Words Jessi Devenyns Photos From Asmbly
Mastering the Art of Making Together
There’s a familiar refrain to instruction manuals: put part A into part B and use tool C to firmly secure. That pattern repeats itself to the tune of how-to videos playing on loop until, at some point, the creation is complete. But then there is no one to congratulate, critique, or share in the camaraderie of accomplishment. The parts are put together, but the experience feels incomplete.
At Asmbly Makerspace, those parts become a whole. “I think the magic of this space is that you can come here and get advice from so many people,” says Galen Wixson, Executive Director of Asmbly Makerspace, nodding knowingly when he says that inspiration can’t come from a video. “People want to commune; they want to be with others who share similar interests…That sort of energy helps drive the desire to be creative and productive.”
Nearly 600 members agree. For 21 hours a day, the 13,000-square-foot space buzzes as people tinker with wood, calibrate lasers, thread needles, and form clay. Seven disciplines are available to explore alongside like-minded enthusiasts, and often collaboration crosses disciplines, filling shelves with laser-engraved wood projects and multimedia sculpture. Some projects are experimental. Some serve as prototypes. Some look destined for galleries. All of it is fine-tuned by the questions and suggestions that members press upon one another.
The brightly-lit, white-walled workshops are reminiscent of school; instructions are called out and questions are answered over a steady hum of machines. Hobbyists, retirees, entrepreneurs, and professionals who are re-skilling gather daily to shake the dust off ideas and piece together hobbies, ambitions, and curiosity.
“You can have almost any tool that you’d ever dream of having without needing to keep a space on your own property,” says Galen, who says that Asmbly Makerspace is ideal for experimentation without the prohibitive up-front investment. “This is a good place to fail and find out what you’re good at, and what you’re not good at,” he chuckles.
Asmbly has become a space where a sewing machine can be a gateway to garments or a laser cutter begins to engrave a new idea.
These concepts are enmeshed in a collective memory that is shared through the conversations flowing through the hallways: stopping, starting, recalibrating as people fasten parts together using just the right tool. Galen puts it simply: A tool is more than an object; it’s an instrument of passion.
Native Knowledge
See what members are making at Makers Markets. The next one will be hosted in conjunction with the Austin Studio Tour on November 14-15, 2026.
Classes are offered in maker disciplines beyond the core offerings available to members. Choose from glassblowing to blacksmithing, or even AI-driven design.
