State of the Art Project Thesis Book

Transforming Local

Businesses into Learning Laboratories

By—Zena Verda

Pesta

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Transforming Local


State of the Art Project


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State of the Art Project 3


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School of Visual ArtsMFA Products of

Design2014

© 2014 Zena Verda Pesta

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Claire HarttenThesis Advisor

Carol ArcherEditor

Allan ChochinovChair, MFA Products

of Design

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“The most important attitude that can be formed is that of the desire to go on learning.”

xJohn Dewey

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State of the Art Project 13State of the Art Project 13


Fig. 1 — Lollard Adventure Play Ground 1946, London movement inspired by Empdrup waste material playground during the German occupation.

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Say “Yes, and...”

I invite you to keep the above sentiment in mind while beginning you journey through the following pages. Together we are embarking on a partnership that will be most effective if we agree to stay flexible, and open to leaping between ideas. Building on the story rather than blocking it is a common theme with improvisational acting. One can use this idea in other practices to develop imagination and creativity, yielding unintended and positive returns. On the previous page is an image of a children’s adventure playground outside of Copenhagen during the German occupation. At first glance it seems these kids are abandoned and wild, but on the contrary, they are playing in a well- balanced design for discovery. During their time spent in these environments, kids were able to learn freely about building, boundaries, and social order. This image illustrates a freedom to learn and the designers’ understanding that this freedom is available to all contributors and participants. When we engage in the act of physically “making” with others, we are learning through many non-verbal cues, and creating a better understanding of how the social space functions around us. When this “making” together includes elements of play, possibilities open up and reveal more flexible ways to engage, benefiting each participant involved. The adventure playgrounds acknowledge fundamental attributes, such as flexibility and curiosity, which allow us to experiment and grow. If we nurture these psychological neotenous behaviors well beyond kid years, we can promote and sustain a very important part of our social behavior: cooperation.

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“bodily gestures take the place of words in establishing

authority, trust, and cooperation. physical gesture

makes social relationships feel informal. visceral

feelings are also aroused when we gesture, informally

with words.” x

Richard Sennett

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I grew up with a crafter mom. She made golden pine-cone wreaths for my teachers, and labored for thirteen years sewing, gluing and tacking baton outfits for me. The arts were never defined for me as a youngster, but were obviously present. I got my first job when I was fifteen, and there I learned the proper way to sweep, mop, ring a till, and roll napkins. Since then I have clearly understood my role as a worker in each job I have held. I learned to communicate with the hand as a tool, helped by the patience and guidance of mentors who have been dedicated to their craft and to passing it on. We preserve history, practice and tradition through our children and students. I would not be writing this thesis book, which argues the importance of alternative learning paths and promotes the promise in reviving apprenticeship models, if it weren’t for the countless adults and children who have nurtured my practice.

Before going to graduate school, I spent ten years learning, practicing and teaching the craft, chemistry, and engineering of ceramics. There is something extremely powerful about feeling an intuitive motion that allows one to grasp strengths and weaknesses, while adapting to the surrounding environment. To have connection to process is to more fully engage with humanity, to see ourselves as part of a larger process, and consider others in that larger context. It has been with much pleasure that I have seen myself and students of all ages struggle and grow.

When conceptualizing a thesis, I knew I needed my peers, my instructors, my friends, my family to trust me. To trust my instincts. The instincts that so many years of support had given me. My work evolved to include not only making, but advocating and creating space for those who need the process of making to learn. This was bringing me closer to my roots and I was stepping closer to an interaction with the physical material and the human relationships.

In my graduate studies I looked for moments of trust, mentorship, and learning by doing.

Preface

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Preface

These moments support the play required to learn. Products of Design allowed work with many people, brought a wealth of frameworks and models to our fingertips, and opened the door to many savvy communities. The research, theory, and experimentation stimu-lated my mind to be expansive and encouraged my views to practicing design ethically.

This thesis embodies not only two years of discovery through methods learned in design thinking, anthropology, and sociology; but a lifelong urge to understand the world around me through a physical process. It all comes back to what inspired me to learn in the first place, and how the first people who mentored and shared their practice with me showed enthusiasm. I believe that there are many others who need this too. The past two years have allowed me to reflect on a larger life’s work of keeping making-based processes a part of our daily lives: opening up opportunities so we as individuals and communities can continue to understand ourselves in an ever-changing climate of technology and the evolving relationship we have to our labor.

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Contents Bodyp.27 — Introduction History, Theory, Influence The Process The Thesis

p.51 — Mission & Goals Universals of Culture Social Allocation SPR Beam Camp Character Traits and Virtues

p.21 — Methodology An Active dynamic practices Project based anthropological ethics Positive Psychology Diffusion of Innovation

p.199— Research Books Interviews Inspirational Organizations

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p.243— State of the Art Project The Issue The Research The Opportunities The Intervention

Supplementp.314— Acknowledgmentsp.317— Bibliography

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Introduction

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Introduction

Fig. 2 — At Beam Camp in Strafford, New Hampshire. Allowing Elis the freedom to give a clay mask. Photo courtesy of David Golann

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uncovering a path and not forcing con-nections. Eventually, overlapping areas presented points of intervention, a place that could be looked at more closely and evaluated. The concept that force does not yield cooperation--a basic principle, Rich-ard Sennett notes, of an extremely skilled craftsman85--applies to an immersive eco-system, chiseling a handle for an axe, or helping someone grasp an abstract idea; force will not yield best results, better to be patient. Sennett’s writing also reminds us that “...a positive embrace of incomplete is necessary.”86 Along my journey a red thread of narrative was drawn but lateral thinking was in motion. I could act, test, and receive feedback which led the process on an expansive journey.

Design presents various frameworks which one is able to use for investiga-tion, research, and implementation. It is a toolbox which aids in gathering dense information and making it accessible to larger audiences. In the past we have used these tools to understand what consum-ers want out of a product; a chair, a pen, a toy to aid in elderly sitting, write with many inks, or make a child laugh and learn at the same time. The process starts by defining a problem, then gathering information and doing research, from there one pulls out learnings or insights from the large amount of qualitative and quantitative data which have been collect-ed. When clear insights are gained and the assumptions about these insights are test-ed, opportunities can be identified. These 85 Sennett, Richard. "Working with Resistance." Together: The Rituals, Pleasures, and Politics of Cooperation. New Hav-en, CT: Yale UP, 2012. 208-12. Print.86 Sennett, Richard. "The Troubled Craftsman." The Crafts-man. New Haven: Yale UP, 2008. 43. Print.

opportunities lead either to a focused conclusion or cause for a larger look at the research. This process can focus very narrow, and then be blown open wide, this process expands and contracts. In the de-sign world we use the terms divergent and convergent thinking. This just means that when the thought process is open wide, all possibilities are considered and one does not fear failure, but at other times logical steps are taken to conclude possible solu-tions. Today we are seeing a shift and this approach is being applied to larger sys-temic problems such as education, health-care, and poverty. These problems lie in areas where human beings are being rec-ognized as part of a system and today’s newly focused designers are concerned with how the changes we make will affect the people involved. According to Aar-on Hurst the founder of Tap Root87, Co Founder of Imperative88, and author of the Purpose Economy, we are moving into a time when people are seeking mean-

87 Taproot is a nonprofit organization that makes business talent available through pro-bono services to organizations working to improve society.88 Imperative is a consultancy which helps individuals and employers pinpoint what gives them purpose in their current work to propel their career forward.

