knitta please!

now you KNOW i had to "blog this". one of my dh's cyberpedagogy students at saic put him onto this group that does knitted grafitti. i checked it out this morning and knew i had to post! for all my fellow progressively crafty peeps who also have a proclivity for the built environment please enjoy! "Knitta" describes themselves as,"a tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles" i'm not sure if there is really social commentary here or...like a lot of graffiti moreso guerilla style outlet for expression but i like =). looks fun!

Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency Schedule

*Atlantic Center for the Arts Architect-in-Residence Program Application Deadline: 5/19*

Architect Steve Badanes with architect/art educator Sharon and Peter Exley, and landscape architect Richard Haag will lead an Atlantic Center residency program between
August 7 and 27, 2006. The application deadline is May 19.

Since 1982, Atlantic Center's residency program has provided artists from all artistic disciplines with spaces to live, work, and collaborate during three- week residencies. Located just four miles from the east coast beaches of central Florida, the pine and palmetto wooded environment contains award-winning studios that include a resource library, painting studio, sculpture studio, music studio, dance studio,
writer's studio, black box theater, and digitalcomputer lab. Each residency session includes three master artists of different disciplines. The master artists each personally select a group of
associates - talented, emerging/midcareer artists - through an application process administered by ACA. During the residency, artists participate in informal sessions with their group, collaborate on projects, and work independently. The relaxed atmosphere and
unstructured program provide considerable time for artistic regeneration and creation. Atlantic Center for the Arts provides housing (private room/bath), weekday meals (by on-site chef), and 24 hour access to
shared studio spaces with wireless Internet.

3+1

new baby hernandez born 3. 15. it was a lotta work.

10lbs 22inches...20hrs.

c-section...the point?

MUST.

GET.

REST.

much work ahead.

count down begins for june 10th graduation!

update*** here he is at 2.5 months (june 01 06)

Design Corps

i see design corps has a new website i see a panel on "activist architecture" was added to the conference agenda for the structures for inclusion conference in a few weeks in SF. interesting...not sure if that was before or after founder bryan bell and i spoke. in any case...i wish i could make it but...i can't.

Detroit. Demolition. Disneyland.

speaking of detroit...interesting project i heard about from liz today.

call for artists+architects

in my inbox from a.manda a while ago...ment to post:

"Call for Artists: SHELTER"
2006-01-30 until 2006-04-08
Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit
Detroit, MI, USA United States of America

The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) is soliciting proposals for its all media, Interdisciplinary exhibition SHELTER, to be held in September, 2006. The exhibition will be juried by artist and CAID board member Hugh Timlin. Artists (of any discipline) Architects, Community Workers, Researchers and others are invited to submit proposals or work specifically related to homelessness as a chronic or emergency condition, or shelter needs resulting from catastrophic events. Areas of investigation might include makeshift housing, abandoned buildings as shelter, design of practical and inexpensive housing for emergency and chronic conditions, the homeless experience and who is affected and more.

Proposals could include, but are not limited to, designs for temporary, emergency, or low income shelter; documentation of innovative shelter programs; expressions of the experience of the loss of shelter and its impact (emotional, cultural, and economic) on communities.

The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit is a community based non-profit organization. CAID fosters and promotes the essential link between contemporary arts and contemporary society through its exhibitions, performances, critical and public discourse, and the funding of contemporary arts and art related activities. For the history of CAID or other information please visit the website at www.thecaid.org.

Hugh Timlin, Juror

In a more than thirty five year career as a sculptor, Hugh Timlin has become a well recognized and highly respected presence in the metropolitan Detroit Art community. He has exhibited extensively throughout the state and nationally including the Art Exhibit for the National Conference on Religious Architecture in Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. His public commissions include work for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Detroit, Temple Beth Israel in Flint, Lansing General Hospital, Lansing Michigan and Georgetown University Washington D.C. He has taught at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and held adjunct positions at Mercy College and Wayne State University in Detroit. Timlin was the first Barstow Foundation Artist in Residence at Central Michigan University.

Timlin's life and work were the subject of a cover story for the Detroit Metro Times in March of 2000. His poetry, essays and sculptures have been featured in The Metro Times as well as TheDetroiter.com and markszine.com.

Hugh Timlin lives in a house that he built and works in a studio he built on his small farm in the central Michigan area. He is currently working on a collection of essays and poetry which he plans to publish in 2006

-P-A-T-H-

interesting org. in nyc

"P-A-T-H is a voluntary group of individuals and organizations
coming together, simply, to provide support to the community."

"Architects, Artists, Designers, Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Planners, Students and many who feel they could make a difference in the community beyond their day jobs take up P-A-T-H and over the years becoming involved in participatory processes, research and training to empower communities
to improve their own habitat."

