Have you ever been to Assemble? It’s a place where hands-on STEM learning is all about joy, creativity and connection. For 15 years, Assemble has been serving thousands of youth and their families through programs that blend science, technology, engineering, arts and math into learning experiences that give kids a chance to express themselves.

So to celebrate Assemble’s 15th birthday — and to honor some of the special people who helped, well… to assemble Assemble — the nonprofit is hosting a joyful night of hands-on learning with an equally joyful name: Unicorn Palooza.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, from 6 p.m. to  9 p.m. Unicorn Palooza will fill the WBU Event Space with a one-of-a-kind creative carnival of interactive maker experiences, hands-on art activities, creative challenges, handmade carnival games, music, dancing, prizes, a costume contest and additional surprises. Tickets are available here, along with links to volunteer or offer to host a maker experience at the event.

Image courtesy of Assemble.

The evening will also include The Unicorny Awards, named for two reasons: One, as a nod to Assemble’s mascot, a robot unicorn from outer space that captures the boundless imagination that Assemble welcomes and cultivates.

Each unicorn is unique, but they’re not alone, says Assemble founder Nina Barbuto: “Sometimes you feel like you’re alone or you’re different. But unicorns come together in a grouping, which is called a blessing,” she says. “Like a murder of crows, or like a pack of dogs, there is a blessing of unicorns,” and at Assemble an entire blessing of unique kids can gather to learn and grow.

“At Assemble, we come together to make things. And we’re trying to practice the future that we want to see, or to imagine it, and build a model about it,” Barbuto says. Whether that model is made of cardboard, or it’s 3D printed or laser cut, or it’s expressed as a video game, Assemble uses math, engineering and art to help kids develop and share the ideas that can lead to the future they want to see, for themselves and for their community.

Photo courtesy of Assemble.

Assemble, Barbuto points out, is a place but it’s also a verb. So the other reason that the Unicorny Awards have their name is because they honor four people who have used their unique gifts to help Assemble become the learning resource it is today.

The 2026 Unicornies each fall into a different category:

Funder: Gregg Behr, executive director of the Grable Foundation

“From our first meetings back in the day, in like 2014, there’s been support, support, support,” Barbuto says. Along with understanding and embracing Assemble’s mission and helping to make it a reality, Behr has brought his own children to Assemble, she says, and “Assemble would not be here without the Grable Foundation and the work that Gregg has done to make this city flow with creativity for kids.”

Afrofuturist: La’Tasha Mayes, State Representative

“La’Tasha Mayes has done so much work in this community, from her earliest days at New Voices,” Barbuto says. “When we’re talking about Afrofuturism, we’re always talking about how are we learning from the past to reimagine the future, while centering folks from the African diaspora? When we do that, everybody wins.”

Unsung Unicorn: Jess Gold, Educator

“If I’m the first assembler, Jess would be the second assembler,” Barbuto says. Among other things, Gold created Assemble’s popular Saturday Crafternoons. She also ran the organization’s first summer camp in 2013 and ran what was originally called Tinker Squad and became Girls Maker Night, helped start Hack the Future, and much more.

Maker Award: Ms. Junyetta Seales, Artist

“Miss June is an amazing elder who has lived this work,” Barbuto says. “She will give you everything so that you can continue that love of learning and really dive into it, but doing it in a way that makes it extremely accessible to anyone. … Miss June is quite a gift.”

This event – part fundraiser, part birthday party, part hands-on learning experience   represents an evolution of Assemble’s long-running MakerDate fundraiser. Unicorn Palooza will give visitors a chance to connect with creatives, artists, makers, and technologists, while helping to fund future learning experiences for thousands of Pittsburgh kids.