A unique community exists in the heart of Portsmouth—a wildly diverse band of artists, craftspeople, tinkerers, and techies. Different ages, different backgrounds, same agenda–create! They don’t shun one another because of their differences, but welcome the life-spice of variety. This artsy crew shares knowledge and equipment willingly, collaborates happily, and basks in camaraderie. It sounds like a perfect world, but it is just Port City Makerspace (PCMS).
Makerspaces like PCMS are literally spaces where people make things. But beyond the table saws, metal cutters, and 3D printers, it is the spirit of collaboration and sense of belonging that has spurred the popularity of these workspaces over the last decade, particularly since the pandemic. People tired of isolation yearn for interaction, creative expression, and the mental health benefits that come from both.
PCMS provides workshops for everything from woodworking, metalworking, machining, and auto and bike repair to pottery, textiles, 3D printing, and CNC electronics. Frustrated artisans in need of space, tools, and equipment gratefully flock to the makerspace to release their artistic zeal. Members bring their own raw materials, but the makerspace supplies some materials, like clay for pottery, at a discount whenever possible. The three hottest areas of interest these days are jewelry making, glass working, and surprisingly, blacksmithing. An enterprising group of aspiring blacksmiths have set their sights on building their own forge–a clear reflection of PCMS’s thriving spirit of ingenuity.
Jack Segal has been PCMS’s secretary, executive board member, and development chair overseeing fundraising since 2023. He is also an aspiring woodworker—what first brought him to the makerspace. Like so many others, he was searching for a space to hone his craft, equipment to use, and fellow craftspeople to connect with. At PCMS, he found all this and more.
Segal raves about the collaborative atmosphere at the makerspace. “You come for the crafts, you stay for the community,” he says. In this rare place, where fellow creatives share their expertise without reservation, his skill level has soared. As a beginner woodworker, he relishes the chance to work alongside experienced professionals and learn from them. Many newbies who walk through the makerspace’s door have never picked up a tool, touched clay, worked with electronics, or even seen a 3D printer, but experienced members, volunteers, and the PCMS staff are on hand to teach them. Classes in 21 subjects are also available and are open to the public.
Heading up this exceptional staff is Alex Nunn, someone Segal calls “the face of the makerspace,” and the handiest person he has ever known. Nunn, the general manager since 2014, can fix or work on every piece of key equipment in the facility. This “lifelong tinkerer” first came to the makerspace to learn welding and has since become indispensable in helping makers learn new skills. “He is what really makes the membership experience,” Segal says.
An unexpected bonus of the PCMS experience is the opportunity for each craftsperson to expand and diversify. Members join focused on one craft, only to find themselves inspired by a wondrous new world of others. Segal is a classic example. For his latest woodworking project, custom-carved his and hers charcuterie boards for engagement gifts, he uses the electronics lab to design them, the woodshop to mill the lumber, and the CNC shop for carving and engraving. Dave Kasparzak is a more traditional artist who has similarly expanded his creative horizons. A gifted charcoal artist, he added woodworker to his resume and now creates custom frames for his own pieces.
Founders, Ross Beane, Clint Crosbie, and Zach Robinson never imagined the impact their makerspace would have on the Seacoast arts community. Back in 2012, the three friends launched the workshop to collaborate on projects, purchase shared equipment, and spread their creative wings. But they soon discovered that other artists and makers across the area needed the shop for their own projects, and in 2014, they established the nonprofit Port City Makerspace.
Now home to 270 members, PCMS thrives as a hub of creativity, made possible by its remarkable facilitators. A monthly membership fee of $50 allows unlimited access during regular hours. For diehard enthusiasts who just can’t stay away, $80 per month allows 24/7 access. Scholarship programs are available for those who qualify.
Port City Makerspace may seem too good to be true, but Segal insists it really is as special as it sounds. “Our mission at its core is to inspire the artist and maker in everyone,” he says. “We want to give them the tools, the collaborative culture, and the opportunity to feed the creativity that lives within.” At PCMS, this ideal collaborative culture has become reality, proving that we can all work together in harmony, no matter what our differences may be.
Pull quote for Page 3 (Flex Page): “Our mission at its core is to inspire the artist and maker in everyone. We want to give them the tools, the collaborative culture, and the opportunity to feed the creativity that lives within.”
Pull quote on Page 4: “You come for the crafts, you stay for the community."