Lodi Station

Thanksgiving Break

2008-12-01T22:09:00.004-05:00

our living room and kitchen after dinner

So nice to take this little break! A much needed breather...

I returned to Providence yesterday at 10:30pm, having left home at 12:30! it is normally a 6 hour drive, but nasty weather+holiday travel makes for a long day.

I left for home Wednesday night with my uncle and 3 cousins, aged 2, 6, and 13. They live in RI and were going to my house for Thanksgiving, so I hitched a ride. Spent the trip in conversation w/ my uncle Chris. He is the IT guy for NBC10 Providence, so we talked mostly about technology. This was actually really cool; for the first time, I had some things to say about technology and helping people. (Thanks DeSE!) I voiced my concerns about the state of human interactions, and how communication technology is surely having some sociopsychological affect on people today. My uncle agreed, but wondered whether having a more connected world through technology was better than one without? And what does better mean in this case?

He kept coming back to these two ideas >>> 'Perception is reality' and 'We don't know what we don't know' I also asked him to tell me about his life in college and after. The best story was about the summer where he crossed the country 4 times! Something I need to do. We Got in late...

Woke up and took a walk with my mom and our dog. We walked the "W," the outline of our lower field. The morning is brisk, but I am warmed by our movement... I always have nice conversations when I walk with my Mom. I spent Thursday afternoon working with my Dad rearranging our basement. Its been filled with my Granddad's stuff for years and now that we live there, ours is piling on top of it. We moved a bunch-0-crap, cleaned and layed down this beautiful, old oriental rug under our ping-pong table. It had been rolled up for more than 15 years. I could see that it tickled my Dad to have it laid out; some quality time with my Pops... We finished just in time for the fam to arrive...

27 people, Hugs, laughs, smiles, stories, food, thanks, love, 2nd helping, stories, games, dessert, comatose, hugs, smiles, goodbyes.

It was another lovely thanksgiving at the van vleet home. The meal included turkey, stuffing, gravy, squash, carrots, brussell sprouts, mashed potatoes, nana's rolls, basil tomato salad and more. Dessert: pumpkin, apple, cherry, and peanut butter pie and brownies... i definetely gained some weight this weekend. Its always great to get the whole clan together. We've now begun this tradition to have everyone go around the table and say things they are thankful for. It is very sweet and filled with love.

At a certain point when everyone is full and tired and the young kids are hurting themselves, there is a mass exodus.

I spent most of Friday with my sister. She works at an organic farm a few miles from home and took me there. Id never had a chance to explore this place with her and found they have way more land than I thought. She showed me the barns, told of how they store the veggies and why, and we walked the fields. Again, had a nice conversation and walk. Plants are amazing and my sister has a vast and growing knowledge of them; beautiful, adaptive, delicious things...

Friday night was Monopoly at a friend's house and we got through a whole game. Amazing.

I know, not the most exciting Friday night, but it was good to have a low-key, laugh-filled night with friends. Needless to say, I lost.

I woke the next morning to take another walk with Mom. Saturday was to be a schoolwork day... but I didn't do anything 'productive' until 9:00 that night. Most the day was spent lounging around the house, falling asleep in various locations. Its hard to do work in such a comfortable environment. Our wood-stove creates such a relaxing feel to our main room, that I can't help it. That night we watched the movie Wall-E as a family. Great movie that speaks to all generations, with implications of the future of our planet.

Later on that night, after some writing, I went over to my friend's place to play more board games. This time it was Scattergories; one of the greatest board games of all time.

Sunday was my final morning. Homemade crepes = delicious, i miss home-cookin' already. Took some home-veggies. Packed up the car. Drove through snow, sleet and rain and now Im here. That was nice to recall...

