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A brief backstory

Hello and welcome! Herein lies some maker and STEAM projects, programs, and pathways from the past 12+ years in a variety of learning environments. My practice is informed by my experience as a structural engineer, creative technologist, woodworker, librarian, maker educator, and maker of makerspaces.

My passion lies at the intersection of inclusive design, traditional handcrafts (metal, wood, textiles, et al.), digital technologies, project-based learning (PBL), creative material reuse, and community activism. I love collaborating with researchers, nonprofits, policy makers, and industry to bridge theory into practice around meaningful making, community impact, personal transformation, resilient economies, and regional empowerment.

 

All. The. Things.

Engaging communities to identify and solve local challenges has included: working with blind and visually impaired students to develop multimodal games and products (National Science Foundation funded); developing passion-projects and workforce training with people experiencing homelessness (Knight Cities funded); creating empowering spaces for LGBTQ+ through the Sewing Rebellion and fiber arts workshops; and launching paid PBL internships with under-resourced youth in DC, Boston, and Boulder (Infosys USA grant funded).

My goals are to democratize maker education, lift marginalized voices, diversify STEAM careers and futures, build inclusive cultures, and create joy and community through making! I'm a collaborator at heart, and would love to connect. <3

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Connect

Reach out! I am interested and open to creative collaborations, consulting opportunities, speaking engagements, maker workshops, makerspace build-outs, project musings and more.

 

Hudson Valley based. 

 

Email: janet.s.hollingsworth at gmail.com 

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© 2026 by Janet Hollingsworth

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