“...a positive embrace of

incomplete is necessary.”

xRichard Sennet

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ing and purpose in their lives through community, work, and even philanthrop-ic ventures. We as designers need to see ourselves contributing to the betterment of others and a common good. Aaron discusses the shareable and trade econo-mies erupting, such as open source learn-ing platforms, green markets and farming movements, as well as crowd-funding ventures. We are wanting to contribute to something which gives us hope and al-lows us to connect to others. Aaron dubs education and healthcare as the “two largest Purpose Economy Markets” and claims,“in the next ten years we are likely to see unimaginable change and growth” in these areas.89 The three drivers which will push this movement include serving people and the planet, self expression, and building community. Designers today are looking farther ahead because we want to have a larger capacity for understanding the consequences our designs will have. As a designer there are risks involved in all aspects of the process. Specifically condensing, as skewing any data to fit assumptions or aims can cross ethical boundaries. There is a current dialogue about the collection of data: assessing qualitative vs quantitative data, and the agenda one may have when designing for individuals or these communities. One can hope that those who take on this responsibility will understand the impact the process can have. Donnella Meadows explains in her text Thinking ins Systems how designers who wish to pull levers to create change should keep their eyes and ears open. “We can't impose our will on a

89 Hurst, Aaron. "Are We at the Tipping Point of a New Economy?" The Purpose Economy: Lessons from the Front Lines of the New Economy. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 29. Print.

system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.” 90 Meadows also speaks at length on the issue of defying disciplines and under-standing that to be truly interdisciplinary one has to go back into “learning mode” 90 Meadows, Donella H., and Diana Wright. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2008. Print.

“we can’t impose our will on a

system. We can listen to what the system tells us,

and discover how its properties and

our values can work together to bring forth

something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.”

xDonella Meadows


and “admit to ignorance and be willing to be taught, by each other and by the system.”91 This echoes theories collected in this text on intergenerational learn-ing. The design in this book collaborates, and make use of disciplines and other age groups; frameworks used in this the-sis parallel anthropologic research and sociology, focusing on community and systemic design while taking in consider-ation points of view from adults and kids alike.

Jason Severs’ class on "Framing User Experience" reminded me of the abstract levels in which design is involved in our daily lives. He reintroduced the theorist John Dewey. John Dewey believed that our interactions together specifically in 91 Meadows, Donella H., and Diana Wright. "Living in a World of Systems."Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2008. 183. Print.

the context of learning deserve to be paid attention and understood as a mediated experience. The experience needs to be evaluated from all points of view. Today in design we design experience, whether its one you are having waiting in line at Disneyland, eating on an airline or en-gaging with technology in a classroom, thought has been given to the way you navigate the world within these contexts.. Designers take cues from the works of Dewey. Here is a snippet from one of Ja-son’s writings that supports the view that if humans have interacted with “it,” “it” has been mediated, thus designed: “The world you take for granted everyday is being aggressively designed for you by people who don't know you.” Jason also illustrates how design can deal with al-most any problem, and when using it properly, promotes craft and knowledge

Fig. 3 — Dynamic systems are often represented as diagrams with words and symbols, but is important to remember that they are made of people who need flexibility.

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through a process.“The potential of design in supporting social and personal action resides in the democratic nature of its process. Design is good for defining a vision and then crafting a plan or roadmap to guide the realization of this vision. Visions with clear paths of implementation provide a bea-con for us to collaborate efficiently and optimistically on large projects.” Jason is currently the creative director at Frog Design.

In the last semester, two classes direct-ly contributed to and helped define the parameters of my thesis. The first was a class taught by Kyla FullenWider. Kyla is an educator, writer, and social design-er; she is a founding member of Impera-tive, a consultancy firm based on theories relayed in co-founder Aaron Hurst’s book Purpose Economy. Her work promotes social values where design intersects with

community-oriented projects. With Kyla we looked at asset- based models which are used in theories of positive psychol-ogy. It is important to understand the assets which are already involved in the system you are working with, and how to properly utilize them. These assets can be strengthened and used to build better infrastructure and community from with-in. There can be a great moment of em-powerment, especially if the assets are di-rectly related to the community members. Many nonprofit models, social justice organizations, and other types of grass roots projects that are accustomed to little funding use this model naturally, evalu-ating what is immediately usable. Kyla also introduced us to E.F. Schumacher, and his ideas about behavioral econom-ics. These were influential on the aspects of my thesis that considered scale, scope, capacity and growth. Also immensely helpful was a framework devised by Ev-erett Rogers in the 1970s called Diffusion of Innovation. This model is used by both Kyla and Aaron Hurst92, you will also see it used to more clearly understand the problems this thesis investigated. Kyla created an awareness surrounding an-thropological research techniques and ethics in her class, which informed the re-search and interview process. Terms such as “going native” and how to treat the area of study with respect were of great help.

The second class wasn’t a class at all, but a hands-on workshop in partnership with Zago, a consultancy design firm, and the 92 The Purpose Economy; lessons from the front lines of the new economy relies heavily on this framework to explore how the behavior of this budding economy is passed on throughout society.

“The world you take for granted

everyday is being aggressively

design for you by people who don’t

know you”x

Jason Severs


Camden Coalition, a health care provid-er in Camden, New Jersey. This experi-ence helped me to construct convictions and practice empathy. There is a history of failed urban planning and a corrupt health care system in Camden. This city has suffered from detrimental highway construction and white flight, which has left thousands of people downtown living in a food desert without a community of people to help them. Jeff Brenner started the Camden Coalition after his prima-ry care practice couldn't stay afloat. He used hotspot data mapping to under-stand why people were using hospitals

instead of the small doctors’ offices. He found that many did not trust the small offices, and also didn’t have the health in-surance to pay for the visits. Instead, low income families on Medicaid frequented the hospitals. The Camden Coalition is looking to change this in a holistic way: people giving other people hope. Now, the organization works with healthcare providers, hospitals, and physician prac-tices to improve the care and coordina-tion of healthcare for Camden residents while decreasing costs. Their mission is to improve the health status of all Camden residents by increasing capacity, quality, and access of care in the city. This work directly impacted the last leg of the thesis and its focus; it illuminated the impor-tance of surveying a system holistically and understanding that it is made of peo-ple. The Camden Coalition believes that everyone from the workers to the patients should benefit, and be empowered to em-power others; and that we should look at food sources and mental as well as physi-cal health. These disparate systems need to work together to create greater lasting change. A friend of mine once told me

Fig. 5 —MFA Products of Design class during a download session at the Camden Coalition headquarters. A day long of research and observation.

Fig. 4 — Jeff Brenner of the Camden Coalition sharing the current problems faced in Camden, New Jersey. Jeff Brenner is a MacArthur Fellow for his work with the Coalition.

Fig. 6 —A caseworker at home with a Camden Coalition Pa-tient. Scheduled drop in home visits are a big part of the Caseworkers role, creating a relationship which nurtures.

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that "we as social justice advocates need to work ourselves out of a job”.93 That moment will be a great one, when we are no longer working because of other people suffering.

Working on this thesis has provided me with a point of view and empowered me with convictions. We are all designers, or all have the capacity to be. We build sys-tems together and individually. We move and alter their paths, changing something in an existing ecosystem. This has conse-quences. We reevaluate. And with all of this power, we need to keep in mind that most of time, these arrows and words in our diagrams are people.

Recently, Creative Time in partnership 93 From an interview with social activist, arts, and teacher Kim Charles Kay

with Weeksville Heritage Center opened a show called Funk, God, Jazz, and Med-icine: Black Radical Brooklyn, and in the exhibition there is a video about the his-tory of the Weeksville Settlement. In that video the narrator is speaking about the sustainable community, and makes an eloquent statement which we designers should take to heart: “A community is measured by how it treats its people.”

This thesis draws a parallel between the

The Thesis

Fig. 7 — Simone Leigh in collaboration with Stuyvesant Mansion, provided a Free Peoples Clinic during Creative-time and Weeks-ville Heritage Center’s Funk, God, Jazz, and Medicine: Black Radical Brooklyn. Medicine; “engaged the critical intersections of public health, racial consciousness, and women’s work, asking viewers to consider the often-overlooked players.”

ways in which we learn and the ways in which we should work. It celebrates the hand, the collective and the craft. It aims to create and empower communities rich in diversity and culture. It is a celebration


Fig. 8 — Pictured above is Hunterfly Road Houses 1969, 5th of July Resource Center for Self Determination & Freedom. Weeksville provided resources and support from within the community.