Faith at Large: Creating dignity by design

an article about dan pitera self proclaimed, "politcal activist, masquerading as an architect". Pitera directs the Detroit Center for Collaborative Design, an architectural firm housed at the University of Detroit Mercy, a university sponsored by the Jesuits and the Sisters of Mercy that serves 5,600 students. The center provides design services solely to nonprofit organizations. During the past five years, the center, staffed by Pitera, two fellows and two students, has designed, among other things, a job training center, an educational facility for women and girls, a portable AIDS treatment station, and a gymnasium for children with physical disabilities.

Beyond Green - Museum of Arts & Design NY

a link from dwell via my friend juli...

Beyond Green:
Toward a Sustainable Art

February 2 – May 7, 2006

Sustainable design, which balances environmental, social, economic and aesthetic concerns, has the potential to transform everyday life and is already reshaping the fields of architecture and product design. Beyond Green explores how this design philosophy resonates with an emerging generation of international artists who combine a fresh aesthetic sensibility with a constructively critical approach to the production, dissemination and display of art. While "green" architecture has been widely explored, this is one of the first exhibitions to focus exclusively on sustainability in art and design.

These artists—working in cities such as Chicago, Copenhagen, London, New York, San Francisco, San Juan and Vienna—use sustainable design strategies for metaphoric, practical, critical or even playful ends. Beyond Green includes existing works, commissions and previously presented work that has been “recycled,” spotlighting ways in which artists are building paths to new forms of practice. The holistic approach of sustainability seeks to transform the ways people make, use and dispose of the stuff of everyday life. Beyond Green is co-organized by the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago and by iCI (Independent Curators International), New York, and circulated by iCI.

chi town let down?

soooo. its been about 2 weeks being back in chicago. i bitched and moaned to no end when we moved to seattle 3 years ago about how hopelessly suburban it was, how disgustingly idyllic it was and how i couldn't wait to get back to my life in chicago...to our family, friends, our professional network etc. etc. the truth is by the time we were leaving seattle my feelings had become quite mixed. i mean it is SO incredibly lush, beautiful topographically and sweet in its intimacy. and somehow in all my cynicism i managed to make some really good friends who will be sorely missed. its small enough to feel like you can make a mark...you know, "the big fish in the little pond" idea i guess.

being in chicago the first week i think was a serious let down. though we came here for an "opportunity". our apt. was "not quite right". the neighborhood, well we're on the "not yet" gentrified side (which is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it), the city in general..well, big, loud, cold and dirty. what the hell did i do. is this really what i want? i thought. but i was saying to my husband yesterday, as i've walked and driven around a bit more...i'm remembering, that that what i saw as idyllic in seattle bothered me so much because it became SO comfortable and safe which somehow scares me.

here its different, there's so much SHIT in this city that keeps you angry that it keeps you on your toes...wanting to do something about it. i don't mean, angry in a lets just walk around and be toxic way but in an inspiring way...a way that stirs your creative juices...makes you envision something new, and better and try to figure out how to make that happen. don't get me wrong...seattle has its certain grit to it...its by no means perfect...but its issues seem less glaring and on a much more minor level making for a totally different and in general "better" quality of life.

quality of life is an interesting concept though b/c for instance, culturally, man, it is a relief to be here. i forgot what its like to just SEE black and latino people EVERYWHERE...and not have to 'schedule in such encounters. that does something for your psyche. so our building is uncomfortably close to the adjacent ones, and our doorstep is littered with 30 flyers everyday, and being that its winter in chicago, it looks gray and barren...no leaves or grass and my black car is perpetually gray with salt and grime, oh and i have to travel 25 min. each way for my kid to have access to the bilingual montessori education that i seek...no walking around the corner to school anymore (or to the doctor/hospital, major grocery store or gym for that matter). BUT somehow, i think life is richer here. more complete. more "real". and in that sense i am happy to be home. i think its interesting that my son hasn't said boo about seattle. he's SO happy to be here, its like his intuition tells him the same thing i'm trying to analyze and decipher. its a complicated and mixed emotional puzzle and only time will tell if the pieces are in the right place.

"you are what you eat"

In a recent interview with a fairly "famous" architect who has changed the trajectory of his practice to be a lot more socially based in the last decade, he had some inspiring guidance. i asked him, if he thought he had the luxury of choosing to do more socially based work after a whole career of getting p-izz-aid on upscale projects. furthermore i told him that I’ve been told by some that it’s best to succeed by the status quo before you start shaking things up and breaking rules. i mean at 28 and as a woman of color is that a priveledge that i really have? would i really be taken seriously or will it be the, "she's doing that because she couldn't succeed at the traditional way" kind of thing...

