Keith Schoeneick

Wood Frame

Before starting up his side hustle, Two Bit Woodworks, Keith had already amassed a very diverse background. He proudly served in the United States Army as a Forward Observer and Military Police Officer for close to a decade. During his decorated military career, Keith honed his graphic and web design skills, and began freelancing for small local businesses when he wasn’t training or being deployed. He has been a professional graphic and web designer for well over 20 years specializing in WordPress development, print design, and brand identity. Keith holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Monmouth University. Keith runs Two Bit Woodworks, a small local business, where he shares his passion for woodworking and home improvement; and looks to inspire a new generation of makers. Keith also designed and developed the logo and website for Makers for Jessi.

Tamara Robertson

2024: Wine Table

2020: Leather Frame

Prior to joining the mainstream maker movement, Tamara spent a decade in Corporate Engineering during which she was pivotal in creating Women in Leadership mentorship programs. During this time she noted a lack of women walking through the doors so in 2015, she transitioned full time to outreach in hopes of inspiring more young women to pursue S.T.E.M. Careers. It was during this time that she was given the opportunity to battle it out for a chance to join the Mythbusters Legacy where her lifetime as a tinkerer and collector of skills landed her as the only Female Finalist and 2 MVP winner. Since then has become one of the leading Female Science Hosts and Engineers on the Science Channel lending her talents to Scijinks with Johnny Galecki, Mythbusters 2.0 with Brian Louden and Jon Lung and most recently on Mythbusters Jr. with Adam Savage. In her spare time she travels the nation teaching “Superhero Science” and is the co-founder of the S.T.E.M. outreach comic “Seekers of Science”.

Matthew Serio

2024: Hand Crafted Jessi Portrait

2023: Custom Lamp

2022: Posable Jessi Figure

2021: Custom Lamp

Matthew Serio is a former arts administrator turned maker who has evolved into a small business owner. His creative focus is on crafting lamps and personalized gifts. In the not-too-distant past, he served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as Director of Creative Opportunities with the Council on the Arts in the Governor’s Office. The pandemic brought many changes to his world, including leaving state employment and following his dream of starting his own business, Artigiano Serio (serious craftsman in Italian). He still teaches grant writing and small business development through Penn State University as an adjunct instructor and continues to champion the maker movement, specifically STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, and Math) education. Matthew has a degree from Kutztown University focusing on the use of technology in traditional arts.

Ed Swanson

2024: Bandsaw Box

2023: Desk/Side Table Lamp

2022: Serving Tray & Coasters

2021: Custom Clock

His name is Ed Swanson, and he is the person behind eds_clocksnmore. As an automotive tech of more than 30 years he learned to be a problem solver. He has heard some say that part of “making” is solving problems or figuring it out, and Ed will have to agree. Ed started eds_clocksnmore for a few reasons. He’s always had a thing for clocks and he likes making lamps, coffee tables and such out of automotive parts. Thanks to a visit to makerscamp in 2019 Ed started making pens as well. Ed always seems to fall back on making clocks because we all need to know what time it is and he likes making them from unusual items. Ed loves when someone will look at one of his pieces and say “How did you see that from that material?” It’s rewarding and Ed loves having people visit while he is working and possibly join in the fun.

Josh Hock

2024: Maker Signed Leather Apron

2023: Leather Apron

Josh Hock is a passionate maker with an insatiable curiosity for the world of fabrication and craftsmanship. From a young age, he was drawn to the art of creation, nurtured by his family, who introduced him to the world of tools and machinery, allowing him to tinker, take apart, and build things from scratch.

His journey into the maker community was a natural evolution of his childhood interests, leading him to explore a wide array of creative pursuits. From leatherworking and silversmithing to woodworking and metalworking, Josh’s diverse skill set reflects his boundless enthusiasm for creating.

Beyond his creative pursuits and desire to learn new crafts, Josh is excited to meet fellow makers. He recognizes the value of connecting with like-minded individuals in the community who share his passion for crafting.

As a father with a young creative daughter, Josh is proud to support an organization dedicated to promoting women in STEM fields, recognizing the importance of inspiring a spectrum of future creators, engineers, designers, and makers.

Chad McIntyre

2024: Custom Red Guitar

2023: Trifold Camp Chair

From the bayous of Louisiana to the hills of North Carolina, Chad is a self-proclaimed mad scientist of creativity. He’s the ultimate tinkerer and maker, always hungry for new knowledge and challenges. With a motto of “why settle for one style when you can do it all,” Chad refuses to be pigeonholed. Get ready for a wild ride through his ever-evolving world of creation!

