Architecture for Change Summit a Stone's Throw Away

The speaker list has been expanded and scholarships are available to attend. More informatiopn on their website.

Back-to-School Volunteering

AIA Chicago Chapter's Community Interface Committee is taking up AIA Illinois Chapter President Mike Rogers' challenge for every architect to visit a local school to talk to children about what architects do. CIC's initiative is well-timed given that school starts up again in a couple of weeks. And, given an architects' predisposition to talk about both themselves and their profession, this doesn't sound much like a challenge at all. Last spring I was invited to talk about architecture at Coliss High School as part of their "Focus on Careers Day" and had a lot of fun. From AIA Chicago:

Working in Schools - Session 1
Mon., August 23, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Sponsor: Community Interface Committee

What buildings, ideas, people, or activities first made you excited about architecture as a kid? AIA Illinois president Mike Rogers has challenged every member visit a school during 2010 in order to help students discover architecture and better understand the profession. We are partnering with CAF for a series of “Architects in the Schools” visits. Workshop Session 1 covers what to expect at the school, how to work with various age groups, and introduces the classroom-ready lessons.

Working in Schools - Session 2
Mon., September 13, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Sponsor: Community Interface Committee

See August 23. Session 2 includes hands-on training in specific activities requested by local teachers to help integrate architecture into their math, science, history, and art lessons.

Archeworks' Mobile Food Collective has 14 Days to Raise $7000

Archeworks MFC Video for the Venice biennale from thirst/a design collaborative on Vimeo.

From Archeworks:

Developed through a collaborative process in the Archeworks design program, the MFC [Mobile Food Collective] has designed a fleet of mobile structures intended to act as a traveling cultural center, to encourage a return to heritage, ownership, exchange, and connection-in essence, to make food personal again. The MFC is many things: an education/exchange platform for planting, growing and cooking; demonstrations and distribution of seeds, soil, compost, and produce; a space activator within a community event; or the centerpiece of a harvest dinner. The MFC is also designed to facilitate a variety of educational programs, ranging from design thinking exercises to farm and gardening activities with youth and community members in urban neighborhoods.

Click here to learn more about the project.

Our team has had amazing response and support so far, including the opportunity to exhibit the Mobile Food Collective in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Biennale for Architecture. We are reaching out to ask for your support of our idea and to promote awareness of our movement. We are in need of further publicity and funding to assist in completing fabrication, building a food heritage archive, and hosting cultural exchange/design workshops during our time in Italy.

And in a strange coincidence, they have the same mission as my grandmother, the eating part anyways:
The Mobile Food Collective's mission is to bring people together around food, and to inspire a new food culture around growing, cooking, sharing and eating!

Note to Archeworks: if you need any help in Italy I've been practicing my Italian by talking with my hands more.

Help support our local team at the Biennale.

Chicago ACE Mentor Program Fourth Annual Summer Fundraiser

Join the ACE Associate Board and ACE Mentors for a little summer cocktailing and a good cause.

The ACE Mentor Program serves Chicago area high school youth who are exploring careers in Architecture, Construction or Engineering. The mentors are professionals from leading design and construction firms who volunteer their time and energy. The program is designed to engage, inform and challenge youth.

Join us and make a difference by supporting our efforts to provide scholarships to these students. Many of the students are the first in their family to attend college, and explore the career of their dreams.

For more information on the ACE Program, please visit our website at www.acementor.org/chicago

Date: Wednesday, August 11
Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Place: Hub 51: Lower Level - Sub 51 51 W. Hubbard Street, Chicago
Admission:
$30 each in advance
$40 each at the door
includes two drink tickets and appetizers

purchase online at www.signmeup.com/71230
or
make checks payable to ACE Mentor Chicago and mail to:

Whitney Lang @ HOK
60 E. Van Buren, 14th Floor
Chicago, IL 60605

Come for the drinks - stay for the raffle! Including great prizes such as event tickets, restaurant gift certificates, art work, furniture pieces and more. If you are unable to attend, but would still like to make a donation, please visit www.signmeup.com/71230

Winning Entry: École Saint Joseph, Petit Goâve, Haiti

Architecture for Humanity Chicago facilitated a charette and competition in May to design a school to replace one that had collapsed during the earthquake in Petit Goâve, Haiti. École Saint Joseph was a not-for-profit school that provided free education to all. Team members of this winning entry include the talents of Marissa Brown, Marlon Giron, Steven Pantazis and Dena Wangberg.

