Makers Meet-up is switching things up this month. In the last months, they have had UM Pixel press come show up screen printing, worked with Epson Salt Council making bath bombs, and even learned crochet from a student artist. Each month, they aim to push new things while encouraging community members to come out and experience new things.
Remember the butterflies in your stomach when it was your turn at show and tell? The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council is betting that feeling — and the connections it sparked — still has something to offer. The organization’s Makers Meet Up program is hosting a special edition event called “Show & Tell,” inviting local artists, crafters, and makers to step up, share a piece of their work, and be seen.
The first Makers Meet Up: Show & Tell will be held on Wednesday, June 24 at the Lafayette Arena from 6–8 pm Admission is free.
The idea grew out of an observation made by Ra’Drea Rayborn, coordinator for the Makers Meet Up workshops. While attending the monthly gatherings, she noticed that artists were comfortable chatting one-on-one or in small clusters, but opening up to the larger group was another matter entirely. “I noticed artists completing projects and asked them about their work,” Rayborn said. “It sparked the idea of having artists show works they completed.” She began exploring the possibility of having participants bring in work they had made at home and share it with the group.
Brainstorming with the Arts Council team, the answer that kept surfacing was deceptively simple: bring back show and tell.
The format Rayborn has designed mirrors the low-stakes, high-warmth spirit of that elementary school staple. Each artist will have five minutes to share a piece of work, followed by five minutes of questions from the audience. Those questions, however, will be intentionally guided. “We are limiting the questions to ones about process, inspiration, and constructive feedback on the work,” Rayborn explained. “This is not a critique like in art class, but a sharing, so artists can connect and learn.”
The distinction matters. Show and tell, as educators have long understood, is not about judgment — it is about story, reflection, and belonging. According to an article from Edutopia, show and tell encourages valuable self-reflection and helps build community between participants through trust and understanding. The activity supports a culture of kindness, time for talking, and expression through art — all elements of social and emotional connection. Educators have also noted that show and tell, regardless of participants’ ages, builds a collaborative spirit and fosters the kind of community where people know each other’s names, interests, strengths, and challenges.
For artists, those same benefits translate directly. Talking about creative work to a friendly crowd builds the habit of articulating process and intention — skills that serve makers at open studios, gallery openings, craft fairs, and beyond. And hearing others talk about their work opens doors to new techniques, unexpected sources of inspiration, and the simple reassurance that comes from realizing you are not creating in isolation.
RaDrea is hoping the event draws both seasoned makers ready to present and curious newcomers who simply want to watch, listen, and be inspired. Artists can sign up to present or attend at www.oxfordarts.com.
Bring the thing you made. Tell us about it. That’s all it takes.
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