About
Educated as an architect at Virginia Tech and Auburn University's Rural Studio, Will Holman is the founding Executive Director of Open Works, a makerspace in Baltimore City. Open Works is one of the largest nonprofit makerspaces in the United States, with 7 workshops, two classrooms, a computer lab, a mobile makerspace, 115 studio spaces, and a coffee shop.
Previous to that, he worked as an architectural designer, carpenter, artist's assistant, cabinetmaker, furniture designer, and educator. He is the author of Guerilla Furniture Design, and lives in an old house in Baltimore with his wife Amanda.
Will's work is interested in expanding access to the means of production through writing, community development, and open-source design.
Inquiries: william.c.holman AT gmail.com
WRITING
2019 / Placemaking Postcards Series / Brookings Institution / co-authored with Dr. Ronald Williams / How a Baltimore makerspace is encouraging trust between local residents, businesses, and institutions
2019 / Taking Action: Positioning Low-Income Workers to Succeed in a Changing Economy / ed. by the Hatcher Group for the Annie E. Casey Foundation / Makerspaces and the Future of Work
2019 / Vernon Press / Design School: After Boundaries and Disciplines / ed. by Paul A. Rodgers and Craig Bremner / Alternatives to the Atelier: Makerspaces and Design Education
2018 / The Good Woodworker magazine (UK) / Campaign Desk
2016 / The Good Woodworker magazine (UK) / Hairpinned Table
2016 / Make Magazine / Made in Baltimore Series
2015 / Vitra Design Museum / Open Making Manifesto: A Field Guide / The Toaster Paradox + The Open Source Object
2015 / Places Journal / Makerspace: Towards a New Civic Infrastructure
2013-15 / Bmore Art / various
2015 / Storey Publishing / Guerilla Furniture Design
2011 / Places Journal / Lessons From the Front Lines of Social Design
2008- present / Instructables
SPEAKING
2019 / Tech at the Gap / Cumberland, MD / Open Works: Makerspaces for Economic Development
2019 / Media Democracy Fund / Baltimore, MD / Local to Global: Creative Methods to Challenge the Digital Divide / Panel Discussion
2017 / The Rural Studio / Newbern, AL / Soup Roast Alumni Lectures / Object Guerilla
2017 / IIDA Mid-Atlantic Chapter / Baltimore, MD / Breaking Boundaries / Failing Up - Building Successes from our Secret Frustrations and Failures
2017 / Baltimore Museum of Industry / Baltimore, MD / Reinvention: The Work of Chris Bathgate / Industry and Entrepreneurship Panel
2017 / Design Museum / London, UK / Design School and the Industry Turn / Open Works: A Case Study
2017 / The Contemporary / Baltimore, MD / The Ground by Michael McKean / Future Cities: Baltimore Panel
2016 / Tulane School of Architecture / New Orleans, LA / Public Interest Design Seminar / Object Guerilla
2015 / Walters Art Museum / Baltimore, MD / Making Odd Ends Meet: Recycling in the Middle Ages / Guerilla Furniture Design
2015 / MIT Sloan School of Management / Cambridge, MA / Supporting Diffusion of User Innovation / Design for Distributed Production
2015 / MAKE Media / New York, NY / World Maker Faire / Guerilla Furniture Design
2014 / Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Urban Studies / Blacksburg, VA / 50th Anniversary Alumni Talks / Makerspace as Civic Infrastructure
MEDIA
2017 / Baltimore Sun / Jacques Kelly / After six months, Open Works' maker space is making an impact
2016 / Baltimore Sun / Sarah Ganz / Baltimore's newest makerspace, Open Works, opens Tuesday
2016 / Makercast podcast / Will Holman
2016 / Looking Sideways podcast / William Holman + Pascal Anson
2016 / Startup Soiree podcast / Episode 70 William Holman
2015 / Midday With Dan Rodricks / WYPR Baltimore / Tech for Good
2015 / Staden podcast / Every Slice of Baltimore
2015 / Root Simple podcast / Guerilla Furniture Design
2015 / Bmore Art / Bret McCabe / Will Holman is Object Guerilla
2015 / Boing Boing / Corey Doctorow / Guerilla Furniture Design: Making your home beautiful with waste materials
2015 / City Paper / Eric Ericson, Jr. / Will Holman's 'Guerilla Furniture Design' is full of practical DIY projects
AWARDS
2015 / Baltimore Business Journal 40 Under 40
2014 / Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Urban Studies Young Alumni Award
EDUCATION
2010 Certificate, Auburn University, Rural Studio Outreach Studio
2007 B. Arch, Virginia Poytechnic and State University