Fig. 9 — The newly built Weeksville Heritage Center. This was donated by the New York Cultural Council. It is a shining new edition to the neighborhood. The old colonial houses still stand behind it, with ample open green space for the community garden, and gatherings.

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“A community is measured by how it treats its

people”x

Weeksville

of shared power and shared ownership through pathways of Art and Design.

There are a multitude of problems we face today in the area of education. One could say our kids are not getting what they need from their educational expe-riences; there are less kids ready to work and there are less jobs for them. A star-tling number of 16 to 24 year-olds are facing unemployment, part-time employ-ment or insecure, low-wage jobs. This situation increases instability and crip-ples economic growth as it limits young people’s capacity to contribute to the economy and society. In November 2013 The New York Times ran an article on minimum-wage workers which included a chart from a Georgetown study. The chart illustrated a decline in teenagers holding minimum wage jobs since the late 1970s, and an increase in the same period of 25 to 30 year-olds who have post-sec-ondary degrees holding these positions. What does this say about our educational system in relationship to our workforce? Our labor and our education doesn’t match up and is a symptom of discon-

nected systems. In the wake of a global economic crisis, rising youth unemploy-ment has reached a critical level that de-mands our urgent attention. As seen in a curated group of essays called Living La-bor edited by Milena Hoesberg and Cora Fisher, a new discourse on social practice is growing. In his essay After work: what does refusal mean today?, Peter Flemings discusses how current work is discon-nected from our survival; he states, “ the broader ritual of work and learning is now fairly detached from economic ne-cessity.”94Flemings refers to social labor in his essay, and is speaking about how we are starting to integrate our work life with our lifestyle, and the start and stop time of our jobs are no longer visible. But the jobs he is referring to are not the ones we fully enjoy, or the ones that directly contribute to our survival. He goes on to talk about “purposeful work” being pur-sued once again. The purposeful work he is talking about is how we feed, clothe, house, entertain, and take care of our-selves on a basic level. He describes these jobs as ones “with which we take plea-sure.” You can see this in the resurgence of jobs working with one’s hands for local making and process based businesses and the happiness and pride of the workers employed in rich, enjoyable and authenti-cally endless work that is our living labor. For most of us, our jobs are becoming more intimate, we are living with our work. So while we are searching for our “purpose” it is our responsibility to cre-ate pathways for others. It is also very important to note that learning through doing and experiential learning are valid 94 Fleming, Peter. "After Work: What Does Refusal Mean Today?" Living Labor(2013): 191-99. Print. Sternberg Press


Fig. 10 —Center for Economic Policy Research, http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/FullReport.pdfThe New York Times, Greenhouse, Steven. “Low-Wage Workers Are Finding Poverty Harder to Escape.” The New York Times 18 Mar. 2014, Economy sec.: n. pag. New York Times. 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

ways of navigating the world. Many of us can’t learn in a context where institu-tional styles of learning is the only option. Different types of learners need different types of contexts. How do you unite local making businesses and teenagers?

The thesis State of the Art Project address-es this problem through the revival of an apprenticeship model. You will see a very vast design process throughout this book and when you arrive at the chapter for State of the Art Project, that process will start all over again in a more focused scope. As explained prior, when used ap-propriately, design can be something that brings craft and knowledge together to create and build sustainable models. The research pointed to creating more op-portunities for kids to work in skilled jobs

“...the broader ritual of work and

learning is now fairly detached from economic

necessity.”x

Peter Flemmingswhich are community oriented. Through the research, strategy, and development phases of the thesis it was important to consider the different faces of employ-

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Fig. 11 — The Rockaway Taco Shack. Owned and Operated by Andrew Field. Here you will find an all age community of Rockaway , NY and nearby neighborhoods. Many visit this establishment in the summertime for some killer tacos. Andrew Filed Employees youth from Rockaway to contribute and build community.

Fig. 12— Apprenticeships are available and widely promoted in other areas of the world. Getting-In.com helps students in the UK find technical, educational, and agricultural apprenticeships. It is a comprehensive up to date list of organizations and schools who offer this model.

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as vocational/transfer schools, learn to work programs, community based orga-nizations, government and private fund-ing, and local businesses. State of the Art Project partnered with a local bakery in Cobble Hill called Bien Cuit to prototype and test assumptions. Working with Bien Cuit helped me to visualize and under-stand what effective collaboration could look like through evaluating capacity on all ends. State of the Art Project's vision is to build and nurture community, com-mitment, and communication through knowledge, connections and support.

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Mission & Goals

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Mission & Goals

The mission and goals of this thesis proj-ect have been shaped by the research and design process. The process has caused the focus of the project to shift and reduce while I was considering what to discuss, how to handle the subject matter, and what could be accomplished by discussing or taking action. Focus is derived from where the re-search points you. For this work there is an exterior mission and an interior mission. The exterior mission is the investigation of the larger process of research and de-sign work, while the interior mission is the actual thesis project. Both missions cele-brate intuition and spontaneity; play and experimentation were a central part of the subject matter and process. Stuart Brown is the founder of the National Institute of Play, clinical researcher, and producer of a three-part series called The Promise of Play. Early on in my research, it was im-portant to establish the validity of certain concepts. Through investigation it be-came apparent that kids and adults alike need experimentation and imagination to navigate this world. Brown points out that through play we can unlock potential in ourselves and others; play is serious busi-ness, it is an essential part of learning, and

something which shapes our lives.74

The goals for the exterior mission will be discussed first. The design research aims to understand existing systems of learn-ing, i.e. schools, after-schools, camps, mu-seums, and to look for connections with other fields. My discoveries are curated within these pages. I hope they will con-tribute to a robust research database that will serve beyond this project and lend its findings to this area of design and so-cial values. My investigations took many forms from desktop research to extensive interviews. The prototypes and projects made during this time were a response to the ongo-ing research with the aim of providing feedback. I wanted to test assumptions about how we form relationships around the making process. The project focuses on crafting relationships and crafting the ways we physically make together (pro-cess), and how that relates to the learn-ing process between youth and adults. All

74 Brown, Stuart L., and Christopher C. Vaughan. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery, 2009. Print.

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“Education must begin with the solution of the

teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling

the poles of the contradiction

so that both are simultaneously

teachers and students.”

xPaulo Freire

projects that involved others are consid-ered collaborations and contributions will be noted. Early on in the process it was de-cided that computers would be secondary, supplementary, and seldom used. Human connections and facilitating partnerships are an integral part to this work. .

It is important for this project and the pro-cess of this project to look at assets that exist and reframe “problems” into oppor-tunities. In the methodologies section we speak about positive psychology and the effects this has on a learning process. Without a support structure, adults can be persuaded that they do not have the exper-tise it takes to cultivate young minds. But if they are lead through an egalitarian col-laborative process to ease apprehension, a partnership can be achieved and opportu-nities created. Encouraging flexibility and convincing people that they would benefit by being open to wrong turns brings sta-bility and greater reflexive moments and outcomes. Kids are resilient, and in most cases can create their own pathways if we would be daring enough to let them drive. They would teach us many lessons about ourselves and the existing structure around us.

The pursuit is to reframe the learner and teacher model so that these roles can be ac-knowledged as shared between the youth and the adult. Paulo Freire, a radical ed-ucational theorist of the ‘60s, argues that the state of learning should not be author-itative but collaborative with shared deci-sion-making components, which allows for shared ownership. The two quotes below are from Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a deeply rewarding text that explores the op-pressed and the oppressor in societal con-structs. Freire takes us through the psy-chology and the social order that put these

constructs in place and explains the very nugget of creating and empowering equal playing fields.

“Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.”

