Chimera Arts in Sebastopol fosters innovation and collaboration

In a city known for progressive thinking, the nonprofit Chimera Arts artist cooperative might be one of the most creative spots in town.

How else to describe a Sebastopol maker space that is an eclectic mix of places to engineer wonder?

The 3,000-square-foot facility with a 4,000-square-foot back patio is one part electronics lab, one part wood shop, one part metal shop and one part jewelry studio. The space has resources to facilitate digital fabrication, creative arts and textiles, too. In addition to being a workplace for more than 150 members, Chimera Arts prides itself as a tool library, and hosts dozens of classes during which nearly anyone can come to learn new skills.

In the next few months alone, Chimera Arts instructors will offer classes in welding, blacksmithing, sewing, 3D printing, laser cutting, jewelry making, wood lathe and many others.

Next month there’s even a Repair Cafe during which guests can bring in broken household items and volunteers will do their best to fix them, free of charge.

“I think Chimera brings excitement to the community,” said Jim Wheaton, an artist and member who also serves on the nonprofit’s board. “We’re a place where artists can practice their art, and where people who wish to learn new tools and techniques can do that in a safe environment, with colleagues and peers.”

A space for makers of all kinds

Chimera Arts started in 2012, the brainchild of software developer and sometimes painter Dana Woodman.

For the first four years or so, the maker space operated out of a prefabricated building on the back corner of the same lot where it stands today. In 2016, they moved into a renovated old Ford Garage at the front end of the property.

It remains in that building, just off Sebastopol Avenue, today.

The early days had a counterculture sort of feel; donations supported the space, and Chimera Arts hosted hundreds of meetups and events, as well as popular robot fights (think Hugh Jackman’s “Blue Steel,” only smaller) which drew several hundred spectators each time. As word about Chimera Arts grew, so did its reputation in and around the Sebastopol community.

In 2018, the coop held its first Maker Music Festival, which was similar to other small music festivals across the Sonoma County, except all the musicians at this one made their own instruments.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly difficult time for Chimera Arts, since artists couldn’t interact in the space the way they were accustomed to.

The space endured, thanks in large part to members who were willing to pay anywhere from $55 to $195 per month for use of the facility and access to all tools and equipment. Wheaton said at last count there were about 160 members in all.

“Our members keep us going,” he said, adding the nonprofit still accepts donations, too.

Buzzing with excitement

Today Chimera Arts is the only fully functional artist collective maker space in North County. Although, there is another collective underway in Petaluma.

The space is inviting and varied.

Inside the main building, art from members and other local artists hangs on the walls and from the ceiling. There also are display cases full of jewelry made on-site.

When you enter, a small coworking space gives way to an electronics lab, which comprises a host of bays for computer testing as well as several 3D printers. To the south, behind a glass-and-metal wall, sits the wood shop, which has two turning lathes and a cornucopia of tools that would make even the most seasoned carpenter smile.

“All my best tools are here,” said Ariel Stone, a woodworker who specializes in everything from bowls to giant driveway gates. “This is where I do what I do.”

Toward the back of the wood shop, a small jewelry studio is tucked behind a metal, fireproof door. A second, and larger, jewelry studio with its own casting apparatus sits in a refurbished shipping container on the back patio.

The newest addition to the back area is a separate structure that houses a Computer Numeric Controlled Router, which is used to cut unusual shapes.

Also outside: the metal shop, which comprises a plasma cutter, a welding area, and a section for hard-core blacksmithing. Metalworker, machinist and fabricator Briona Hendren has spent nearly eight years as a member of Chimera Arts, and she said the amenities are perfect for artists who wish to work with metal but can’t afford to have elaborate metal shops of their own.

“Without this space I wouldn’t have been able to develop my career as an artist,” said Hendren, who has sculptures on display at her alma mater of Sonoma State University and elsewhere across the county.

Experiencing the magic

To be clear, on a day-to-day basis Chimera Arts is only open to members. These artists are allowed to use equipment after they go through rigorous training to make sure they stay safe.

Still, members of the public can experience the collective in several ways.

Perhaps the easiest opportunity is to attend what Chimera Arts calls its First Fridays. These events, held on the first Fridays of every month, are essentially open house parties designed for visitors to come and get a sense of what sort of creative genius happens at the maker space.

Each event has tool demonstrations, interactive projects and group build and play. There’s also wine and beer and live music.

The next First Friday event is May 3.

Chimera Arts also offers a bevy of educational classes — both in-person and online. At last check there were nearly a dozen classes available over the next two months. Instructors are often, but not always, members. They split proceeds with the nonprofit evenly.

Of all the classes, jewelry-making seems to be the most popular. Nancy “LT” Hamilton, a local jewelry designer with a huge Internet following, is one of the instructors, and said each class has a maximum enrollment of eight students, meaning personalized attention for everyone.

“The space is great for beginners who don’t want to invest in tools right away but want to learn the techniques and get going with making jewelry,” said Hamilton, whose son, Woodman, founded the space. “We try to make them approachable and fun.”

More offerings, events ahead

Looking forward, Chimera Arts is hosting another public-facing event on May 11. At the free Repair Café, volunteers will be on site to fix broken stuff. According to a flier on the coop’s website, repair areas will include bikes, ceramics, clothing, jewelry, lamps and small electronics, walkers and canes, and musical instruments.

Chimera Arts instructors also were planning to put together some camp-like offerings for summer, including “Young Makers” jewelry program and a more general “Maker Camp” every day from 9 a.m. to noon.

Beyond these programs, Wheaton said Chimera Arts will continue to do what it does best: Facilitate creativity.

“We want to keep this a safe, special place where people come to learn and grow,” he said.