The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops
The Curious Forge Arts Center and Makerspace, 13024 Bitney Springs Rd Bldg 9, Bldg 9, Nevada City, CA 95959
About
The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops offer hands-on activities that include art classes and workshops, group projects, and peer-led learning. Youth participate in specific making experiences such as Raku and ceramics, metal fabrication and welding, jewelry and metalsmithing, hacking and upcycling, woodworking and woodturning, electronics, textile arts, digital fabrication and smart art, blacksmithing, glass blowing classes, glass fusing and slumping, and lapidary. The program includes expert-guided workshops and equipment safety and orientation for the tools and processes used.
• Schedule: Open Monday–Thursday with extended hours and on weekends, with closures on some federal holidays
The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops are part of a broader makerspace that offers youth summer camps, education for a local middle school, and Lyman Gilmore Maker classes. The organization’s mission is to spread the joy of making and foster a community of makers and artists of all backgrounds and skill levels. The program is connected to workforce development programs, including a metal fabrication program which has placed students into well-paying jobs and a planned advanced manufacturing program focused on fabricating with CNC. Everyone using equipment is trained on the safety and operation of the tools they use.
The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops operate within an arts center and makerspace that includes 16 professional studios and access to cutting-edge and traditional equipment. The organization was founded by Kara Asilanis and Liam Ellerby, with founding members including Kara Asilanis, Jeff Carver, Terry Shearn, Sharon Almeida, and Yvon Dockter. It began in 2011 with a 750 square foot space and 12 founding members, expanded in 2012 to a 3,000 square foot space with 75 members, and in 2017 moved into a 20,000 square foot space with around 190 members. The space is described as a playground for artistic, technical, and industrial exploration and was inspired by Burning Man and Maker Faire.
Community involvement connected to the program includes youth summer camps, education for local middle school students, and programs for at-risk teens, charter and public schools, and wounded warriors. The organization also supports local businesses and CEO executive teams through make parties and team-building activities. It collaborates with its sister nonprofit, Forging Nevada County Forward, on workforce development programs that emphasize youth and vocational programs. Community events and projects have included an adult downhill derby, “Empty bowls,” Lyman Gilmore flight days, Shaman Cycle, the Summer Thyme bike rack, the “Thinking outside the box” fundraiser, and a bike rack at the corner of South Auburn and Main Street.
Last updated April 6, 2026.
• Schedule: Open Monday–Thursday with extended hours and on weekends, with closures on some federal holidays
The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops are part of a broader makerspace that offers youth summer camps, education for a local middle school, and Lyman Gilmore Maker classes. The organization’s mission is to spread the joy of making and foster a community of makers and artists of all backgrounds and skill levels. The program is connected to workforce development programs, including a metal fabrication program which has placed students into well-paying jobs and a planned advanced manufacturing program focused on fabricating with CNC. Everyone using equipment is trained on the safety and operation of the tools they use.
The Curious Forge Youth Summer Camps and Workshops operate within an arts center and makerspace that includes 16 professional studios and access to cutting-edge and traditional equipment. The organization was founded by Kara Asilanis and Liam Ellerby, with founding members including Kara Asilanis, Jeff Carver, Terry Shearn, Sharon Almeida, and Yvon Dockter. It began in 2011 with a 750 square foot space and 12 founding members, expanded in 2012 to a 3,000 square foot space with 75 members, and in 2017 moved into a 20,000 square foot space with around 190 members. The space is described as a playground for artistic, technical, and industrial exploration and was inspired by Burning Man and Maker Faire.
Community involvement connected to the program includes youth summer camps, education for local middle school students, and programs for at-risk teens, charter and public schools, and wounded warriors. The organization also supports local businesses and CEO executive teams through make parties and team-building activities. It collaborates with its sister nonprofit, Forging Nevada County Forward, on workforce development programs that emphasize youth and vocational programs. Community events and projects have included an adult downhill derby, “Empty bowls,” Lyman Gilmore flight days, Shaman Cycle, the Summer Thyme bike rack, the “Thinking outside the box” fundraiser, and a bike rack at the corner of South Auburn and Main Street.
Last updated April 6, 2026.
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