of Ashley Purple photography, often is hired by the marketing agency.

“As local designers, photographers and marketers, we really wanted to begin developing urban events with attention to detail,” Kearney said. “The idea is to create events — memorable events — with interactive experiences that inspire hands-on creativity and community engagement.”

The trio envisions creating a variety of cool happenings, perhaps three a year, for Modesto and perhaps eventually other parts of the Valley. Makers June, if well received, could become the summer staple. As for other gatherings, it sounds like anything’s possible. “Ashley’s into yoga, so maybe we do something with that,” Kearney said, throwing out an example.

Running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Makers June includes 15 sessions among its workshops, master classes and kids studio. Workshops, $15, will be limited to 15 students; master classes, $42, to 20.

Tiffany Benson, founder of Paper Lane Design, will teach the workshops intro to hand lettering, lettering composition and chalkboard lettering.

Jennifer Stoker of Stoked Handmade will teach beginners embroidery, embroidered lettering and cross stitching.

A master class in contemporary wreath making will be taught by Jessica Vega, while classes in floral and succulent arrangements are by Savana Marie.

The three organizers themselves will teach master classes: Garcia in visual storytelling and photography, Perez in building a marketing strategy, and Kearney in branding and design.

What sets the workshops apart from the master classes?

The workshops are a way for people who are casually interested to explore their creativity, Perez said. Through technology and social media, people today are easily able to see others “doing things that you say to yourself, ‘Why don’t I try that? Why haven’t I picked up that hobby?’ Our idea is to reach people who want to learn something new and give them a place to learn the basics in a day,” not have to sign up for an ongoing class. “It’s affordable, and you can see, ‘Do I like this,’ or see if you hate it.”

The master classes, on the other hand, are geared for people who may want to start a business or in some other way get very serious about what they’re doing, Kearney said. In her class, for example, students will develop “a style brand guide that will tell their business’ story through photography, typography, environmental design, social media design and print design.”

Garcia assured, though, that even the master classes are accessible. “For my photography class, it’s great if you have a camera but it’s OK if you don’t have one,” she said. A smart-phone camera will suffice. “Same thing with the design class. It’s entry level, so for people with an interest, it’s a place to check it out.”

Each course description on MakersJune.com tells what will be provided in class and what students will need to bring. The on-site “makers shop” will sell the necessary supplies.

The shop also will have the wood blocks and stencils children will use in the kids studio sessions to make their own little community. Stencils will be of things like the Modesto Arch and the State Theatre, the organizers said, and other Valley landmarks and locations. “The idea is to teach kids about making something out of nothing and teach kids to make things on their own and be proud of what they make,” Kearney said.

A portion of the proceeds from Makers June will go to The Shire Community Space, which will have a table at the event. The Shire is a nonprofit that started in a residential garage performance venue and now is developing a downtown building into a home for concerts, film screenings, art shows, maker workshops and more.

The more creative events in downtown, the better, Garcia said. “We just want to be one of those.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Downtown Modesto’s Makers June event aims to help people cultivate creativity."