We move another week closer to the opening of the inaugural Chicago Steampunk Exposition and despite the deep freeze that has hit Chicago, things continue to come together wonderfully!
This week’s big announcement is that the award winning and widely noted Thomas Willeford (pictured above) will be joining the Exposition this September as our Guest of Honor Maker.
Willeford’s journey through Steampunk dates back to the 1980’s when he began working on creating pieces combining his love of engineering and art. Willeford created the steampunk arm worn by Nathan Fillion (pictured right) in episode 3.4 of the television series Castle. His work has been displayed at the University of Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science, at the Steampunk Bizarre Experiment, the Penn State Berks Freyberger Gallery, at Nemo’s Steampunk Art & Invention Gallery and at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, and has been featured in Popular Mechanics. He is a contributor to Bruce Boxleitner’s Lantern City project, was a judge on Game Show Network’s Steampunk’d, and has new projects currently in the works. We look forward to having Willeford share his maker expertise and stories with the Chicago Steampunk Exposition.
Our list of confirmed vendors keeps on growing, and you can check out the list thus far by clicking HERE. In April we shall begin our series of profiles on the vendors, artists, and authors who will be at the Exposition, and share more detail about what delights to expect from them.
Get Involved
There are many ways that you can be a part of the Chicago Steampunk Exposition. We have a few spots left in the vendor hall, Artists’ Alley, and Authors’ Alley; to learn more click HERE. Or perhaps you would like to share your knowledge and present a panel or workshop? In addition to Steampunk programming, we are also looking for experts in Dieselpunk, Victorian Gothic, Doctor Who, Lolita, and other retro-futuristic related topics. If you would like to submit a proposal to present, please click HERE to learn more. And of course, we are always looking for Volunteers to help run the Exposition; a convention is only as strong as its team of volunteers. So if you would like to join the crew, please click HERE to learn more and apply. If you have not done so already, please RSVP to the actual Chicago Steampunk Exposition Event Page HERE to help keep you up to date on all the latest Exposition news.
Hotel Rooms
Staying in Chicago can be expensive, but we have managed to secure discounted rooms at the Westin O’Hare Hotel starting at $129 per night (plus taxes & fees) Suites are also available for $179 per night (plus taxes & fees) Book your rooms by calling (800) 937-8461 or (847) 698-6000 and requesting the Steampunk Block when giving the dates of your reservation. If you are planning on vending at the Exposition, we have a separate block of rooms reserved for you. Upon acceptance to the show and settlement of vendor fees, details and instructions for booking a room in the Vendor Block will be emailed to you.
Upcoming Posts . . .
- Sneak peaks for Special Events
- Tour of the Exposition venue
. . . and more!
