Cardboard Teck Instantute is a maker space, innovation lab and art studio dedicated to creating immersive, interactive theater, games, and products that provoke community collaboration, engagement, enrichment, and enjoyment.
(Yes, the spelling is intentional.)
PinBox 3000 and Cardboard Teck
"Professor" Ben t. Matchstick is founder of Cardboard Teck and is the co-creator of the PinBox 3000 (with Pete Talbot, currently located in Minneapolis MN). PinBox 3000 a cardboard table top customizable pinball kit, multiple award-winner at World Maker Faire and National Maker Faire. It was first prototyped at the Generator Maker Space in Burlington Vermont. In 2015 and 2016, Cardboard Teck raised over $150,000 in crowdfunding funds to launch the product. The sales of the PinBox 3000 supports Cardboard Teck and vice versa. The mission of both enterprises is the same- to engage young people and families in hands-on, creative experiences that build community, skills and confidence.
History of Cardboard Teck
CTI emerged when Ben t. Matchstick left the company of the Bread & Puppet Theater in 2005. He incorporated Cardboard Teck in 2005 as an art project and free school involving members in the Langdon Street Cafe community. In the early days, CTI would host a “free school”. CTI offered classes in Spanish language, Russian literature, music, and design. A group of puppeteers and cardboard creators, CTI was hired for several years at the Northeast Kingdom Music Festival, where a kids performance and maker tent was set up. CTI has been involved in holiday parades, backwoods carnivals, haunted houses, summer camps, and interactive community-created performances such as Grottoblaster. The PinBox 3000 emerged from an interest in spreading the good news of cardboard’s unique building properties and potential to a wider audience.
Location
The new Cardboard Teck Instantute is located at the Center for Arts and Learning on 46 Barre Street in Montpelier, Vermont. It is a "3rd space" - classroom, puppet theater, maker space, and tabletop gaming studio. The Instantute is available for tours, workshops, talks, and performances.
Art Residencies or Visiting
Depending on the age of the students, or the audience, Cardboard Teck Instantute is capable of developing theater, interactive sculpture exhibits, or puppet events. Mostly CTI residencies steer towards the PinBox 3000 as a platform for ingenuity and problem solving, with the end result being an "ArtCade". This product is the culmination of 20 years of work in schools as artist and educator. PinBox 3000 can be done with an arts focus, a maker experience, or an interdisciplinary approach that could include content reinforcement from any subject.
The One Rule: Respect
There is one rule at Cardboard Teck: Respect. This rule gets broken down into three parts: Respect Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect the Space
Respect Yourself: Know and recognize the needs that you have and how and when they can be met. Take a break if you need to self regulate. Lift yourself up and speak positively about your process and your work.
Respect Others: Support others and share your resources and time. Give facilitators a chance to lay the groundwork and directions for your experience. Be constructive and boost the energy with participation.
Respect the Space: Cardboard Teck represents years of hard work. Every item and experience represents time and energy spent. When you make the most out of the space and the time, everyone wins. Care for the space with attention and an eye toward the next participant. Keep it clean and keep it fun.