 The series of 3 design workshops (each 4 hours in duration) that we have developed for Art City explores the theme of scale and asks participants to consider the spaces around them ranging from the home, street, community, and city. By developing the activities from an environmental design perspective, we hope to provide participants with additional skills, knowledge, experiences and opportunities that will prove useful in their futures. 
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Client: Art City
A non-profit community art centre located in Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood, Art City is dedicated to providing high quality, free-of-charge art programming to participants of all ages.
Project Description and Objectives:
• Promote an understanding of human and natural built form by encouraging participants to engage with the environment at different scales. Activities will encourage an exploration of the local neighbourhood and city, seeking to develop awareness and understanding of human impact (culturally, socially, economically and environmentally).
• Encourage an interactive, hands-on approach to learning that will both inspire participants to explore their environment and develop their artistic creativity.
• Integrate cross-disciplinary concepts of design (including architecture, landscape design, interior design and planning) into a creative design activity for children.
• Create a sense of success and pride in participants.
Activity I: Creature Comforts
Designing a home for an animal: Participants will begin by choosing an animal and discussing its habits and the types of shelter their animal requires. They will be encouraged to consider the other elements their animals might enjoy in a home beyond the practical. Participants will be asked to represent their ideas in 3-D, by modeling homes for their animal to inhabit. Participants will develop a creative, imaginative and responsive housing solution.
Activity II: Streetscapes
A mixed media activity that considers the different building typologies that make up a streetscape. Participants will engage in a conversation about the different buildings that make up the composition of their neighbourhood. Using photo-collage they will observe and investigate their immediate surroundings. Participants will be asked to reduce the buildings to basic form, shape, proportion and massing. Participants will work as a team to creatively re-arrange the building forms on the ‘street’ and learn to apply design principles associated with form, shape and proportion.
Source: Eisen, David (1992). Fun with Architecture. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art: Viking.
Activity III: Box City
A 2-day lesson plan will allow participants to build a ‘child’ friendly city: To determine the form, location and function of each space in the design of their city, participants will think about what types of buildings and services are needed in a city and the relationships between them. Using cardboard boxes and other found objects the participants will then build the ‘Art City’ City. This activity encourages participants to take on role of planner, architect and landscape designer.
Source: Centre for understanding the Built Environment (CUBE) http://www.cubekc.org/architivities/boxcity35.html
Background Information:
AWB had wanted to begin working with community groups whose mandate followed our own and had been looking for right timing to partner with Art City. We approached Art City with a proposal for 3 Design Activities and they invited us to be a ‘Guest Artist’ for 3-1 day workshops.
The workshops provided AWB members the opportunity to engage the community and share the design profession with the local community.
Design Team
Phase 1: Research - Danielle Whitley (Project Leader), Jeff Garcia, Cheryl Prosser, Sara Coppola, Andrew Lovatt, Suzanne Gessler, Erin Ames, Laura Rempel
Phase II: Activity Design + Implementation- Laura Rempel (Project Leader), Erin Ames, Andrew Lovatt, Brittany Webster, Catherine Whitecloud
Mentors: Kelley Beaverford, Dr. Sherri Blake
Timeline: Sep 2007–Jan 2008; Workshops: January 14-16, 2008
Links:
Art City Web Site
'Building the Foundation for a Future in Design' — Jan 15 2008 Canstar
Architects Without Borders et les étudiants de la Faculté d’Architecture de l’Université du Manitoba ont travaillés avec Art City, un centre d’art visuel communautaire à but non lucratif. Art City développe et livre des activités reliées au design pour une clientèle de tous âge habitant le quartier West Broadway à Winnipeg, MB.
Le but de l’activité était de faire connaître aux participants, par l’entremise d’activités créatives, les différents aspects du design tel que : la responsabilité social, le développement durable et la résolution de problème en contexte.
Activités de conception :
1. Objet : Réinventer un objet qui a perdu son utilité. Le but est de changer sa fonction initiale pour obtenir une toute nouvelle fonction et par conséquent alterner sa valeur.
2. Espace : Concevoir une maquette pouvant être portée (costume) qui explore les propriétés de l’espace nous permettant de nous sentir confortable et en sécurité.
3. Communauté : Explorer la communauté à l’échelle globale, les facteurs qui affects le design des villes (tel le climat, la densité de population et la culture) de différentes régions du monde ainsi que leur impact sur le design de ces communautés.
Cliquez ici pour de l’information sur la mise en œuvre de ce projet en 2008.
Emplacement: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Partenaire : Art City
Mentor : Kelley Beaverford
Échéancier: 23-25 Février 2009
Type: Activités sur le design
Volet Humanitaire: Éducation
Équipe projet: James Frank, Jeff Garcia (animateur d’activité), Andrew Lovatt (animateur d’activité), Priscilla Mah, Elisa Naesgaard, Tamara Nyysola, Laura Rempel (Chargée de projet + animatrice d’activité), Marla Wirasinghe.
Statut: Complété
Liens:
Site web de
'Program Helping Build Foundation for Future' — 12 mars 2009 Canstar
|
