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Just before my time had ended at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, many architecture students were given the opportunity to work with Paula Scher and Keith Hartwig on a collaborative exhibit. Titled Philadelphia Explained, each student involved was given a large panel that represented an area of the city for them to explore and graphically notate to their choosing. Featured on designboom, the article can be read here: http://www.designboom.com/art/philadelphia-explained-paula-scher-06-12-2015/ The exhibit will be on display until July 17th 2015. It was a fun experience to get to learn a little portion of Philadelphia better than I had before, and what a better send-off to the City of Brotherly Love than seeing it graphically portrayed by my peers! Photos courtesy of designboom. On May 7th I graduated from Temple University's Tyler School of Art: Architecture department and it was as the cliche goes, a closing to another chapter. As the months and weeks prior rapidly began to pass, I became very eager to escape out into the 'real world' and dive into the life of employment. However, I will never forget my time at Temple and what the meaning that came to being an Owl. The ceremony on Friday morning, despite how groggy myself and classmates were from enjoying our night before, was excellently composed by the university and a moment I will not forget. Thank you Temple, the commencement speakers, my friends; both past and present, professors and everyone else for the experience. When I return to Temple it certainly will not feel the same, but I will always feel embraced by that cherry red. Next stop: NYC. As an avid AIAS leader my entire college career, I could not have been happier to find out that this year's NE Quadrant Conference would be held in Philadelphia by Drexel University AIAS April 10-13. The theme titled Nourish "took a critical look at the role food plays within the design world. From restaurants, to urban farming, to production facilities, to the historic and current shaping of our cities, food informs our everyday life in ways seen and unseen, and plays a major role in creating a vibrant and healthy city." It was a bittersweet goodbye to my AIAS involvement but nonetheless a great weekend to learn more about food in Philadelphia with fellow architecture students from across the region. Pictures below show the tour we received of an urban garden, Parc and Il Pittore kitchens and restaurants, and the speakers that were a part of this conference. More information on the Nourish website: http://nourish2015.com/ On the evening of April 9th, an art exhibition was held in the Architecture Building on Temple University's campus to showcase creative work from all students. The purpose of this gallery was to allow students from all different disciplines to submit work: everyone is creative. Hosted by AB/BA, Art of Business/Business of Art, we were eager to see the night unfold after months of collaboration and curating. The night turned out to be a great success as our first show with about 200 guests in attendance, 25 artists, and 2 performances. In working with the others in our group to put on such a show, it was quite the learning experience in how to curate work and design an exhibition for students! The Temple News posted: http://temple-news.com/multimedia/mesh-art-show-unites-creatives-from-all-programs/ More about Art of Business: http://templeartofbusiness.wix.com/temple-abba The Office of Sustainability at Temple University hosted a charrette/one-day competition for students across the university to participate in on January 31st. Having 35 students across 18 different disciplines collaborate, our team was comprised of another architecture major, a civil engineer major, an advertising student, a landscape architecture student, and myself. Eager to contribute our different knowledge and skill sets, we designed the "tiny house" to not only accommodate the space and needed storage for Temple Community Gardens, but also address issues of sustainability through passive design strategies, a composting bathroom, and using local materials. Completing a 24-page document that included our design: render, plan, section, elevations, marketing strategies, and a narrative describing our process, it was quite the extensive day! We look forward to see the winning design come to fruition for the Community Garden located at the intersection of Carlisle Street and Diamond Street in North Philadelphia. More information about the charrette: https://sustainability.temple.edu/design Our final design: https://sustainability.temple.edu/tiny-house-team-3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlS0jTjgWs4&feature=youtu.be Let me start with saying that Philadelphia's music scene is great if you're looking for a fun night to see one of your favorite artist in a rich venue. This past Saturday I was able to see Ben Howard for an early birthday present and it was one of the greatest shows I have ever been too. As he tours North America these months, there was nothing better than a live show where the music sounds even better than it does on the track. Not to mention, the light show corresponding to the music is worth mentioning and made the experience that much greater, giving an ethereal feel. Getting floor seats at Union Transfer right on Spring Garden Avenue wasn't too bad either. The reason for talking about this is that for me Ben Howard is not just one of my favorite artists, but I have been listening to his music throughout college. I always pop in his albums for anything (either to make it more memorable or as a "pick-me-up")- from a few road trips in the summer to churning out work late in studio, to name a few. Seeing Ben Howard was a great way to being this "goodbye" to college because it is his music that I turned to during every major event I experienced in my college career. If you haven't listened to his music, I highly suggest it. Thank you Ben Howard for your music and spectacular show! What do architects do? That seems to be a question that the general public cannot answer. The AIA has begun a campaign to raise awareness about the work done in the architecture field and the importance of design. Watch the video on youtube below and spread the word with the hashtag #ilookup! In an effort to get some physical activity into my studio schedule, I decided to run my first ever 5k in this year's The Ugly Sweater Run in Philadelphia on December 13th. In order to spread some holiday cheer, participants are encouraged to dress in their favorite ugly sweater or other festive gear. The hot chocolate was good too! This run benefits Save the Children. For more information: http://theuglysweaterrun.com/ Photos courtesy of gamefacemedia.com The National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA) hosted their annual conference in Philadelphia during the first week of October. Every year at this conference one day is chosen to be a Community Day of Service. This year, NOMA teamed up with Temple University's Architecture Department to make this day happen in an effort to enhance the Lighthouse urban green space. The project was centered around transforming an urban garden at the Lighthouse Fields and create a better learning environment for the children of the Lighthouse. (For more information on Lighthouse: http://lighthouse1893.org/?view=featured) As one of a few student leaders heading the design and fabrication of this project from July to October, we designed vegetable signs to aid the students visiting the site to learn about various healthy food options, created an art wall that displayed student work, and cleaned up areas that have been overgrown by weeds and debris. Our goal was create a safe environment where children of the Lighthouse can come visit their local urban garden and learn about their own produce and healthy food sources. For more information on this event day of service: http://www.lovenoma.com/index.php/community/ |
