Our Mission and Vision

Ideaworks is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, public benefit organization. 

“The purpose of this corporation is to promote and encourage technical, scientific, and artistic skills through individual projects, social collaboration,and education”.  Fresno Ideaworks is a volunteer-operated, member-driven community workshop with the vision of being the inspiration hub for creative people of the Central Valley. Our makerspace facilitates skill development and innovation through hands-on teaching, collaboration, and educational resources, empowering our community with practical, artistic, and entrepreneurial skills. We are the first and most comprehensive non-profit, collaborative makerspace in the Central Valley. We are committed to maintaining and improving our facility in the Cultural Arts District of downtown Fresno, where folks from all Fresno neighborhoods can find us and participate in their own personal creative growth, and in the growth of the maker movement in Fresno.

Our Makerspace

Fresno's Maker community makes it's home at 1730 H Street in downtown Fresno, California, in the historic "Crown Plunge" building. Built in 1928 by Clyde and Lloyd Jackson and managed by Reg Dauner, the Crown Plunge was the longest-operating swimming pool in Fresno when it closed in 1847. After removing the tank and installing their printing and engraving business, the Crown Plunge building remained in the Jackson family until 2018, when Fresno Ideaworks agreed to purchase it and create a permanent home for Fresno Ideaworks. Since then we have worked diligently to maintain our comprehensive woodshop, "weldatorium", machine shop, tech classroom & hackerspace, ceramics studio, textiles & fiber arts studio, modern fabrications lab. The recent addition of a lampwork glass art station is only the first step toward creating new hand-craft and fine arts opportunities to round out our established industrial arts programs.