Process: Art & Nature Studio @ CityArts

2008-11-21T00:32:00.014-05:00

In a partnership between my work in DeSE and my class at CityArts, I have been asked to design a Nature Lab in one of the existing art rooms. During conversation with the Program Director and the after-school Director, we thought it appropriate and imperative to address the lack of exposure to the beauty of our natural world, since these students have very little opportunity to get out of their urban communities. They had already had the idea for this project, but looked to me to start the realization. For the past 3 weeks, I have been working to develop this space and its components; it has been difficult so far, but enlightening, since I don't have much experience with interior architecture. CityArts has asked the Art & Nature Studio be modeled after the Nature Lab here at RISD, as it as a inspiring example of combining the arts and nature.

On Thursday, November 20, our class had a mid-project critique. All of our current works focus on addressing issues we found while working in our non-profit organizations. Below are the slides I used to show my current state in the design process:

the room at cityarts

trying to achieve a feeling of the space: intimate, inspiring=new take on educational space, growing, hands-on...images show sources of inspiration and reference: MIT media lab, RISD nature lab, OSB plywood structure, Breuer hexagonal architecture

considerations: elevations, paths, and lines of sight, child proportions, areas of sketch/study, live and dead species storage, cleaning, utilizing what room currently offers

Precedents of Youth Art Education

2008-11-04T08:35:00.003-05:00

¡CityArts! Mission and Problem Statement

2008-11-03T19:37:00.003-05:00

¡CityArts! began its work in 1992, with a summer camp assembled by a handful of neighborhood social service agencies, families, and community leaders. The camp was an initial response to the community's critical need for positive programs to engage youth during out-of-school time.

Mission

Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth is a community arts organization with a mission to provide free professional arts education to Providence youth between ages 8-14. ¡CityArts! serves over 450 youth in afterschool and summer arts programs citywide, offering meaningful learning experiences in visual art and design, performing arts, and creative writing. Our work is inspired by the creative process of art-making and the exploration of ideas and concepts that shape our communities and everyday lives.

Program Philosophy

Their work is inspired by the creative process of art-making and the exploration of ideas and concepts that shape our communities and everyday lives. As such, ¡CityArts! fosters creative thinking and expression, promotes positive social development, engages youth in public service and community, and provides sources of hope and inspiration—particularly for those youth who have little or no opportunity for consistent and affordable access to quality out-of-school time programs and are limited in their exposure beyond their own neighborhoods. At ¡CityArts!, youth are encouraged to express, create, and grow!

This information was gathered from CityArts website.

CityArts Structure

2008-10-30T04:27:00.005-04:00

Providence CityArts for Youth

2008-10-29T21:45:00.008-04:00

As part of another class, called Community Art Project through the Art Education department, me, 7 other undergrads, 2 graduate students and 1 teacher have been going to the Highlander School in South Providence to teach and make art projects with youths afters-school. Our program is called RISD Fridays, it has been an eye-opening experience so far.

Billy Shore, a sophomore in ID, is my co-teacher; working with him has been different. It is something new for me to not only to be in charge of a group kids, but to do it in tandem with another person.Its a small class, only 6 students, ranging from 11-13 years old. Originally, I thought I wanted to work with the younger students; that they might be so hard to work with. I've since found that my older students are much easier to talk to and they understand larger ideas and concepts; I can be real with them and not have to speak through a filter. Jurenny, Jurissa, Herny, Rolando, Ryan and Randall all come from under-privileged Hispanic communities in the area and this class is one of their few creative outlets. So far, we've made cubes from templates, duct-tape wallets, and are in the middle of a 3-week mask project leading up to Halloween. One of our grads, Jasmin, has opened my eyes to the influence I have on these young lives. She was a high school art-teacher in California and her experienced perspective helps my interaction be positive. With this, I've been really trying to push the kids to think for themselves and do their own work from their own ideas.

Market Mentors

2008-10-29T20:50:00.003-04:00

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

2008-10-15T21:15:00.005-04:00

Today is Blog Action Day and this years' focus is poverty.

"Blog action day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world's bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion."