Chip Platt

2023 & 2024: Globe Knot Earrings

Bio to come…

Julie Benson Wilber

2024: Rustic Buffalo Tin Print

Julie Benson Wilber spent her formative years in Rapid City, South Dakota, the same hometown as Jessi Combs. Her summers were spent at the family’s secluded cabin in the Black Hills, where she developed a deep affection for nature. Without the distractions of television or modern amenities, Julie and her three brothers relied on their creativity to fill their days, working with materials like wood, stone, and metal. Their mother nurtured their individual talents, and Julie’s brothers grew up to be skilled craftsmen – a gunsmith, woodworker, and wordsmith. In addition to learning to cook on the cabin’s antique wood stove, Julie discovered a passion for photography, starting with her father’s vintage Kodak Brownie Baby camera and later using her grandfather’s 1950 Kodak Pony to capture stunning black and white images.

Following a 40-year journey with her husband through Boston, San Francisco, and Denver, where they welcomed their two daughters, they have settled outside of Rapid City. Living in the Black Hills has reignited her creative spark and motivated her to embark on new endeavors, all thanks to her husband’s constant encouragement and understanding, even as he navigates the eclectic assortment of items she gathers for her artistic pursuits.

Camp Jessi, where the JCF gathers each summer, was Julie’s vision and dream come to life. Refurbishing and designing most of the 1898 Farmhouse herself, you will find all of the furniture pieces were refined by her. She is incredibly blessed to know that so many people are making memories in this idyllic setting. (This is not the rustic cabin her family spent summers at.)

Bobby Gerhardt

Metal Mended Heart Art Piece

Bobby Gerhardt, aka “Reaper,” is a U.S. Army veteran who’s always loved working with his hands. He learned mechanics from his father at a very young age which led to his work in metalcraft. After being honorably discharged, Bobby began creating artisan essentials, tools, and goods in his home shop. He continues to introduce the craft to veterans as a means to combat mental health struggles. He runs Reaper Manufacturing as an homage to his service, and to those that did not return home.

Ron Dyrcz

Metal Sculpture

Ron is a lifelong maker with experience in the woodworking and metal industries. For nearly six years, he has worked full-time with Ronders Wood & Metal Works, a company known for its artistic tables and furniture. Specializing in milling lumber, he blends technical precision with sculptural design, creating functional yet artistic pieces. Driven by an insatiable need to create, he transforms raw materials into beautifully crafted furniture and art.

Dawn Sublette

Multipurpose Organizer Tote

Dawn Sublette is a fabric artist. Growing up in the Midwest, her family instilled in her a love of sewing, woodworking, and homemade items. She originally wanted to be a photojournalist, and took classes in high school and college. She even worked at a TV station for a couple years. But she always wanted to get back to sewing. Dawn finally took a quilting class in 1993, and realized that this was the creative outlet she was looking for. Dawn and her husband John live in North Carolina and have three grown children. She loves making quilts and bags for friends and family. She and her husband are running “MakerInspired” and managing “The Homestead”.

Leigh Northrup

Custom Chess Set

Leigh Northrup’s lifelong passion for making traces back to his grandfather’s workshop, where he first discovered the joy of creating with his hands. Now, as the Dean of Innovation and Technology at Cannon School for over 23 years, he has built a thriving, nationally renowned maker program that empowers students to explore woodworking, resin casting, and digital fabrication. Leigh’s work seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with modern tools like CNC routers, laser cutters and 3D printers. His philosophy of “failing forward” fosters a creative learning environment, inspiring makers of all abilities to push their boundaries and embrace their potential.

Brittney Carbone

2024: TBD

2023: Jessi the Riveter Painting

Brittney Carbone is a mixed media artist. Her background is significantly surrounded in drawing, painting, and collage of mixed materials. However, the past few years, epoxy has played a major role in her art making. Brittney has a Bachelor’s degree in Painting/Two-Dimensional Studies and Art Education from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She’s been fortunate to do what she love’s as a career for the past decade as a middle school art teacher. Brittney received a Master of Art Education from Boston University in 2018. After completing her masters, she yearned for something more, and decided to learn something new, which is when she met epoxy. As a predominately two-dimensional artist, she saw how epoxy has the capability beyond what could be created with paint and collage on a flat surface. “It amazed me how a liquid form could be manipulated and set into a permanence that could capture more than I’ve been able to do through traditional art forms”. Much of her work is inspired by the natural world around us, and enjoys telling a story with her content creation.

Kerges Nimen

Custom Bolo Tie

The maker behind Kerges Nimen Silversmithing. I’ve made a bolo tie of recycled sterling silver milled out to sheet and wire to what you see here. I also created my own “stone” for the setting with Jessi Combs signature polka dots.

Where art and metal meet. 4 years ago she dove headfirst into the silversmithing world with a short class at a local gem store. Since then she has built her dream studio in East Canton, Ohio where she resides. Working as a small business owner who makes heirloom quality jewelry.

