FAQ

Open House is every Saturday, 1–4 PM. We open our doors to the public, so come tour the space and ask questions. If you are thinking about joining, any event on our calendar is a fine first visit, including the ones that are usually for members. See Events for the regular schedule and Meetup for everything else.

800 N Mangum St., Durham, NC. Directions and a map are on the Contact page. There is no staff on site, so outside of scheduled events there may not be anyone there to let you in.

Non-members are welcome to attend meetings, visit during open hours, and take part in workshops and events scheduled for the public. Using the shops and equipment on your own is for members.

Due to our policies and for insurance reasons, we cannot allow anyone under the age of 18 to become a member. Members may bring in guests under 18 as long as they are well behaved and do not use any of the equipment. Workshops and meetings are handled case by case and may allow visitors under 18 to use equipment with supervision.

Come to two events, then complete the membership application with signatures from two current members. Full details, plans, and prices are on the Membership page.

• 24×7 access to the physical space
• Invitation to every Splat Space event (classes, parties, outings)
• Discounted or free classes and workshops (minus materials fees)
• Dedicated space to keep your personal projects and equipment
• Access to the meeting space (conference room) to hold meetings, free of charge
• Discounts at local organizations that have partnered with us
• Voting rights on where money is spent, how the space should look, and other decisions made by the group

Full-time students get the same benefits at a discounted rate. Associate (supporting) members receive all the rights of members but do not get a key for 24×7 access, so they use the space when a Full member is present. Current prices are on the Membership page.

Through the Payments page. Dues can be paid monthly, quarterly, or yearly, and Full members pay a refundable key fob deposit when they first sign up. Payment problems go to our Treasurer at treasurer@splatspace.org.

A hackerspace is a physical location where individuals from all different backgrounds and professions gather to collaborate, socialize, work on projects, and make things. More than 500 hackerspaces worldwide have registered with hackerspaces.org, the official website for hackerspaces. Some have been established for many years, while some are still in the early planning stages.

As part of the larger hackerspace community, we are part of a growing movement to expand, rethink, and refactor technology in creative and interesting ways. Being part of the worldwide hackerspace community lets us connect with like minds globally, from collaborating on projects to attending and supporting events hosted by other hackerspaces.

Over the years, most hackerspaces morphed into makerspaces. Many started to introduce more areas of creativity and stopped focusing solely on technology. Splat Space is one such example. We have gone beyond technology and brought in woodworking, metalworking, crafting, a biology lab, and a bunch of other hobbies.

The term hacker has a pretty bad reputation these days. We are working to change that. We offer all kinds of classes and workshops, ranging from crochet to basic circuitry. Don’t be intimidated! We all have to start somewhere, and we can all learn something from each other.

By our definition, hackers are people who want to learn all they can about the fields that interest them, explore the bounds of those interests, and create new and interesting ways to apply that knowledge. We are looking for hackers of all kinds, with diverse backgrounds and interests. There are no requirements for background knowledge. You do not need to be an expert in any area of computing, science, mathematics, or art. For such an environment to thrive, we do require, at minimum, honesty, respect, and an open mind. That’s it!

Yes. The Biology Lab is part of the space and open to all members, with a community project you can join. The Community Biology Meeting is the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM and is open to everyone.

Members are our biggest supporters. Membership dues are the primary funding for Splat Space. Our community is member-funded and will always be 100% member-driven as a result. We don’t accept large corporate sponsorships, because we don’t want to ever have to answer to anyone but our membership. That said, we do have a number of business sponsorships from organizations in the area that are passionate about our cause. Contact us to find out more about business sponsorship if you are interested in helping fund a Splat Space project, event, or the community in general.

Come to our meetings and lend a hand. We welcome equipment donations that are useful to our members and our space, such as chairs, tables, networking equipment, a projector, and more. Ask at a meeting or contact us about what we are currently looking for. We also take monetary donations.