Member Spotlight: Ben Brown

Ben Brown, a regular at the Maker Space, has been a member for roughly a year.

Ben loves to create metal art at Area515, and is largely responsible for making our garage space usable and presentable (thanks!). He also works on steel and wood furniture. His favorite project created here (and the reason Ben joined the Maker Space), however, is a Ptolemy Stone–an ancient sextant used to measure angular separation of celestial bodies for navigation and astronomy. It’s now housed at the Science Center of Iowa!

Ben’s dream project is on par with James Magee’s “The Hill”, Charles Ross’s “Star Axis”, or the House on the Rock. “Think big”, he says, for his long-term goals. In the meantime, though, he says he’d like to construct a large gargoyle dragon to adorn the corner of a rooftop downtown.

As far as skills go, Ben didn’t want to brag when we asked. Despite his modesty, though, he knows a thing or two about woodworking and welding, and is willing to share that knowledge. He believes that the freedom to create art–thoughtfully and without too much regard for efficiency or practicality–to be of utmost importance. Ben’s a great resource if you’re looking for an ambitious metal and woodworker. If you see him around Area515, say a quick hello!

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