He said to me, You never have to be a conformist. You don’t have to succeed by the status quo. If you want to design stuff in the middle of the street and disrupt shit in order to get people's attention and make change...Design stuff in the middle of the street! you'll ecome known for it. A very specific group will look at you as worth something. You will not get a lot of work in the traditional sense and it takes a great deal of courage. but its bullshit to “succeed” by the status quo. he went on to say, "you are what you eat…if you do shit work you will be known for shit work and people will come to you for that” you will become known for what you do. if you don't want to do the "traditional path" don't do it. you don't endure the shittiness of that path just to "say you did it" if you cave now, you will never be known for what you want to do. and people won't take you seriously. you have to do it NOW. Where is your strength of character if you don’t?

interesting question...we'll see how it gets answered later this year post graduation!

Foresight Design Initiative

tonight in chicago:

Nine enterprising interns from Oberlin College and the Institute of Design were recently thrown into the deep end of several sustainability-related projects here in Chicago. Participants in Foresight's Urban Sustainable
Design Studio, they have spent the past four weeks devising insights into some significant sustainability challenges. Did they sink, swim or manage to levitate? You're invited to decide for yourself by attending their final presentations on:

Monday, January 30th
6:00-8:00pm
Jefferson Tap & Grille (325 N. Jefferson)
FREE admission, cash bar/food

Their projects included assignments with the City's Department of Planning and Development, the Museum of Science and Industry, and a local sustainability-minded business, as well as two Foresight initiated exercises. The evening will include concise formal presentations, a chance to meet the interns, and time to mingle with like-minded peers.

i might join their: "believe chicago" and "foresight design" email lists which are described as:

A moderated, central source for information about sustainability-related events, jobs, and issues relevant to the Chicagoland area, including announcements of upcoming Chicago Green Drinks and Smart Business Hour gatherings. Volume is kept to a minimum; most postings are compiled into the weekly e-newsletter.

Foresight Design Email List
Interested in sustainable design in whatever guise? This list includes posts about issues, events, etc. related to this emerging field.

Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World: Books: Robert Neuwirth

In one of my interviews yesterday this book by Robert Neuwirth was mentioned. I definitely need to check it out.

and of course there is always this one: pet architecture already a favorite. but it also came up.

building-of-art

in my inbox today from seattle/chicago public artist (and my former landlord) stuart keeler: The Building of Art. this might be his mfa thesis?

The Building of Art – What does it mean when the artist enters through the backdoor of the institution? A web based Request for Proposals seeking to create a physical and public dialogue with an iconic building, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Columbus Drive Building.- The artist generated RFP seeks to question and define this buildings place in the city of Chicago by questioning the role of the artist as collaborative catalyst to ignite a larger conversation. How does the social construction of an art school define itself as an urban object?

Log on to: www.Building-of-Art.com

As a web based sculptural project, utopian in spirit, The Building of Art seeks to gather work internationally from artists, designers and architects creating a conversation between disciplines. This is a socially based, public art opportunity to conceptually and thematically breathe new life into the existing building through alteration of the facade and public spaces. The renewed building will have a far reaching effect as a positive inspiration for students, faculty & the citizens and visitors of the City of Chicago. The shared language of art and architecture will share an interesting dialogue in the selection of the finalists for the RFP. Finalists proposals will be published in a catalogue, as well as the finalist will be invited to lecture at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. What can the artist create when the city is the studio?

Art, architecture and design are being utilized to invent and define the district which includes the Columbus Drive Building. The recently unveiled neighbor, Millenium Park, addresses the built world as a theatre with artists, architects and designers at the forefront. The Art Institute of Chicago, has recently announced that Renzo Piano Studio, will complete the district with a new addition of a Contemporary Art wing, this new addition to the AIC building will build a complex visual relationship to the existing School Building. These same professions will revive the existing SAIC Columbus Drive Building as a valuable and contributing member of this district. How do you keep up with the Jones’ when Millenium Park is your neighbor?

A jury consisting of: Tony Jones, President of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Buster Simpson - Public Artist, Steve Bedanes, Architect – The Jersey Devil, Jeanne Gang, Architect – Studio Gang, Ben Nicholson, Architect & Artist, Stanley Tigerman – Architect, Tigerman – Mc Curry, in addition with two students from The School of The Art Institute will be moderated by Professor Linda Keane, Architect.

