the nccj charrette

ok, so hundreds of times as a teacher, i have assigned an impossible series of tasks en charrette. (if you've not heard of that term, read all about this timed design exercise in a paper i wrote with my colleague, robert charest, for the 24th national council on the beginning design student conference in georgia).

just like in school, the community by design team tackled the nccj project (after dinner, of course) in the casa cabrera "studio." after discussing the project for a while, we divided into three teams to address different aspects of the project. from the results of our efforts last evening, i'll draft a memo to nccj, reporting on our recommendations.

i'm excited about the ideas we generated because they all, if implemented, help give life and energy to the nccj offices....the goal of the organization in getting us to help them.

newcomer's site visit

edgar, debbie, suzanne, and i had a GREAT visit with victoria wreden-sadeq, the art teacher at newcomer's school. we looked around the forlorn late 1960s/1970s building that the school is reshaping into a viable learning environment. already, art has a major position in the school and the gorgeous weaving/installation in the library, as well as student projects throughout the school are testimony to victoria's steady hand and electric energy in bringing change to the environment.

we're in negotiations about how best cxd can assist in the project, fully realizing that there's a significant opportunity for students in iarc to be involved.

i should note here that victoria also has worked with faculty from uncg's department of theatre and department of art....do i smell a multi-disciplinary opportunity? i hope so.

nccj office visit

we visited nccj in two stages. edgar, matt, and i went on the first true reconnaissance of the space to think through design opportunities there. we asked alison to provide some additional information about working habits and needs. (actually, it was a proud moment as an educator, as i watched two terrific designers in their element, getting at the human dimension of the design challenges that lay before us).

nccj is located in the "office wing" of the former jewish temple on north greene street. the colonial revival building, to put it mildly, is a little tired, in terms of finishes, but the bones of the building are terrific and offer the opportunity for re-invigoration of the surfaces and finishes. as is the case with many non-profits, nccj is not in a position to be able to dedicate a lot of money to the updating of its offices. it's my hope, though, that they will see the need to use the building to help share an important mission about equality, community activism, and justice in our world.

about a week after our first visit, edgar and i measured up the nccj office while debbie took notes and chatted with alison about needs. i think i impressed edgar by hand-drawing a nearly scaled floor plan of the offices. and while i can draw a darned straight line without a straight edge... i'm no CAD expert, so edgar graciously agreed to put the drawing into form for our use.

that accomplished, our next task was to set a date to work as the community by design team on potential visions for the space.

community by design dinners

i don't know what i'm enjoying more, the really invigorating ideas about design or the food! for each community by design meeting, we rotate among our houses (and chef duties). claiming the idea that food helps stimulate conversation, we've certainly eaten well...and i have truly been most grateful to get to know all of these incredible people much better.

in a moment of silliness, suzanne and debbie led the charge to craft a logo out of the mexican feast. with plenty of design advice from edgar and me, their result was great...and delicious.

newcomer's school

our second potential client has emerged...art teacher victoria wreden-sadeq at the newcomer's school in the guilford county system. victoria met me for coffee at the tail end of the spring semester and we brainstormed about possibilities for her classroom, in dire need of some design energy. the community by design team will schedule a visit to the school to assess opportunities in june.

nccj design intervention

we have our first potential...and official....client. i talked with susan feit, executive director of nccj, at yoga saturday and our conversation meandered to the subject of their offices...and a need for a keen designer to look at the space and make some recommendations. i took the idea to the cxd meeting yesterday and we've agreed to meet susan and her assistant, alison, to look through the space.

the book proposal takes shape

suzanne and i continue to polish the prose for the purpose section of our book proposal….and i think we’re getting close to a final version, well at least for this week. here it is…

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK addresses multi-scaled design processes and outcomes for buildings, interiors, exhibits, and products, situated in the local community, and taking advantage of resources resulting from community-university collaborations.

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK situates design at the nexus of practical strategies for identifying projects and community partners, putting together teams to undertake work, seeking financial support, managing human relations on campus and off, utilizing proven methods for achieving results, and communicating outwardly about the project to varying constituencies in the community.

THE COMMUNITY BY DESIGN HANDBOOK moves beyond existing books and handbooks by helping students, faculty, alumni, and community partners to see the good results of working together to make the world a better place. With concrete examples, demonstrable impacts, and meaningful reflections, the manuscript details successful approaches to design centered in the community with deep impact on the lives of others.

wednesday mornings

...are reserved for working with Patrick on an endeavor I'm pretty darn excited about. I promise to be less cryptic, and share more details of this project as our ideas take clearer shape [fingers crossed], but in the meantime, here's some thumbnails based on our shared vision to date.

cracking open our presentation

We Hatch Ideas

View more presentations from Suzanne Cabrera.

heading south this winter

Debbie and I heading to Georgia tomorrow to the Gulf South Summit on Service Learning and Community Engagement where we'll be presenting about the ways in which design thinking applies to all community-based projects. We're hoping the presentation we make can turn into a series of workshops to share with schools, non-profits and community organizations elsewhere. Do you represent one of these groups? Have any interest in learning more?

It's all very exciting...so let's see!

partners in change

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

I encourage you to take a look at the thoughtful work and ideas behind Design Corps. Design Corps' focus is on architecture and planning. In contrast, I would describe ours as interiors, products and graphics. As such, I think it's safe to say that Design Corps is a natural partner in the design community.

centering what we do

Patrick and I are on the search for authors/texts that address issues of design and community. I look forward to reading these books and anticipate this list getting much longer...

• Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism (Edited by Bryan Bell + Katie Wakeford)
• Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture (Edited by Bryan Bell)
• Studio at Large: Architecture in Service of Global Communities (Sergio Palleroni + Christine Merkelbach)
• Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises (Architecture for Humanity)
• Design for the Other 90% (Cynthia E. Smith)
• Light Imprint Handbook: Integrating Sustainability and Community Design (Thomas E. Low)

We're also interested in design handbooks:

• Information Design Workbook: Graphic Approaches, Solutions, and Inspiration + 300 Case Studies (Kim Baer)
• The Information Design Workbook (Jenn + Ken Visocky O'Grady)
• Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors & Students (Ellen Lupton)
• D.I.Y.: Design it Yourself (Ellen Lupton)

And books on community:

• Creative Community Builder's Handbook: How to Transform Communities Using Local Assets, Arts and Culture (Tom Borrup)

the wheels on the logo go round and round

This turned out to be a fun task. Designing is much easier when you have a solid foundation of ideas by a talented group to build on: that means you!

logo schematic

I hope these sketches may spark some inspiration to complete our logo design.

an unfinished premise

at our meeting last week, we agreed to each post a stamp like version of the logo. the only decent idea here is that there could be a stamp with the greensboro postmark. not my area of strength...so here's hoping others have met with greater success.