Made at MadJax in 2025
Some buildings are just buildings. The MadJax Maker Force isn’t one of them.
In 2025, MadJax wasn’t defined by only how people used our space, but what they made inside it - objects, skills, confidence, relationships, and momentum. Every day, people walked in with ideas, questions, half-formed plans, or something they’ve been putting off for months. By the time they left, something new existed that hadn’t existed before.
This is a look at what was made at MadJax in 2025.
The Moment it Clicked
There’s a certain look people get in the Maker Space when something finally makes sense. That moment when someone realizes, I made this.
Sometimes it happens during a workshop. Sometimes during a tour. Sometimes, when a staff member or another maker leans over to help troubleshoot a step.
Those moments added up. Over the course of the year, what started with just a handful of Maker Space members grew into a community of nearly 80 people. That growth didn’t come from a single program or promotion - it came from people feeling supported enough to try, learn, and keep coming back. There’s a whole village here made up of makers, staff, and neighbors who help each other get to that point.
Turning Ideas into Real Life: The Villager Series
The Villager Series exists for the space between idea and action.
All year long, people came to MadJax with sentences that started with “I wish I had…” or “I’ve been meaning to make something… but don’t know where to start.” Instead of letting those ideas sit on a shelf, our Maker Space team invited them.
We sat down together. We figured it out. We made it happen.
In 2025, the Villager Series helped turn ideas into meaningful, tangible pieces:
A family recipe engraved onto a cutting board as a wedding heirloom
Sewing machines brought back to life after years of sitting unused
Custom projects that blended sentiment, skill-building, and problem-solving
Every Villager project started with curiosity and ended with connection.
Workdays That Built More Than Work
In the CO:LAB, work was the reason people arrived, but connection was what kept them coming back.
People logged into meetings, spread out notebooks and laptops, and settled into long stretches of focused work. But between those moments, something quieter and more meaningful happened. Conversations sparked over coffee. Encouragement traveled across shared desks. Good news - new jobs, promotions, and finished projects - was met with genuine celebration.
“I hear words of encouragement shared across desks all the time. People here genuinely want to see each other succeed.”
— Sandy Landfert, Building Operations Manager
The rhythm of the space shifted from day to day. Some afternoons were heads-down and quiet. Others were filled with shared breaks and conversation. Piano music occasionally drifted in from nearby rooms. Snacks appeared, fruit and baked goods, along with treats brought back from trips, and were passed around without ceremony.
In 2025, the CO:LAB held people through very different seasons. Government workers came when shutdowns left them without access to their offices. Entrepreneurs and small business owners spent long days here growing ideas into income. Visitors in town to see family used day passes so they could stay connected to work while being present at home.
What was made here wasn’t just productivity. It was routine, belonging, and the reminder that work doesn’t have to feel isolating.
A Room That Made Space for Community
The Learning Lab on the first floor of MadJax became a place where people showed up to think together.
Throughout 2025, more than 25 community organizations gathered here, pulling chairs into circles, rearranging tables, sharing meals, and mapping out what came next. The room shifted constantly to meet the moment: neighborhood meetings one day, retreats and planning sessions the next.
For Kim Miller and the East Central Neighborhood Association, the Learning Lab offered flexibility and ease:
“It was a fantastic space because we could use the TV for presentations, bring food, and arrange it to fit our needs.”
The space also held deeper collaboration. Ball State University’s Community Engagement team spent a summer day here, stepping away from daily demands to focus on strategy, teamwork, and connection.
“It was a great opportunity to focus on our own work and challenges in a unique space, while making deeper connections to people and resources in our community.”
What was made here were more than plans. It was trust, shared understanding, and the relationships that move work forward.
Where The Community Came Together
In 2025, MadJax became a place people expected to run into one another.
The launch of Third Thursdays, in partnership with Muncie Makers Market, gave the building a new rhythm. Makers set up tables. Conversations flowed between strangers and friends. People wandered in without a plan and stayed longer than they expected.
That sense of welcome carried into Downtown Muncie’s annual Soup Crawl, when more than 500 people passed through MadJax—many for the first time. Soup brought them in. Curiosity kept them exploring. Conversations led to tours, introductions, and return visits.
MadJax also became a place the community could count on. When weather disrupted the Brink of Summer ArtsWalk and YART, the building opened its doors as a rain location—using the size and flexibility of the building to keep artists, vendors, and visitors connected, even as plans shifted.
Outside, a newly renovated courtyard extended that feeling of connection. Summer concerts and informal gatherings turned an underused space into a place to linger, listen, and be together.
Across these moments, MadJax wasn’t just hosting events. It was becoming part of the everyday life of the community.
Some of what was made at MadJax in 2025 traveled beyond the building. Maker Space tools supported Muncie Civic Theatre through the creation of props and printed graphics. Ball State University iMADE students used the space to turn ideas into physical models that invited the public to imagine new possibilities for downtown Muncie.
Across the year, people made all kinds of things - big and small, practical and personal:
skills with tools and equipment
stained glass, carved wood, engraved gifts, sewn projects
confidence through workshops like Household Heroes and Glowforge Basics
first experiences in the Maker Space through tours
personal projects finally brought to life
time and space to focus during workdays
plans and ideas during team retreats and nonprofit meetings
That mix is what made MadJax feel alive in 2025.
Carrying It Forward
In 2025, MadJax proved again that it comes alive when people show up as themselves.
Makers trying something for the first time. Teams collaborating in the Learning Lab. Members building routines in the CO:LAB. Neighbors stopping in for soup and staying to explore.
We’re carrying that energy into 2026, continuing to celebrate small wins, support big ideas, and make space for people to try something new.
Have ideas for what you’d like to make at MadJax in 2026? We’d love to hear them. Send us a quick email.