“In problem-posing education, people de-velop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but


Fig. 15 — Alan Berger, the Brooklyn Free School’s director, center, with students in an all school meeting. Decisions are made collectively, and kids are allowed to call meetings.

Fig. 14— A diverse group of kids and adults make up Brooklyn Free School.

as a reality in process, in transforma-tion.”75

When discussing problem-posing educa-tion, Friere is referring to creative/criti-cal-thinking types of learning. When he was involved with education in Brazil this was not a far-reaching philosophy, even in the United States. These types of ideas were seen as extremely radical. Even though in contemporary times this type of education has been more in fa-vor, the ideas have been undermined by the rigorous types of evaluation used to measure its value. This means there isn’t equality for all. It became increasingly apparent through my experiences with this project that existing assumptions and restraints don’t necessarily reflect what someone of any age is actually ca-pable of doing.

Social allocation theory tells us that by not being flexible and by predicting achievement, we actually hinder ability and potential. Setting up specific types of hierarchies within a classroom set-ting can predetermine individual kids’ growth. When a child doesn’t have room to be the leader, the motivation for learn-ing diminishes. Assigning a specific goal or characteristic to a child can deter-mine their advances in learning. Allow-ing kids the ability to lead others and to exist within a power structure they can access and change yields results in favor of both contributors. We can see the ef-fects of these types of environments look-ing at examples such as the Brooklyn Free School, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, City and Country School, and Fairhaven Schools. All allow for kids to

75 Freire, Paulo. “Chapter 2.” Pedagogy of the Oppressed 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Bloomsbury, 2014. N. pag. Print.

have a choice and voice in what they do and how they learn; they are involved in making decisions that affect themselves and others. The students tend to become well-rounded robust individuals that un-derstand the weight and importance of community along with an understanding that they are valued. I was involved with a similar model of learning during the sum-mer months at Beam Camp where kids between the ages of 7 -17 are granted free-dom to choose which workshops to take. I was able to see the interactions and enjoy the benefits. Beam Camp in New Hamp-shire, founded 10 years ago by Brian Co-hen and Danny Kahn, is a celebration of

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kids making things happen. This is a vil-lage of 130 people of all ages who come together and create pure magic. The kids and adults partner together to share a di-verse practice, build, and explore collabo-ration. Ideas are exchanged and everyone learns from each other.

Gerontology encompasses many social sciences and examines and makes conclu-sions about the micro self and macro so-cietal factors in the processes of learning and aging. The Self and Society in Aging Processes explores the implications of so-cial allocation and social reality produc-tion; how we order and allocate ourselves and how our created order grows. The editors Carol D. Ryff and Victor W. Mar-shall discuss ways we make decisions on behalf of others and allocate to achieve certain standards. “[Teachers] and school officials are enacting practices…. dictated by policymakers, administrators, educa-tional and developmental experts and leg-islators whose collective intent imposed an answer—arguably political more than hu-manistic—to the question of what young children should be doing with their time.”76 Far too often do we see people making de-cisions from a removed perspective which do not necessarily benefit the partners in-volved. In times when education is moni-tored and assessed through unified stan-dards, it is important for this project to create small, intimate frameworks that qualitatively measure individuals and small groups. The small-scale model aids in cultivating a perspective that is objec-tive yet close to all participants as media-tor or translator for a community. The de-sign process allows for the perspectives of all participants to be heard and designed for, it allows for this build to be collabo-rative. This is an example of flexibility in 76 Ryff, Carol D., and Victor W. Marshall. The Self and Soci-ety in Aging Processes. New York: Springer Pub., 1999. Print.

a dynamic system, which can be a great attribute. It is important to note that flex-ibility can be spontaneous and also built in. Having the ability to be flexible indi-cates to people involved that they are in an evolving community and they are valued. It allows for growth, and shows that people in the system are not cogs in a well-oiled machine, but humans who have different capacities and different agency. It demon-strates that listening is being done.

Being introduced to John Thackera and his writings was immensely helpful in carving out a tangible but large target. In September of 2012 In the Bubble was added to my library. It was the first time that the ideas of social capital, reciproci-ty, and redefining work appeared plainly in front of me. Thackera made ideas ac-cessible and understandable. The chap-ter Conviviality discusses convivial work and convivial services, pointing to issues we are currently struggling with: happi-ness, technology, and labor. He cites Ivan Illich and Tom Healy when referring to the overall well being of humans through social capital.77 He argues for the com-plexities we have created with reciprocal relationship exchange, and how we have built and utilized social trust throughout the past. Thackera uses examples from current barter economies and alternative value systems that show real-world ap-plication of these theories, such as “Time Dollars, a currency for rebuilding the core economy of family, neighborhood, and community.”78 Below are four principles describing the mission of Time Dollars. They are taken from In the Bubble, quot-

77 social capital is the expected collective or economic ben-efits derived from the preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups.78 Described by its founder Edgar Cahn Thackera, John. “Conviviality.” In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2005. 126. Print.


ed from the Time Dollars website. These powerful principles provoked and inspired me in my thesis pursuit.

Assets “No more throw away people. Ev-ery human being has the capacity to be a builder and a contributor.”

Redefining work “No more taking the con-tribution of women, children, families, im-migrants, for granted. No more free rides for the market economy extracted by sub-ordination, discrimination, and exploita-tion. Work must be redefined to include whatever it takes to rear healthy children, make neighborhoods safe and vibrant, and care for the frail and vulnerable.”

Reciprocity “Stop creating dependencies; stop devaluing those whom you help while you profit from their troubles. The im-pulse to give back is universal. Wherever possible, we must replace one- way acts of largess in whatever form with two-way transactions. ‘You need me’ becomes ‘We need each other’.”

Social Capital “No more disinvesting in families, neighborhoods and communi-ties. No more economic and social strip mining. Social Networks require ongoing investments of social capital generated by trust, reciprocity, and civic engagement’.”

The goals described by Time Dollars and Thackera are altruistic: caring about the welfare of others in a community. Thac-kera is inspired by Ivan Illich’s theories about institutions and their agendas, re-ferring to Illich’s argument for the “cre-ation of convivial, rather than manipu-lative institutions of learning, health and care.” Thackera points out that these communities of practice are usually “in-formal, voluntary, and self organizing.”

79These groups also benefit greatly when they freely combine to produce goods and service for their own enjoyment: the community creating the growth from within. This was to be a basic rule of my thesis, that the work to be done was go-ing to be for the betterment of others and for growth of a community. Later in the text Thackera introduces 63 Universals of Culture, aspects of everyday life that exist in every community and culture in the world. In 1945 American Anthro-pologist George P. Murdoch created the chart depicted below. Today we can identify it as an opportunity for service models. Thackera ends the chapter on Conviviality with a piece of advice con-cerning the chart and the advantages of using it: “These universals of culture are a gigan-tic “to do” list for service designers. Take one of these aspects of daily life, improve it, and figure out how to benefit from it in a non-monetary way.”80

79 Thackera, John. “Conviviality.” In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2005. 133. Print.80 Thackera, John. “Conviviality.” In the Bubble: Designing

“No more throw away people. Every

human being has the capacity to be a builder and a con-

tributor.”x

Time Dollars

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“These universals of culture are a gigantic “to do” list for service designers. Take one of these aspects of daily life,

improve it, and figure out how to benefit from it in a

non-monetary way.”x

John Thackera


gamespenal sanctions

community organizationsgestures

personal namescooking

gift givingpopulation policycooperative labor

governmentpostnatal care

cosmologygreetings

pregnancy usagescourtshiphairstyles

property rightsdancing

hospitalityproportion of supernatural

beingsdecorative arts

housingpuberty costumes

divinationhygiene

religious ritualsdivision of labor

incest taboosresidence rules

dream interpretationsinheritance rules

sexual restrictionseducation

jokingsoul conceptseschatologykin groups

status differentiationethics

kinship nomenclaturesurgery

ethnobotanylanguage

tool makingetiquette

lawtrade

faith healingluck superstitions

visitingfamily feasting

magicweather control

folkloremealtimes

weavingfood taboos

medicineobstetrics, funeral rites

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“Education can help us only if it produces “whole men.” The truly educated man is

not a man who knows a bit of everything, not even the man who knows all the details of all subjects (if such a thing were possible): the “whole

man,” in fact, may have very little detailed knowledge of facts & theories...but he will

be truly in touch with the centre.


