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Gallery 2: Tinkering

Explore your creativity and our curious contraptions.

Making things and developing ideas by hand helps us construct understanding. Slow down, settle in, and make something personally meaningful—from playful contraptions to surprising connections between mechanical systems and natural phenomena.

Read the Curators' Statement

Gallery Highlights

Tinkerer's Clock

Check out a clock full of tinkerers that chimes the time.

The Art of Tinkering

Meet 150+ makers working at the intersection of art, science, & technology

The Tinkering Studio Blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at activities and ideas we’re exploring.

Scott Weaver's 100,000-Toothpick Sculpture of San Francisco

What would you do with 100,000 toothpicks?

Your Turn Counts

Turn the crank and add to the tally kept by this whimsical counter.

Lariat Chain

This moving loop of chain sets up strange, hovering wave patterns.

Featured Projects

Learn how you too can enjoy our activities in your kitchen, garage, classroom, and community.

Cardboard Automata

Explore mechanical elements such as cams, levers, and linkages to create your own moving sculpture.

Chain Reaction

Rube Goldberg-inspired cause and effect contraptions using everyday materials and found objects.

Circuit Boards

Tinker with electricity using common objects: batteries, lights, buzzers, motors, switches, etc.