Soap Box Camp and Derby 2012
For four years, Open Source Gallery has hosted the annual Soap Box Camp and Derby. This summer long series, culminating in a race down 17th Street, has encouraged children to think out of the box to use found objects and materials to create a soap box car, as well as adults to return to childhood while cheering on the children during the race. Not only does the Derby involve the community in an event the day of the race, but so does the camp, operating in the gallery space and spilling out onto the sidewalk, prompting passersby to inquire about Open Source.
The camp itself encourages its participants to sketch out their inventions before teaching them how to use the tools they need to make their contraption come to life. Each car operates using one to three kids and, during the Derby, style is as much of an element as speed. The materials for the cars range from bathtubs to wheelchairs to skateboards and many cars have a very specific theme or design. In past races, participants have dressed as the Flintstones to accompany their stone-age machine or attached wings to their car to add flair.
During the six weeks of camp, 17th Street is used as a test track and, ultimately in August, as the real track for the big race. The Soap Box Derby and Camp functions as a way to teach kids construction skills, how to focus their creativity, and a way to bring their community together through fun, functional, and artistic soap box cars. Over the course of the workshop, participants turn piles of seemingly useless trash into functional machines while learning about construction and design and, more importantly, having fun.