He will not be in doubt about his basic convictions, about his view on the meaning and

purpose of his life. He may not be able to explain these

matters in words, but the conduct of his life will show a certain sureness of touch which stems from his inner

clarity.” x

E.F. Schumacher

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Fig. 16 — Jeremy Hawkins Contemplating his next move during a capture the flag game on Pirate Sunday. Jeremy helps with program areas at Beam Camp, is a Camper Liaison and has been a returning contributor for 4 years. Photo courtesy of David Golann.

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BeamWe were told to think long and hard be-tween our first and second year of grad-uate school about what our thesis could and should be. I spent that summer in the woods with kids ages 7-17 making stuff. Beam Camp, founded in 2005, is devoted to building together, teaching each other, and bringing smiles to the faces of every-one involved. In the spring of 2013 I was chosen to run their workshop and residen-cy program for artists, designers, engi-neers, practitioners of all kinds who share their passion with kids. I was to curate, program and develop the curriculum of 120 workshops to take place over six weeks: 10 artists a week, 20 workshops a week, 90 kids a week for two three-week sessions. This was a challenge, and I took it, not knowing how big of a job it would be or how big of an impact it would have on me. The job required 15-hour days completely immersed in the community, always in the now while also anticipating the next arriv-ing guests. The responsibilities didn’t end at the preparation; one had to consider the logistics and execution of the workshops as well as the emotional well-being of the participants. Helping people acclimate and find a groove in an established small community for one week at a time is a big challenge. That summer at Beam Camp

proved to be a very intense experience that changed my perspective on myself and my work. I started to see myself as an admin-istrator but also an artist, as a teacher but also a learner, and as an individual but also a community member. The popula-tion of the camp is diverse and the interests range in every direction. I witnessed how the organization makes a difference in these kids’ lives, and saw the importance of flexibility and choice which allows the campers to learn in an environment that also allows them to lead.

Beam Camp is situated in Strafford, New Hampshire on Parker Mountain. It is two hours away from Boston, and roughly thirty minutes to the nearest gas station. It is an ecosystem that becomes self-sustain-ing after the set-up; this takes place short-ly after arrival of the “leadership team” in early July. All food is consumed on camp-grounds, and for the kids, there is no con-tact with the outside world, or the “other world” as it is referred to, besides written letters. There is no cell phone reception and I spent the summer without my online social media.

Each week a new cast and crew (we call them Guests) joined us from the outside world. The various artists, designers, cre-ators would arrive after a correspondence of months, weeks, or sometimes just days (this showed much trust in each party for the other) about the workshops demonstrat-ing their practice. After the first week the Guests would enter a community already full of momentum and connected relation-ships. I had to reiterate the goals and mis-sion of the camp to both the new Guests and those already residing in the ecosys-tem. I explained how the camp functions, and what it embodies in the greater context of learning and growing: the relationship

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to the larger ecosystem of development be-tween individuals and communities. This experience ultimately broadened my ideas about how we learn and with whom.

In the months, weeks, days leading up to their arrival, each Guest would go through a similar process, somewhat customized to their communication needs. This process started out with an invitation. The invi-tation was sent based on prior knowledge of the individual’s skill in communicating their particular practice. Most of those in-vited were from our networks: friends of friends, people with whom we had previous positive interactions. The invitation was worded in a way that would set the way we speak about what they were invited to do. We called our workshops “Domains” and you were coined a “Lead Learner” or a “Domain Guest”.

The shift in language aimed to help the Guest understand their role, to empow-er them to share what they were excited about. . This could be something closely related to their process or practice, or new interests which they felt were important to explore alongside an audience, moving in a direction of collaborative learning. Peo-ple moved at different speeds when discuss-ing the invitation. Skype was preferable to some, while phone meetings or email was better for others. I used Google docs for organizing and revising plans, which was an effective way to communicate efficient-ly about single or multiple ideas within les-sons. I developed a language congruent to the one Beam Camp was using, realizing flexibility, not rigid guidelines, were need-ed. In a way, every Domain work-shopped with the prospective Domain Leader/Guest was a collaboration. We would speak about ways in which kids could re-ceive the information. This progressed

throughout the summer to speaking about how different types of kids would receive the information or activities planned, and how to continue their engagement. The kids of all ages (7-17) co-mingled in these workshops.

Allen Riley, a life-long “Beamer,” once a counselor, then a domain specialist, now a vision and mission advisor, was a great mentor in the developing phase. He set a standard, trained me in the camp’s point of view, but was also open to discuss my opinions. His experience brought much insight. Allen has been working with BEAM for 4 years now, and has continued to express his morals and ideology. Some-times I wonder if he is aware of the larg-er role he plays within this organization. He is one of its beating hearts, instilling values and sharing great depth of philo-sophical thought. Allen is coming into his own as an educator, facilitator, and think-er. Some of the other cast of characters involved are the founders Brian Cohen, a businessman who passionately wants to create a better tomorrow for kids, and Danny Kahn, the visionary dreamer; and Kathryn Wallem, who handles enroll-ment and logistics year-round for the kids and their families. Kathryn is practical, strong, level-headed, expressionistic, pro-lific, and a forward-moving steam engine who is observant and perceptive. There are thirty people on the staff including the counselors.

At camp I continued working relationships that had been established in a particular way. Our “leadership team” was rela-tively small, and met every morning and two nights a week. Many of the team had worked together in similar circumstances in previous years, although they said the dynamic was different this summer. At


this juncture key players were no longer at camp. Kathryn and Allen had taken over a new pilot program at Beam Cen-ter that provided city kids with day camp for nine weeks divided up into three-week segments. Ayun Halliday, who preceded me, had been a magnetic character with a strong presence. People were returning, but in different capacities, and new posi-tions were being filled; this caused focus and perspective to shift. This shift was ap-parent to me and continued to be a source of anxiety for the duration of camp. Roles were not defined socially, and the job I was there to do wasn’t defined for me as an employee. I tried to gather enough in-formation by observation to evaluate my role and get a feedback loop. I struggled the most with the self-sufficiency which was required to continue to push forward.. Never before had I been in a metaphor-ical machine in which the cogs had to keep moving without review or attention to the parts. “Rolling with it,” is what Bri-an Cohen calls it. It is a very interesting approach on the managerial side. Not a heavy hand, almost no hand at all.

At camp, self-evaluation was difficult because no two jobs were the same. We worked as a group, collaborating with the adults and the kids, the counselors, do-main guests, project specialists and proj-ect masters. So maybe we all had the same job: creating and continuing a part-nership. This takes a great deal of ma-turity, patience, persistence, courage, and awareness.

I came back from Beam Camp excited, giddy, ready to take on the second year of graduate school with new experiences and new questions. I learned that experiences are made with others. I knew exactly what I wanted, and it has held true until today.

That summer will always stick with me. It was a time of doing, making, learning, building, collaborating and happiness. The kids showed me the best I could be, and also taught me so much. Below are some questions I pondered while working on the thesis, inspired by my experience at Beam Camp. It was my personal goal with this thesis to answer some of these questions.

Can intention evolve over time within an organic process? How does one work in a group toward a larger, greater good? What qualities does it take for one to understand a role, both work- related and social? How do we equip younger generations with an understanding of what it takes to continue to move forward in a positive, progressive way? How do we provide good experienc-es that will encourage kids to contribute to their communities? Is it similar being an adult working alongside kids to being a kid working alongside adults? How do we create a culture in which older genera-tions working with younger generations is important for all? How do we turn society from one of individuals to a collaborative community?

