AnnMarie Thomas Makerspace

The AnnMarie Thomas Makerspace brings MPA’s long-standing commitment to hands-on, experiential, and joyful learning to life. The only PreK–12 creative center of its kind in the Twin Cities, the Makerspace is a vibrant environment where students and members of the broader community come together to imagine, explore, experiment, collaborate, and create.

Blending the liberal arts with essential 21st-century skills, the Makerspace encourages students to learn by doing. The space serves as both a classroom and an extension of classrooms across campus, while also welcoming students to explore, experiment, and create independently. Through interdisciplinary, hands-on projects, students apply design thinking to real-world challenges, developing empathy, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills along the way. They brainstorm ideas, build prototypes, test solutions, learn from setbacks, and discover what is possible when curiosity meets innovation.

The Makerspace is named in honor of Dr. AnnMarie Thomas, professor emerita of engineering and business at the University of St. Thomas and founder of Listo Idea Co. An internationally recognized leader in the maker movement and playful learning, Dr. Thomas is an accomplished author, researcher, educator, and speaker whose work champions creativity, innovation, and learning through play. Her dedication to expanding opportunities for girls and young people in engineering reflects the spirit of exploration and possibility at the heart of MPA.

Made possible through generous philanthropic support and the shared vision of MPA teachers, students, and families, the AnnMarie Thomas Makerspace is a testament to what happens when a community comes together to dream big, embrace new ideas, and turn imagination into reality.