We’re thrilled to announce that three young makers have officially earned their Junior Maker badge and proudly taken the Maker Pledge! These youth have shown incredible dedication by attending Vector Space educational events like First Friday and Maker Faire Lynchburg. At each event, they participated in hands-on activities designed to ignite creativity, problem-solving, and a love for making. To earn the Junior Maker badge, participants must complete five different event activities within a single calendar year. Once completed, they notify Vector Space staff and are invited to take the Junior Maker Pledge:

As a Junior Maker, I, ______________, understand the value of making and tinkering. I know that the world around me is mine to mold and change, and I will continue to learn skills that I can use to make the world a better place. Making helps people and the planet, and I can use my skills to help others and myself. I will continue to learn and teach others how to make.

Each graduate receives a commemorative wooden badge and a certificate of achievement—a symbol of their hard work and creativity. A new badge design will be unveiled each year, encouraging ongoing participation and skill-building.

We extend a heartfelt thank-you to the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation for supporting this meaningful youth program.

Want to get involved? Check out our updated list of Events at vector-space.org/events and start your child's journey toward becoming a Junior Maker today!

Let’s keep making the world a better place—one project at a time.

Congratulations to Jon Formo, our April Maker of the Month!

At Vector Space, our makers are the heart of everything we do—and this month, we're thrilled to spotlight someone whose creativity, dedication, and technical skill continue to elevate our community.

Jon has a deep passion for making, and it show, especially through the incredible artwork he creates with the fiber laser. He’s always pushing artistic boundaries, and his projects are a constant source of inspiration around the shop. Whether it’s precision-cut designs or experimental textures, Jon’s work brings out the artistic potential of tools in ways we hadn't imagined.

Beyond his creative work, Jon has been a driving force in making our space better for everyone. As a Shop Captain, he played a key role in the rebuild of our beloved laser cutter—replacing the X-carriage and fabricating a flatter, more rigid bed for improved performance. Jon also stepped up as a leader during a recent volunteer day, helping coordinate a successful shop improvement effort. Thanks to his guidance and hands-on support, we accomplished big upgrades that benefit our whole community.

We’re so grateful for Jon’s leadership, generosity, and ever strong maker spirit. Thank you, Jon, for everything you bring to Vector Space!

In the United States, the number of women in manufacturing is extremely low, with the number of women employed as artisans or machine operators between 1-4%. Here in Lynchburg, we are working to change that statistic. In partnership with the City of Lynchburg Office of Economic Development and Toursism and Lynchburg Beacon of Hope, Vector Space has launched the newest iteration of our Women in Machining program. This six week program for women to learn the fundamentals of manual machining began in April. Halfway through their training, students have been meeting with a technical instructor two nights per week. They also attend soft-skills sessions and industry visits one night per week, to increase the likelihood of success after completion of the program.

These five women, Tiffany Goode, Teetee Vaughan, Natica Crawford, Leah Johnson, and Jules Brown, are gaining a foundational understanding of machining principles through this program. Offered at no cost thanks to the Office of Economic Development & Tourism, these students can continue their machinist education at Central Virginia Community College, with potential to work at a company like BWX Technologies later in their career. Both CVCC and BWXT are partners in the program, providing tours and mentorship to the students. 

Stay tuned to see what these women take on next!

In April 2025 Vector Space installed two permanent, public chess tables in Downtown Lynchburg. The intent of this project is to further activate this space in a way that appeals to a broad age range, engages the mind, and has a proven record of success in many other communities. The tables were designed and built at Vector Space by Adam Spontarelli. Located in the patio area next to The Depot Grille, each table features a strudy steel base, plasma cut and welded to represent chess pieces. The tables are contrasting wood species, cut on the CNC router and finished with a protective layer of epoxy for durability. Funding for this project was provided by the City of Lynchburg's Arts & Culture District Grant, and they were installed in partnership with the Downtown Lynchburg Association.

Ready to play?

Members of the community are invited to bring their own chess pieces, or borrow a set from downtown businesses. The Water Dog, Depot Grille, and the Downtown Branch of the Lynchburg Public Library each have a set of chess pieces available to borrow. You will need to leave your ID in exchange for the set, to be returned when the chess pieces are returned.

Vector Space staff are always excited to see what members are contributing to the space and to the community. Every month we keep a mental tally of all the attributes we want to highlight amongst our makers. It could be finding someone being a leader, seeing someone making things that inspire us or craft the world into a more fun, more functional place, noticing a maker pushing themselves or seeing volunteerism and mentorism in action! These are the things that help us distinguish exemplary makespace members with our Maker of the Month award. A Vector Space M.O.M, if you will.

This month Vector Space has someone with an abundance of maker spirit worth assigning all the maker accolades to! During the Month of March our celebrated maker completed her egg sorting contraption, (who here doesn't love a good contraption I’d like to know!?) led the way with the Vector Space table at Maker Faire Lynchburg and in general is a delight to be in the space with. She is considerate, helpful, skilled and competent in many shops and is an easy to hang with maker bud. Hooray for Hannah Rathje! Hannah, we are so grateful for what you bring to our community. Thank you!