How does one understand what is expected if there are no grades? How do you know if you are doing a good job and what is the criteria one uses to self-evaluate?

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Fig. 17 — A slide used in the final presentation to highlight Beam Camp. Their online platform shares past projects and future opportunities to be involved.

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Fig. 18 — Sundays at camp are themed. This is determined by the counselors or fellows (older campers). Pictured here a is choreographed duel during morning rituals in the camper village. Two older campers act out an ongoing narrative which will be carried throughout the day. Younger campers watch and giggle, waiting to see what will unfold next.

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“Positive psychology focuses on three related topics: the

study ofpositive subjective

experiences, the study of positive individual traits, and the study of institutions that enable positive experiences

and positive traits.”x

Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi


Fig. 19 — Every summer 2 large projects are chosen to be built by a collaborative effort of 100 people ranging in the ages 7-55 years of age. These projects are proposed by designers, architects, engineers, and artists. Above is the scaffolding which sur-rounded and aided in building a 30 ft tall Kaleidescope designed by two Belgium Architects.

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Fig. 20 — Campers learn how to make two part molds with Elizabeth Guzman. Elizabeth is a painter who attended Virginia Com-monwealth University. This was her second summer leading a Domain at Beam. She has also shared, weaving techniques, neon plan-air, and paper making with book binding.

Fig. 21 — Campers in the Art Barn paint their clay replicas of human body parts. Christine Facella shared her love of anatomy and three dimensional sculpture with clay, felting and sewing. In Brooklyn Christine has her own clay studio, she also works for NGO’s understanding strategy and marketing.


Fig. 22 — Mark Kleback helps a camper understand circuitry in his Domain Bluetooth Boom Boxes. His other Domain at camp consisted of motion sensors for a photo booth. Mark teaches at Beam Center in Brooklyn, and also is a member of the collective artist run space Death By Audio.

Fig. 23 — Christian Gregory of Virginia Commonwealth University brought a studio in his car. Here you can see kids using oil based woodblock inks. Christian showed his domains how to make silk screens and wood blocks to print.

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Character Traits and Virtues

Strength of Wisdom and Knowledge

Creativity [Originality, Ingenuity]

Curiosity [Interest, Novelty-Seeking,Openness to Experience]

Open-Mindedness

[Judgment, Critical Thinking]

Love of Learning

Perspective [Wisdom]

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Strength of Courage

Bravery [Valor]

Persistence[Perseverance, Industriousness]

Integrity [Authenticity, Honesty]

Vitality [Zest, Enthusiasm, Vigor, Energy]

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Fig. 25 — In the kitchen campers learn basic bread structure and baking techniques.

Fig. 26 — Weaving and Textiles


Fig. 27 — Wyna Liu is a recent graduate of NYU’s program ITP. Above she is assisting a camper finish up a fellow domain guests domain. Wyna collaborated with another domain guest to execute two domains. She also runs a maker space at the Brooklyn Community College Partnership space.

Fig. 28 — Action Painting with David Kirschoff. David Kirschoff is an Artist and Design living in Brooklyn, New York. He has brought the art of making infomercials, a domain inspired by Sun Ra, creating an own private island, and action painting to camp.

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Strength of Humanity

Love

Kindness [Generosity, Nurturance, Care,

Compassion, Altruistic Love, “Niceness”]

Social Intelligence [Emotional Intelligence,

Personal Intelligence]


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Strength of Justice

Citizenship [Social Responsibility, Loyalty, Teamwork]

Fairness

Leadership


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Strength of Transcendence

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence[Awe, Wonder, Elevation]

Gratitude

Hope [Optimism, Future-Mindedness,

Future Orientation]

Humor [Playfulness]

Spirituality [Religiousness, Faith, Purpose]


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Fig. 29 — Domain Gallery

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Methodology(an active dynamic practice)

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Methodology(an active dynamic practice)

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Web Platform called Play

Together Today (speculative

object)Play Together Today is a speculative ser-vice brought to your workplace via on-line inquiry and registration. The service promises to research, evaluate, and create recommendation to make the workplace a more enjoyable and fun place. The ser-vice providers are kids, and they are seri-ous about what they do. ‘Play’ is a verb, ‘Together’ speaks about contributors col-laborating and human connections, and ‘Today’ is a context, a parameter. It tar-gets kids as a way to simultaneously cre-ate an earnest outreach while mimicking advertising. It assumes that adults are ac-knowledging their need for help from kids. Coupled with testimonials from adults and office employees it allows interested par-ties such as parents to dive deeper into why kids perspectives are so valuable. Its in-tent is to speak about the absurdity of our everyday inhabitants indoors at desks in cubicles with grey walls. The work chal-

lenges adults removed perspectives. Open play creates all types of opportunity for the kids to start to navigate life’s difficul-ties such as emotion autonomously. Ac-cording to Stewart Brown, Play helps us understand and control fear and excite-ment, contextualize memory development and helps us learn human trust which is based in play signals. These play signals are enacted when physically maneuvering through space together and include vocal, facial, body, and gestural signs. Kids in-vent play, they create it themselves and when we take control, it becomes some-thing very different. Play Together To-day asks the question about structures of power and how through play the absurdity of this service could contribute to overcom-ing these structures within the workspace. Play is for all ages, and if we want to think like kids, we need to be around them.

How can kids help us understand ourselves and them more fully? Within a recent ar-ticle which was released by Harvard Busi-ness Review, Lego, a toy company lead-ing in open ended play products, describes their attempt to connect again with their consumers’ needs. This article speaks heavily to the anthropological approaches design uses for user research. Lego con-cluded that what they needed was to dig deep within themselves and listen to what kids were doing and saying. What they found is not so shocking. “Children play to escape their overly orchestrated lives and to hone a skill.”74

We should take a cue from our research and look and start to redefine what play can mean to multiple generations. We all have the ability to do so, as it is inherent

70 An Anthropologist Walks into a Bar by Christian Madsb-jerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen Harvard Business Magazine March 2014

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in our beings. Play together today speaks about our faculty within the workplace and our resistance and removed perspec-tive from the child within. Play together today ponders the question; How do we create and maintain spaces or experiences for Multi Generational Partnerships?

A website Called Kid Talks

(speculative object)

We are at a point in our society when oral histories and stories are being valued and disseminated to large audiences via the Internet. We are in period of time when individuals from all walks of life are con-tributing to a larger conversation around education, health care, women’s rights, cli-mate change, and even technology. Indi-viduals are getting up on these metaphori-cal soap boxes to represent themselves and others telling stories. This is happening all over the world and even small spin offs are being recreated in cafes, backyards and churches. All are passionate and most are persuasive but very few are under the age of 18. Kid talks challenges the ideas around who should be listening to whom. Adults should be listening more carefully to the youth. From Tavi Gevinson to Ado-ra Svitak, all the kids who have spoken at Ted Talks can be counted on two hands. This is an alarmingly small number out of 1700 plus presenters. Kid Talks accepts the notion that brilliance surpasses age,

and creates an opportunity for younger generations to take the stage and be heard. Out of the handful of kids who have spoke at Ted Talks, ages have varied but the top-ics have stayed the same; patience, perse-verance, equality, and empathy. There is an overall understanding of what learning can do and how it can shape us in diverse and impactful ways. There is also a criti-cal lense which all of these kids try to un-cover about the media and other tactics adults use to prescribe behavior. Listening to the way others view the world and how different perspectives can create expanded palettes is a phenomenon not so new. In education and in learning Kid talks chal-lenges the expected roles and how a young contribution can create change on levels not foreseen by adults. How kids choose to frame the world is how we can shape it for them.

Say Yes And… In two Acts

(Set of Instructions)

Improv, Laughter Yoga, a game of ninja and the relationship between the Mey-erhold biomechanics and the apprentice workshop.

