Insight: Tour of the Open Bench Project

SPACE Insight members are invited for this tour of Portland’s newest addition to the creative economy, the Open Bench Project. The Open Bench Project is conceived as a shared learn/work facility, cultivating a community of makers by providing access to studio/work space, tools, and resources around skill and capacity building. It will provide an opportunity for makers of all types — amateurs, professionals, hobbyists, entrepreneurs, youth, artists, scientists, engineers — to explore ideas, hone and learn new skills, and collaborate with thought partners across disciplines. OPB strives to help people explore, question, critique, and re/create the built world around them.

We will meet Open Bench Project founder Jake Ryan and get an early peek at the space he’s creating on Thompson’s Point. We will also talk with Chris Thompson, president of Thompson’s Point Development Company, the development firm that is revitalizing Thompson’s Point, and we’ll hear more about how OPB fits in with the vision of that land.