There is a lot of awesome posts made by other people that I think should be read, so Im just letting my readers know this happened today, and telling them they should check this page > www.blogactionday.org.

I liked this one in particular: Can blogging end poverty?

GO INTERNET!!!

ps. a good friend, mike clare, told me to check out the Acumen Fund.

you should too.

Project Progress - Market Mentors

2008-10-14T11:03:00.010-04:00

Mind maps, sketches, and writings on the

planning of the program.

In Liberia, post-war studies have shown large inconsistencies in the adult HIV prevalence rate. The most recent is 1.7%, well below Africa's average. But this is a reflection of the strong stigma towards HIV/AIDS, where many people are not willing to get tested. In the capital Monrovia especially, there is a need for socially appropriate facilities providing HIV/AIDS education and treatment. The lack of infrastructure halts progress against the social taboo and stops the care of those in need.

In response to these issues, I am proposing a program called Market Mentors. It is a non-profit organization that aims to play an integrated role in combating HIV/AIDS through educational, social interaction in Liberia's urban communities. Using the market stand as our hub, we employ and empower HIV+ Liberians to engage in conversation with young people in the streets. As mentors, we share our experiences and listen to theirs, building trust in the community and using it educate, test and treat.

Liberia - UNMDG

2008-10-13T17:12:00.006-04:00

Zinny, A Worldly Bicycle, and Monrovia Vendors

2008-10-10T00:51:00.014-04:00

These are some research layouts that are a little overdue to be posted, but are still very relevant to the work we are doing now:

Board describing a Pop!Tech video by Zinhle Thabethe AKA Zinny. Zinny is from South Africa and is HIV+. She travels the world as an HIV/AIDS advocate, speaking about her experiences with the virus. This is a truly personal and emotional talk; different in comparison to many presentations on this issue, coming from economists, to doctors, to politicians, who talk with a lot of numbers. Zinny reveals a true perspective as someone with HIV, who has had family die from HIV; she shows only what she knows. She looks to undo this dangerous idea that 'we are not the same,' in order to move forward in the prevention and treatment of these epidemics. Please watch it if you can.

Worldbike is an organization working to put big-ass hauling bikes in developing countries. This assignment wanted us to research existing products' design and implementation in developing countries - to get a feel for how we might go about it. I chose to learn more about Worldbike since I like bikes and I see them as an important and sustainable tool for the entire world. My research showed the difficulties with trying to build and provide these bicycles in places like Kenya, where the Big Boda bicycle project was first tested.

The third board was an exercise continuing our work for a specific country, mine being Liberia. We were assigned a specific type of person and had to describe what a day in the life of the person would be. In this case, it was an HIV+ Market Vendor. It was difficult to find quality information, and create an idea without making too many assumptions. This board was based on combining general HIV/ AIDS information with interviews with actual vendors in Monrovia, Liberia's capital. This research in particular was influential in the design solution I am now pursuing.

Are you feeling me?

2008-10-07T01:54:00.005-04:00

Aesthetic Inspiration

2008-10-07T00:44:00.007-04:00

Urban Commons in Monrovia, 2004

This series of photographs taken in the capital is city showing buildings, goods and people. These scenes are beautiful and are as much a description of Liberian culture and community as any one person's take. I look to use these environments to inform my work to come.

Thursday Night Fight: Biden vs. Palin

2008-10-04T17:07:00.004-04:00

Actually, 'fight' is a little harsh; this was a smile and laughter filled evening courtesy of our VP candidates. The feeling of this debate was not near as tense as when the presidents took the stage last week. A few thoughts:

- Many people (myself included), expected Gov. Palin to fall flat on her face in the debate after a number of not so flattering interviews. She did not though, and kept her composure throughout. It was a scary thought that a lot of people out there probably saw Palin as very convincing, but I was not fooled by her charm.