A flyer outlines the reasoning behind a verbal set of instructions given to a room of twenty people at School of Visual Arts Product of Design Department. Instruc-tors present were Richard Tyson, Allan Chochinov, and Andrew Scholes. All 2014


candidates for thesis masters were in at-tendance and instructions were verbalized and followed on Wednesday October 22, 2013. The Laughter Yoga was the the first movement in a two party act titled, Say Yes And… Participants were asked to pair up very quickly with individuals there were not necessarily close or comfortable with. This group of students spend many hours together, but because of the circumstances of the school work load, not much of that time was spent socializing. The hypoth-esis was that many people still might be uncomfortable with at least one or two people in the room and these would be the preferred partners. After partnering up they were given instructions to face one another. Then they were to look each oth-er in the eyes and lock gaze, raise hands above their head, and proceed to jump up and down while laughing. This was to last at least 1 minute. A very absurd act, but during the whole time they were in-structed not to loose the lock on the gaze with their partner. The outcome wasn’t as brilliant or effective as hoped. People were either not entirely engaged or hadn’t fully gained my trust as the one giving in-structions. This movement in the two acts lasted for approximately 30 seconds and then dissipated. On the metaphorical table were the ideas surrounding play as a powerful learning tool for cooperation. The group didn’t fail to understand this, but were not as cooperative as one would hope. The second act in Say Yes And…,aimed to provoke the audience in simi-lar ways through a game. A game titled, Ninja. This game is familiar to school age youngsters and is played on playgrounds across the U.S.. Adults at conventions sometime partake in this game as an ice-breaker. The game is simple and easy for all ages Luckily, a couple of the graduate students were familiar enough with this

game to help instruct the rest. Everyone divided into two groups.

Allan Chochinov(chair) and Joseph Weiss-gold(student) were particularly excited and engaged in act 2. Some were struggling to lend themselves to the exercise or expe-rience. This demonstrated their sheepish-ness to put themselves out there. The hope was for everyone to let down barriers and to allow others to access their vulnerabil-ities through this silly and active game. For the most part many enjoyed the active experience. The intent of this was to use improvisation as a building process rather than a blocking process and use play/game tactics in the classroom to orchestrate and choreograph physical movement. The in-structions borrowed from three sources. These sources concern individuals navi-gating space with others to create human-istic responses. The outcome was to be more fully aware of their body and others in the space and to be comfortable with their vulnerabilities to the point where they had moments to reframe. Physical move-ment was key in these two exercises as the intent was to stimulate other parts of the body and the mind simultaneously.

Also included was inspiration drawn from a famous Russian choreographer and di-rector, Vsevolod Meyerhold. Meyerhold was known during the late 1800’s and ear-ly 1900’s for his reform of stage art. He de-veloped a pedagogy called Biomechanics which is still effectively used today. It is a system for actor preparation and consists of physical movement Meyerhold believed that in portraying realism in theatre the actors and audience were not challenged to use their imagination. Its aims were to create types of theatre that would engage their audience and react in different ways to the norm during that time period. Tech-

Z.V.P. 108

niques to transcend the everyday used in his methods created a distortion and ex-aggeration which Meyerhold leveraged to create this stylized theatrical technique.

Improvisation was used for adults to tune into their neotonous behavior. Psycholog-ical neoteny is the retention of immature qualities into adulthood. These qualities allow us to be open and curious, playful, affectionate, have sociality, and create an innate desire to cooperate. We are all born with these types of qualities as it is the re-tention of these from our younger selves that make up the psychological neotenous behavior while we are older. It is also the ability for our surroundings and context to allow these to flourish, to nurture them through our progression of life. Improvisa-tion is a technique used in corporate work offices to capture these moments or pull them out from fellow teams and workers. Since the mid 90’s improv has been used in the most progressive workplaces to open up the idea flow and build rather than block. The title of these instructions is the very essence of the improv practice, Say Yes And….Improv allows for continuous openness and flexible to ideas and con-cepts presented. It helps one not discrim-inate nor dismiss too quickly, continuing to move forward on the wave of informa-tion being received and projected. It is es-sentially the call to action, to refrain from saying “no” and just say yes and…. Kids have great imaginations which allows im-provisation to be enacted in many forms in their day to day. This is a current prac-tice at many design consultancies in par-ticular the very famous IDEO. Their Cre-ative directors released a book last winter around “unleashing the creative potential within us all”. The read is very accessible and extremely quick. It gives exercises and activities, companies can use to help them-

selves and their employees become more creative engines in the greater machine cog of work. Its important to question its existence as a text, because it is telling us something very simple. That if adults are looking to harness something that is within us all, then the very infrastructure we have built to educate our students and develop our children is lacking the guidance and nurturing for them to continue to carry out these traits. The book Creative Confidence written by Tom Kelley and David Kelley is a signal, one that tells us to redirect our at-tention away from businesses who produce product and to focus on issues of inequali-ty and access on a human level.

Diffusion ofInnovation

(a framework)Everett Rogers was a communication scholar, sociologist, writer, and teacher. He is best known for originating the dif-fusion of innovations theory and for intro-ducing the term early adopter. Diffusion of innovations is a theory which provides a framework to understand how behaviors are picked up or adopted into different seg-ments of communities. This can be small villages or even large macro scales. It aims to predict ways innovations are dissemi-nated to a mass audience or a larger audi-ence and can be applied to many different cases. The framework asks one to define the issue, the ways you measure this, the audience you wish to target, your barri-ers and the barriers of the audience, and the levers which you will decide to pull to

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create change. The levers include bright spots, or positive deviants. These are usu-ally small scale initiatives which in the social sector are seen as grassroots orga-nizations which gain traction in a larger market. Quantitative Research, which gets the attention of many larger inputs espe-cially when it is cost driven and can show significant reductions, is also referred to as data and insights. The third lever has to do with the every growing industry of technology, this includes everything from new medication and new applications for tech devices. These reframe and change our understanding of current and new progressions. Creating public awareness, which is the fourth lever is ways we on-board people to new ideas. If people are unaware of how they can change things, they will most likely not join the market. If these people are not close to the cause they need persuasion, so public campaigns are an example of ways to bring awareness around a particular subject or cause. The last of the five is policy, changing public policy and policy within corporations can help move a market in one direction or an-other. Pivoting laws and regulations help your case if this is possible. The diffusion of innovations recommends at least three of these levers to be pulled in combinations for any type of change or shift to happen.

Aaron Hurst the founder of Tap Root ex-plains in his new text The Purpose Econo-my, the framework was used heavily in the late 80’s and early 90’s, it helped predict and target the right group of people for sales in an Information age that was just starting to be drive by tech. Aaron uses the Framework to demonstrate how we can plot and target social change and behav-ior amongst different groups if we pull the correct levers. The framework helps one understand what the “right stage” is and

how to target the right market to promote change. If these aren’t in place, change will come with resistance. This echos the work of a craftsman. Richard Sennett so eloquently explains that the craftsman is aware that minimizing force within the material she or he is working with will yield better results and by “befriend(ing) one’s tool” the “master will have developed so thorough an understanding of the tool that he knows how to hold it to use min-imum force”.74 Hurst and Everett would also agree with Sennett’s words that “com-munity organizers fall within the frame of minimizing force.” They are known as respected entities of their community and most often open doors through behaving with less aggression and more open arms and understanding. Below is a study put through the model which are illustrated through infographic and text.

The case study focuses on ideas around multi strandness theories and a quote from the founder and director of Beam Camp and Beam Center. The theory is borrowed from science and applied to social sciences. It explores how cities of very dense popu-lations and diversity have greater happi-ness and well being levels. Because the cit-ies are so dense there is a great chance of being with and around people who enjoy the same things that you do and are not limited by proximity/propinquity. Your friends will know more of your friends and connect you to more people who do similar work and enjoy their work. The strands from which you became involved in these networks are very few, but once involved create dense networks that over-lap. People who live in rural areas tend

74 Together The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Coopera-tion, Richard Sennettpage 210


Fig. 30 — Pictured above is the full diffusion of innovation curve. Pinpointed are individuals and groups who are in the early ma-jority and early adopters. These people are seen as picking up a behavior well before the mainstream.

