welcome in
ANNUAL REPORT 2025
When I stepped into my role as Executive Director at MadJax Maker Force, I wasn’t walking into a blank slate. I was stepping into a place with strong roots, real potential, and a lot of questions about what came next.
Over the past year, our focus has been simple: build the foundation that allows creativity and community to grow in a sustainable way.
In 2025, that work started to take shape.
We saw steady growth in Maker Space membership. More people were not just visiting. They were showing up regularly, learning new skills, and building confidence in what they could create. Our workshops expanded. Our spaces became more active. Across the building, there was a noticeable shift from occasional use to consistent engagement.
That kind of momentum does not happen on its own. It comes from doing the behind-the-scenes work, strengthening systems, improving safety and infrastructure, and creating clearer roles and expectations for how we operate. It also comes from listening. Our members, tenants, partners, and community have helped shape what MadJax is becoming by sharing what they need and how they want to engage.
It also comes from our team.
The staff at MadJax have been central to this growth. They are the ones showing up every day to support members, maintain spaces, solve problems, and create a welcoming environment for everyone who walks through the doors. Their consistency, care, and willingness to step into the work, even when it is not easy, have made a real difference in how people experience this place.
What stands out most to me is not just the growth, but the shift in how people experience this place.
MadJax is becoming somewhere people come to belong, to try something new, to build something real, and to be part of a community that supports that process.
This report captures a year of progress, but it also reflects something bigger, a foundation that is now strong enough to build on.
Thank you to the partners, supporters, and community members who make this work possible. Your support allows us to keep investing in people, in place, and in what comes next.
There is more ahead. And we are just getting started. Welcome in.
Welcome in: The Maker Space
This is Where Ideas Start to Move
Ideas do not move without space.
In 2025, MadJax made more room for people to try, to test, and to figure things out. And when that space was there, people used it.
The Maker Space grew in more than one way. Membership increased more than 4X.
We saw what happens when tinkerers, makers, and dabblers have access to tools, space, and a community that supports them. Ideas moved faster. Projects got bigger. People started to take their work more seriously.
For Maranda Lujajohnson, the Maker Space became a place to build what was not possible before. What started as a need for space to create furniture quickly turned into something more. She began prototyping products and even leading MadJax workshops, sharing what she has learned with others in the space.
As more people stepped in, the need for different kinds of space became clear.
Art Studios on 2 opened as an extension of the Maker Space. This was shaped directly by what the community was asking for. Alongside shared space to collaborate, there are now private studios where people can focus, return to their work consistently, and continue building over time.
Together, these spaces have made it easier for people to not just start, but to keep going.
And in 2025, we saw what becomes possible when they do.
Welcome in: The Community
Opening the Doors Wider
In 2025, we welcomed people into our 80,000 square foot building in multiple ways.
Those ways were created through partnerships and community moments that were already bringing people together.
Through Third Thursday, in collaboration with the Muncie Makers Market, the building regularly filled with local makers, shoppers, and visitors.
Moth Danner, owner of Muncie Makers Market, was looking to create a night market experience in Muncie. At the same time, MadJax was looking for ways to activate the building and make it more accessible. Third Thursday was born out of that alignment.
The partnership made sense from the start. The Market is full of makers, and makers are who we serve.
Since then, Third Thursday has grown. MadJax has added live music, hands-on maker activities, and opportunities for members to engage, shaping the event into a shared, evolving experience that reflects the creativity and energy of the community.
MadJax also joined events across Muncie that brought new audiences through the doors, including Second Harvest Food Bank’s Soup Crawl.
During the Soup Crawl, MadJax participated for the first time, welcoming visitors already exploring downtown and giving them a reason to step inside.
The Old Washington Street Festival created another entry point. With vendor booths and free, hands-on crafts, people could stop by and make something without needing to know anything about MadJax beforehand.
Throughout the summer, a free concert series with Guardian Brewing Company invited the community to gather, bring a chair, and spend time in the space in a different way.
Each of these moments created another way in.
And in 2025, people took it.
Welcome in: The Maker Space
This is Where Ideas Start to Move
Ideas do not move without space.
In 2025, MadJax made more room for people to try, to test, and to figure things out. And when that space was there, people used it.
The Maker Space grew in more than one way. Membership increased more than 4X.
We saw what happens when tinkerers, makers, and dabblers have access to tools, space, and a community that supports them. Ideas moved faster. Projects got bigger. People started to take their work more seriously.
For Maranda Lujajohnson, the Maker Space became a place to build what was not possible before. What started as a need for space to create furniture quickly turned into something more. She began prototyping products and even leading MadJax workshops, sharing what she has learned with others in the space.
As more people stepped in, the need for different kinds of space became clear.
Art Studios on 2 opened as an extension of the Maker Space. This was shaped directly by what the community was asking for. Alongside shared space to collaborate, there are now private studios where people can focus, return to their work consistently, and continue building over time.
Together, these spaces have made it easier for people to not just start, but to keep going.
And in 2025, we saw what becomes possible when they do.
What happens at MadJax is shaped by the people who walk through the door.
As we look ahead, we are excited to continue creating space for makers, artists, entrepreneurs, and community members to explore, experiment, and build something of their own. We can't wait to see what takes shape next.
Come see what's possible at MadJax.