- Joe Biden is definetely the more intelligent and experienced politician of the two, and showed that in his answers. If elected, he would be much more active and effective compared to Palin. At times though, I think he came off as a little too political, where as Ms. Palin kept the 'folksy' feel, like she was talking right to the "American people, Joe Six-Pack, hockey moms across the nation". (yeah, she said that)

- Both Palin and Biden really hammered home the shortcomings of each other's running mates. Biden was especially focused on the connection of John McCain to George W. Bush, and how they have been wrong in the past 8 years. Gov. Palin responded with"...for a ticket that wants to talk about change and looking into the future, there's too much finger-pointing to ever make us believe that that's where you're going." Obama and Biden have definetely made it clear that Bush screwed us, but they want the people to know that McCain supported the man who screwed us.

- Palin is cheesy and dodgy. I recommend reading the transcripts to get a sense of what both candidates are really saying, without all the charm the screen gives you. On a number of questions wanting specifics, like a plan in Iraq, Palin just walks right around it. For me, this just shows she has no idea, and is just talking generally. Newspapers also seem to be a problem for her.

- She winked a lot; strange.

- In the end, I think Biden 'won' this debate. But I dont think that changes much for a lot of the people who were on the fence on this election. If Palin was holding them back for the GOP ticket, there's a good chance that has changed. She said the right things to the right people.

Scary.

Sketchy Sketching

2008-09-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

Here's some thinking on paper - in response to the national geographic audio found a couple posts back. I realize that there is an idea very similar to this out there, Worldbike, which i'll be posting more about soon.

Annie Leornard and Cary Fowler

2008-09-22T23:29:00.002-04:00

Two videos that were both a great watch: The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard and Cary Fowler on saving seeds. Annie's was via her own site here and Cary's was a pop!tech video I stumbled upon here. Annie's video is a very original presentation of the "extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal" process that is responsible for the major crisis' in today's world: climate change, declining personal and cultural health, pollution, etc. In this video, Annie examines each step of this process, each giving a further look into the flawed and backwards thinking world of consumer goods. This is certainly more of scare-you-straight information, where as Cary's is more descriptive of his action on a problem.

Cary, on the other-hand, is looking at the loss of seed biodiversity in the world. Plants have graced us food and medicine, as well as wood and energy - and the extinction of diversity threatens all of these for the future. "The Story of Stuff" alludes to the destruction of and depletion of natural resources, but it is interesting to see a more specific look at that issue, which Cary does here. He talks about seed extinction through a series of smaller examples, macrocosms descriptive of what could occur without the seedbanks his organization is working on around the world. It is very inspiring to see how quickly this significant a problem is being solved. A calm, yet awakening presentation.

listen to this

2008-09-22T23:29:00.001-04:00

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0509/feature4/multimedia.html

Urbanite = Reused Concrete

2008-09-13T16:43:00.000-04:00

> I found this post on the Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping blog, that struck my fancy. Came upon it via depave.org, a project of City Repair, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. They aim to promote the removal of unnecessary asphalt and concrete in urban areas, and restore the natural landscape. The terra nova post is someone's beautiful application of reused concrete, also known as urbanite, in a backyard landscape project.

I've become increasingly interested in the repurposing of building materials over the past couple years: my summer construction job has shown me how so much useful material is just tossed into the dumpster. It is very encouraging to see that people out there see a similar problem and are taking action to turn 'waste' into beauty. Too often, people see old/used/waste materials as trash, when they should see them as an opportunity to save money, energy and resources. There are many opportunities like this one in our world today - and i will continue to find examples and post about them here.

More project photos here.

De-SE Studio

2008-09-13T15:28:00.000-04:00

Thursday was our first day of class for the Design for Social Entrepreneurship studio. I am excited for what is to come and where this class could lead us. I would say I chose to take this studio out of my need to be a part of a different side to the world of design - one that does not exist for the sake of itself - but that exists to solve problems of people and places in need. I cannot say that I know much of the true problems in this world - or if and how design can solve them, but I think this course will start me on the path to understanding and using these ideas.