Last Chance for Utopía Posible at the Graham

Felipe Dulzaides, Next Time It Rains, video still © 2009.

The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts' current exhibit, Utopía Posible, closes this Saturday, July 17th. This Thursday, July 15th, also marks their last extended gallery hours of the season. Need another reason? Free wine.

Jewels in July Next Wednesday

Get your tickets for this year's Jewels in July fundraiser event to support Archi-treasures, whose efforts have been featured on this blog on numerous occasions. There are some photos of the event held last year on Flickr.

Photos by visualizedconcepts.

Archi-treasures
Jewels in July
Wednesday,July 21st, 2010
6-10p
Room & Board
55 E Ohio St.
Chicago

Architreasures Call for Volunteers

From Architreasures:
One opportunity involves helping us make mosaics (it could be a fun night or two with friends) at one or many community workshops, and the other would be assisting with one or more community events, including a scrap-booking & photography workshop, carnival, community dinner, and a "Talent Show."

For more information, go to: http://www.architreasures.org/volunteer.htm.

We could really use hands right now, so if you or anyone you know is interested, please let us know!

Open Hand Studio Meet and Match

From OWPP|Cannon Design's Open Hand Studio:
Join Open Hand Studio and our partners at Meet and Match, a celebration of community-based design. Meet and Match provides an opportunity for Chicago designers and non-profit, community-based organizations to meet face-to-face and match design needs with design services.

Register
To register for the 2010 Open Hand Studio Meet and Match, please complete the registration form.

June 29th, 2010
Daytime Event (1pm – 5pm)
We invite you to join us for a networking and resource fair featuring community organizations, pro-bono design organizations including architects, interior designers, product and organizational designers, graphic designers and art groups.

The daytime event will provide opportunities for community groups to meet with design organizations, to discuss potential projects and get more informed about what resources are available in the pro-bono design world. Attendees can meet organizations at their own pace and are welcome to arrive after the event commences.

Evening Event (5:30pm -8pm)
The evening event will start off with quick and compelling presentations on successful partnerships between non-profit groups and design firms and organizations. After the presentations, attendees are invited to enjoy refreshments and “Meet and Match,” meet someone new and match skills with needs!

Open Hand Studio Meet and Match
Tuesday, June 29th
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615

UrbanFAB [Workshops]

I wanted to share a really interesting project that I will be collaborating on this summer as a facilitator. There are still a few student slots available.

UrbanBuddy[workshops] and the Live architecture Network are collaborating to organize a series of cost-effective design workshops for participants and other interested parties, held in locations around the globe each year. Participants in urbanFAB [workshop] 2010 will travel to either, Barcelona, Chicago, or New York City to simultaneously research and explore our unique definition of urban fabrication. The UrbanFAB [workshop] will reveal global urban systems while fully exploring the local phenomena that are distinctly Spanish and American.

[question]
Urban systems are being redefined by new digital design and fabrication tools; how do our cities, and their dynamic and informal character, inform these new models of design? The urbanFAB [workshop] will focus on the complex urban systems that support the everyday life of millions of residents, all-the-while reflecting their distinct urban culture.

[overview]
urbanFAB [workshop] will engage in a close-up examination of the existing urban factors that drive new models of digital design and fabrication. These factors include physical, social and climatic influences (among others), but most importantly you’ll be observing what makes your city unique in global systematic design, both natural and human produced. The urbanFAB [workshop] is a unique look at the interface between the built form infrastructures and the physical & social systems of our urban environment.

More Information from Urban Buddy