The dialogue, charettes and topics, all conceptual forms which catapult from The RFP will support an evolving discussion about the role of the Columbus Drive Building as a civic icon and the artists’ presence and impact in the evolving built world of Chicago. Multi-disciplined entries that include artists as part of the team are desired The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is not the sponsor of this RFP. Stuart Keeler, an artist of public spaces is hosting the competition with consent from SAIC.

oh...

if i weren't doing all that and done with my studio requirements i'd be joining the UW post katrina planning and design studio in jefferson parish. kudos guys!

along those lines some new orleans related opps via a.manda via acsa:

Katrina and New Orleans: One Year Later
Call for Editorials, Opinions and Thought Pieces
MARCH 15, 2006, Deadline The Executive Editor is looking for short (500-2,000 word) essays on Katrina, its aftermath and rebuilding. What have we learned and what are we still learning? What new place-based imaginaries are emerging from the rubble and what interesting alliances are being formed. How have the discourses of "natural" disasters, socio-technical failures, environmental justice, and sustainability been transformed in this "Katrina" landscape? How is culture preserved/transformed by the changes, both temporary and permanent. Accepted essays will be published in the September 2006 issue of JAE.

Send one copy of your essay to Barbara Allen, Executive Editor-JAE, 4200 Wisconsin Av., NW #106-156, Washington , DC 20016 or email ballen@vt.edu. Please note that design work is not accepted for this call.

and:

Rebuilding "The Big Easy" In late November, Architectural Record and McGraw-Hill Construction in partnership with Tulane University School of Architecture announced two international competitions to generate housing proposals for New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina. “Rebuilding ‘The Big Easy’: An International Competition for New Housing in New Orleans” combines a student competition for a New Orleans house prototype and a “High-Density on the High-Ground” competition open to all participants. The goal of the competition is to bring new designs for much-needed housing in New Orleans. The student competition aims for an affordable single-family home prototype on a typical New Orleans lot that can be replicated throughout the city. due march 1. more <a href="http://archrecord.construction.com/news/katrina/competition.asp ">here

also...

something i'm hoping to get involved in once i get settled in the chi:

Got an an email from Melissa, a former colleage, now Architecture & Construction Program Manager at the Chicago Public Schools who is working with Chicago Architecture Foundation in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation(AAF) which established the Architecture & Design K-12 Education Network in October 2005. The Architecture & Design K-12 Education Network is dedicated to fostering the growth and development of architecture and design education on a national level. The Network further strives to raise youth awareness about the built environment and advance the integration of the design process across the K-12 curriculum.

They are currently planning the launch of several initiatives for 2006 – a new website and series of Network programs and services to be unveiled in the spring and an inaugural National Conference taking place in Chicago in the fall. go to the website, www.architecture.org to sign on with the network.

blog hiatus

this blog is officially on hiatus as i'm:

moving back to chicago next week.
conducting interviews for thesis following three weeks.
giving birth in 8 weeks.

crunch time. will post as i can.

happy new year...

New Orleans company to offer Katrina "disaster tour "

This is SO wrong.
-CNN via archinect.

in my inbox today: the race museum

an exciting new project called the Race Museum, a traveling exhibit of interactive and participatory anti-racist art. Please check it out at www.racemuseum.org

"We have chosen art as the medium for our work in an attempt to deepen intellectual analyses of race as well as identify the emotional, psychic and spiritual impact white supremacy has had on our lives.

We are presently commissioning 5 new pieces of interactive and participatory anti-racist art and are offering $1000 for each piece.

In March 2006 the Race Museum will begin touring the east coast. In addition we will hold complimentary workshops designed to give participants tools to analyze institutional and cultural racism as well as understand how their identities have been shaped by white supremacy.

This is a big project and we would love your help:

- Do you know artists who would be interested in participating in our
Call for Entry? This is a great opportunity to be paid for something
there are precious few dollars for, despite the enormous passion many
of us have for this issue.

- How about activist friends? Activists and artists run in similar
circles and if you don't know an artist who would love to try out,
your activist contacts might. Word of mouth is extremely powerful and
networking, more than anything else, will make this project a success.

- Do you write a blog or have your own website? Would you be willing
to write about the Race Museum or put a link on your site?

- Do you belong to artist or activist listservs? Would you be willing
to post this announcement, especially the Call for Entry for the
artists?

- Do you or your organization publish a newsletter? Would you be
willing to insert a blurb about the Race Museum and include the web
address? I would be happy to help write a description that would fit
into any available space you might have.

Critical Mass is a nonprofit, self-formed visual arts collaborative
dedicated to promoting, enhancing and initiating contemporary visual
art in the St. Louis region."

spurse

i don't quite understand their website, as it could be more well put together but also of interest from this book:

Spurse describes itself as an international architectural collective with no fixed content of members dedicated to experimentation with a transurban milieus. They question and rethink urbanism in terms of new forms of distributed agency and refusal of the nature-culture divide.

talk about tent city

wow. this cat really knows tents...

birthing tent: inside and out

check out the tree tents and death memorial tent among others. i ran across this in an awesome book put out by mass moca: The interventionists: Users' manual for the creative disruption of everyday life. fun fun...