Mark Adams

The maker portrait journey started a few years in Cleveland, OH. One night at the Skidmark Garage while working on his motorcycle, a group of makers came in with Lincoln Electric. Having a portrait set up already in place, Mark pulled a few of these rough and dangerous individuals aside to see what he could get. He took a few snaps and gave them their photos, thinking he would go back to figuring out why his bike was running rough. But, that was not the case. Another group approached and asked if he was the guy taking photos. So Mark took another group up to get their mugshots. All of a sudden the sounds of beer bottles clinking and laughter were all around, everyone asking for a photo with Jimmy. He took photos with those who asked and jumped into frame behind those who didn’t! Mark realized then how much fun it was to take photos of people who woke up that morning with no idea that they were gonna get a formal photo. It fills his heart with joy when someone says with surprise “that really looks like me” or “I didn’t know I could look that good!” Mark enjoys seeing what he can capture that they haven’t seen in themselves before! A year later Lincoln Electric contacted him about being part of Spring Make, an offer he couldn’t turn down. Some of you have seen those images, shared them with friends, family, followers. Again, it was another amazing time trying to catch their enthusiasm for the Maker Community. Hopefully, you can see how much Mark enjoys this community.

George Vondriska

Etched Plexiglass Jessi Quote Light

George Vondriska has been teaching woodworking since 1986. In addition to running his own woodworking school, George has taught woodworking courses for woodworking shows, woodworking schools, retail stores, the U.S. Peace Corps, the Pentagon, Northwest Airlines, and Andersen Window. George is the primary instructor for Vondriska Woodworks woodworking classes.

You may also know George from his work as the Tools and New Products Editor for American Woodworker Magazine, his articles in Fine Woodworking, WOOD, and Woodworkers Journal Magazines, or from his current position as Managing Editor of WoodWorkers Guild of America.

Tommy Matthews

Custom Knife

My name is Tommy Matthews, I am the owner, operator and artisan of Crooked River Forge where I design and hand make cutlery for a variety of uses. I like to think my blades can take you from the field to the dinner table and all points in between. Established in 2015, I have since gone on to become a Forged in Fire Champion Bladesmith and currently an apprentice smith with the American Bladesmiths Society. My work has been featured in West Virginia Living Magazine as well as being endorsed by many working chefs throughout the country, including Mark Canzonetta, winner of Guy’s Grocery Games on The Food Network. My work has been coined as “Functional works of Art” by some of my clients, but make no mistake, the blades I create are made to be used!

Stu Schwadron

Custom Made Dog/Cat Bowl Holder

Stu Schwadron is a professional craftsman and consultant, who started Yellow Mug Inc. in 2018. Based in Chicago, he specializes in creating custom prototypes and customer projects. You never know what the next project will be, from large format installation art, to top-secret prototypes, each project is different from the last! Luckily, he likes to keep us updated thru Instagram and YouTube. Stu has a woodworking background starting 28 years ago in rural Missouri that now includes traditional woodworking techniques, welding, CNC milling, and laser cutting. He loves teaching, helping others and reminding makers to #KEEPMAKING!

Jimmy DiResta

Metal Frame

Since I was a little kid in my dad’s shop I have been experimenting with tools and materials. Learning how to use and implement them. Now 40+ years later that’s all I have been doing: Making things and teaching how to make things involving metal, wood, plastic and more.

I have been making things ever since I was able to hold a hammer and likely longer than that. I grew up working around, and alongside my dad, a Long Island handyman. He put me an environment to keep experimenting and learning, so my early education involved a wide array of problem solving using all manner of tools, skills and materials… and that is my philosophy in the shop; learn all you can about anything and everything so it becomes a part of your problem solving arsenal.

Jess Crow

Resin Frame

Jess Crow grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska after moving from Massachusetts. Growing up in Alaska she learned early on how to make do with simple items and build what she didn’t have. Jess owns Crow Creek Designs which is located in Palmer, Alaska and specializes in artistically designed furniture. She seamlessly melds mixed media and wood to create her handcrafted items. Her work has been featured in Insider, Linkedln and other news outlets.

Jess is a partner with TotalBoat and has helped them develop a proprietary resin that is retailed under the Jess Crow and TotalBoat brands. She also teaches at venues across the country; retail stores, woodworking schools and maker events.

Savanah Rose

Automotive Frame

Savannah Rose is a creator of various things — from photography and social media content creation, to welding, fabrication, and painting. Savannah is currently delving into both fab work and the art world with her all-female art & motorcycle show, Maiden Moto Art Show. Savannah can still be seen traveling the across the country at motorcycle and powersports events, where you’ll find her with her camera in one hand, and the keys to her H-D Sportster chopper in the other.