Nova Labs

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, the Nova Labs Capital Campaign has officially closed at $114,851, surpassing our $100,000 goal and unlocking an additional $15,000 matching grant. Together, we are making important improvements to our shared makerspace and investing in Nova Labs' future.

Four or so years ago when my father passed away, Christopher Sexton, woodshop steward and maker of fine dovetailed boxes (I think he’s made upwards of 60 of them), invited me to do some woodworking. He suggested it might be a good way to process things. Something inside me said "Great idea! I want to build an electric guitar!" Always with a gentle voice, he suggested maybe we start with a few other things first. Maybe learn a few things. Ok, Ok. So, with his help: I made a guitar stand Then a...

Announcing the release of the 2025 Annual Report. It was year of both impact and opportunity at Nova Labs. Once again, the kindness, generosity, and resilience of our members and affiliates shone through. We continue to be deeply grateful for — and inspired by — this community.

Chris Sexton is on a mission to craft 100 dovetail boxes, one carefully fitted corner at a time. As a volunteer Wood Shop Steward at Nova Labs, Chris helps care for the shop while supporting our ever-growing community of woodworkers.

We are opening our doors to the public with our 2025 Open House! This is a great opportunity for us to show the community how we've transformed our makerspace since we moved to Fairfax City in 2022.

The Nova Labs drive team heads for the field, following Perry the Platypus, their 2025 entry in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

Can you believe this past December marks three years since we moved to Fairfax? Way back when our main focus was just keeping the power on and passing fire marshal inspections. We've come such a long way since then, from clearing space and building walls, to developing some awesome programs and building strong relationships with the broader community. Check out Nova Lab's first ever Annual Report below to learn what we've been doing and where we're focusing on going next, or click here to...

Working with National Bell Festival to support the Solidarity Bell.

When Nova Labs was looking for a new home on a tight deadline, we searched far and wide, trying to find something we could afford, continue to grow in, and in a location that wasn't so far out that it would disrupt our established community of members. When we found this building, we knew it would take a lot of work, but it checked all the boxes. We loved the opportunity to add a makerspace to the middle of Fairfax, right off 66, and close to George Mason and Northern Virginia Community...

Every year the American Homebrewers Association has a Big Brew Event where they encourage Home Brewers across the country to spend the first Saturday in May making one of their own recipes. I have participated in this for several years at Jay’s Brewing shop in Manassas, where Jay’s also partners with Downright Obsessed Homebrewers (DOH) to host a competition for local homebrewers, with qualified beer experts as judges, and brewing-related prizes. Since the first Saturday of May this year...