A kit is an open-source collection of parts with instructions to form an art object, tool or creative invention that is meant to be shared.
By kitting one’s work, a creator is making it accessible, inviting reimagining and development upon their ideas.
Look around you. Everything you see could be made into a kit. Even ideas and places can be kits.
Some kits may support many possible outcomes. These kits rely on the creativity of the maker to decide their final form. Give two people an identical collection of things and ask them to create something and you will get two very different results.
Some kits are already assembled. They are meant to provide everything you need in a certain situation.
Some kits are meant to be assembled in a very particular way. But once finished, each result is unique because it is the product of a unique maker. The builder recognizes her own creations.
A kit is a collection of things. A sum of parts that make a whole.
kitLAB is a place for budding and experienced artists, inventors, activists, educators and local community members to come together and share their ideas, skills and creations.
kitLAB is a kit for the community. At kitLAB we give you access to teachers, tools and resources so you can make, show, and sell your own version of what a kit is. We are the sum of the following three parts:.
kitLAB is a LAB, serving as a classroom and shared workspace with tools for building.
kitLAB is a STORE, selling kits made by kitLAB members, kits from other makers, and essential tools and supplies.
kitLAB is a GALLERY, showcasing works that inspire other artists and makers and expand the potential of the kit form.
By looking through the lens of the kit, at our art, science and cultural production, we can adapt our strategies to better share and disseminate our works. No matter where someone is in the formation of an idea, they will need more tools and skills to develop it.
To support these ideas we strive to:
Empower people in our local community in sharing their creative work
Provide the community an access point for tools and skill building
Promote participation in creative projects and teaching
Foster creative intervention and reimagining of our industrialized and information saturated environment
Provide a space that will:
Inspire and facilitate collaboration among artists, engineers, educators, activists, creative changemakers, and local community members
Attract, preserve, and grow a culture devoted to social justice and inclusion