An ambitious new collaboration between We the Builders and Adam Savage seeks to crowd-source and 3D print a six foot tall sculpture of Rosie the Riveter for the Nation of Makers Conference in June.
The concept of We the Builders is simple to the point of genius. They assemble large sculptures of historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Edgar Allen Poe. But instead of carving from stone or casting in bronze, each sculpture is assembled from hundreds and thousands of 3D printed parts, crowd-sourced from volunteers located all over the world.
This year’s project — their fifth — is their biggest and most ambitious yet. To celebrate the contributions and diverse identities of women and non-binary makers, they’re scaling up a sculpture of WWII cultural icon Rosie the Riveter to monument-size.
The sculpture is the handiwork of artist Jen Schachter, who sculpted the a 7″ tall Rosie bust in oil-based clay over a wire armature. After completion, it was 3D scanned, digitally scaled up, and sliced into printable pieces.
If the project is successful, this very special Rosie the Riveter will be over six feet tall and made up of 2,625 parts. But to get there, they need the support of everyone in the maker community — regardless of their gender identity — to help 3D print it.
The grand unveiling of the sculpture will take place during NOMCON in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in June. NOMCOM is a gathering of makers hackers, and technologists hosted by Nation of Makers. Here’s the pitch video from Adam Savage of TESTED fame.
Rosie the Riveter Says: “We Can 3D Print It!”
Interested in taking part? You can claim your segment of the model by signing in with a Google account and clicking on “Give me a File to Print”. We the Builders are keen to emphasize that all parts should be made in skin-tone colors. This is to celebrate the diversity of identities of today’s makers.
The material doesn’t have so strict a requirement, however. Past projects have included parts made from ABS, PLA, PHA, wood, resin, metal plated, glow-in-the-dark, and more.
After fabrication, participants should send a photo of their part and then ship it back to We the Builders. Full details can be found on their how it works page.
Several filament manufacturers are also offering discounts to support the project. MatterHackers is offering 5% off everything (excluding Ultimaker merchandise). Follow this link and enter ROSIETHEHACKER at checkout. Elsewhere, DeltaMaker is offering $9 off brown, gold (tan), and natural filament. Use code ROSIE at checkout.
Finally, We the Builders stress that time is of the essence. They only have 3 weeks to collect all the parts. If you don’t post your piece within a few days of claiming it, it will be released so someone else can make it.
For those folks without access to a 3D printer, there are other ways to participate. These include hosting printing parties, video documentation, or a good old fashioned cash donation via PayPal. Check out the official project page for the full details.
Website: LINK