Fig. 31 — The audience targeted are shown above. Specifically in NYC these people live and work in high density communities or villages.

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to have the opposite, many strands and less dense networks. This is because of the distance between people. Because of our dense strands in the cities we are thought to live more fulfilling and satisfying lives. In the end it creates more opportunity to do something you love doing.75 In an in-terview back in October 2013, Brian Co-hen the director of Beam Center, said the mission of his non profit is to nurture a community which creates authentic op-portunity. This says much about behav-ior and role modeling and how people around you influence what you do greatly. Brian sparked an interesting investigation into what innovators we should look at to help younger generations value making and put forth positive behaviors to gener-ate virtuous cycles. With the diffusions of innovations framework, we are going to look at this case study through the lense of creativity and arts as a way for transfor-mation and transportation.

Some very Bright Spots include Brooklyn Free School’s mission in education of so-cial justice. From a very young age they introduce concepts which traditionally are not seen in classrooms. They advocate for young people’s voices to be heard, BFS engage students and staff in democrat-ic decision making and problem solving through allowing the kids to call meetings and make choices. Another demonstration of passing the baton or disrupting mod-els of hierarchy would be The artist Pil-vi Takala who won this year’s Emdash Award from Frieze. The award comes with 10,000 pounds and she decided to just give it away. But her decision was not an act of charity, but a conceptual artwork that challenges 80-12 year olds from low in-

75 Fischer, Claude S. “The Structure of Relations and Net-works.” To Dwell among Friends: Personal Networks in Town and City. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. 139-57. Print.

come neighborhoods in London to suggest ways to spend the prize money. She has ended up giving them 7,000 lbs or about 11,000 dollars of the total prize to allow the kids involved to decide where it goes. This shows a radical shift in trust and per-ceptive. She kept the remainder to run the project and document the results. Both of these examples show that adults can truly listen to kids and allow them to be leader of methods which we can learn from. This allows for this partnerships to be mutually beneficial and a level playing field is pre-sented. We could further extrapolate on these ideas and set up centers or workspac-es which concentrate on Focus Groups of kids leading discussion in adult environ-ments and groups. Kid Makers and Do-ers associations, where kids are teaching skills and workshops to older generations, such as paper folding, electrical circuitry or cooking. To conclude this case study, it is important to point out that these places do exist but are not at the scales which we need to disrupt old standards of education and hierarchy.

Who Nurtures Your Practice

(video)Reaching out to ones network can provide information about the community one in-volves themselves in. It can also reveal the way people are supported through their experiences and what influences them in their practice. The video Who Nurtures Your Practice began with informal col-lected qualitative data from over 20 indi-


viduals. On November 11th a request to answer two questions via audio record-ing were sent out through email and text. These two questions asked the partici-pants to be reflective about people in their lives who contribute to their growth. The data acted as a quick prototype which picked up ethnographic research. Every response cited people who were in their close network and also people who were of inspiration to them they didn’t know. Everyone cited a collection of people who ranged in age and this indicated we have peers beyond our age group. A number of individuals made clear that they were inspired by younger generations, specif-ically when involved and engaged in a learning environment. All were creatives or working in a field which was related to physically making or creatively thinking. These participants ranged between 26 and 50 years of age, mostly living in New York City, the other cities include Chicago and Los Angeles. Some participants took this question of “who” as “what” inspires you. Because the main focus of the vid-eo was to celebrate and make evident that people and human systems are important to the growth of others and human net-works, inanimate objects or concepts that weren’t directly related to people were omitted. The participants were extreme-ly giving in the delivering and sharing the information, the audio recordings ranged between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. The simple premise was to prove that positive human relationships which are centered around a specific process can contribute to the outcome of the individuals involved. Simply put, people who love what they do, nurture and inspire others to do what they love. Below is the request for the audio re-cording, 20 people responded, their names and highlighted audio was transcribed, interviews follow.

“If you could record yourself with your phone and then send me the audio via text or email i would greatly appreciate it! I am starting the work tonight, so anytime before 7 would be great! 440-667-0644, The idea is... Peo-ple who love what they do, nurture and inspire others to do what they love. In the audio re-cording, could you answer these two questions;

What do you do?

Who nurtures and inspires that practice?I would appreciate your help if you have a mo-ment. I wanted to reach out to people who in-spire my practice.”

Allan ChochinovAllison O’DanielsAntonio VelottaAriel CarsonKimberly VenableJess LangleyCarolina ZamoraSteve FalettiGabrielle KellnerJulia CalabreseKim Charles KayLisi RaskinNatalie BalthropWolfgang KahlerFred SherryLisa RamseyDavid KirshoffLauren GregoryIan CharnasDavid Krofta

Alison O’Daniel 12/14/2013 (recorded via ip-hone on her walk home)

Hey, Zena. This is Alison.

I’m an artist and a filmmaker and there are

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so many people who nurture my practice. I think I come from a long line of really amaz-ing female artist and film makers. I just saw a whole bunch of Agnes Varda films and they are incredible. In fact, after watching them I felt really sad for humanity that we just get all these films made by men in such a specific perspective. I don’t know, there’s just like so many really incredible artist and filmmakers:Yvonne Rainer, Lucrecia Martel, Claire De-nis, John Cassavetes, Paul Mazerski Oh man I could go on, and on and on.

I hope that’s helpful, it’s a small little handful. Hope you are doing well, Bye!

Allan Chochinov 11/11/13 (interviewed)

Z: Describe what you do.

A: I do several things, one of the things I do is I am the chair and co-founder of a new MFA program at the School of Visual Arts called Products of Design and it is a two year masters degree in design. Design artifacts, design mak-ing, design thinking. And then I am also the editor at large of Core77 which was actually the first online design community, founded in 1995, and still very large, very strong.

And them I’m a dad, I’m a husband, and I’m on the board of several organizations, and I like learning how to do things with my hands.

Z: Who inspires and nurtures your practice?

A: Well I learned pretty early on that I want-ed to teach for all sorts of reasons. But being around students (is) when I feel the best. So it seems really clear to me that being in a creative educational environment is the way to fuel my creativity, passion, and gratification. And so I love working with science students, and I love working with creative people. Its a two way

exchange but its very gratifying for me, that part, that direction.

Antonio Velatto 11/11/2013 (Audio recorded via iphone and sent)

Hello, my name is Antonio.

I am a hairdresser and who inspires me is my grandmother, because she is 81 years old and still hairdressing. I have a huge record to break. She’s amazing! Thank you.

Emilie Baltz 12/14/2013 (recorded via iphone and sent)

My Name is Emilie Baltz and I am a food designer.

I’m most inspired by the simplest of people around me. I do what I do probably because it’s half problem solving for myself to make sense of the world in which I live (but also) an attempt to make sense of the world for others. Try to make it more beautiful, a bit lighter, a little bit more joyful. And that’s why really and truly the people who inspire me the most to do what I do are just everyday humans. They’re not fancy, they’re not overly success-ful. I think they are the people who continue to live everyday and to continue to try and make their lives better one single step at a time.

Carolina Zamora 12/14/2013

Hi,

I am an educator and artist. I do what I do to share the joy that I get inhabiting the world of visual art. Students inspire me to question everything I know and ask. Together we shine new lights and share a desire to be creative.

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Pure Imagination,

Totally Hacked Possibility Pack (product, brand, & experience))

Adult directed play? We say, NO way!

The Totally Hacked Possibility Pack is a product that was designed by Clay Kip-pen and myself to protest the conventional toy landscape. Our company Pure Imag-ination, has stemmed from an investiga-tion into current play experiences, where a need was recognized for a new type of building platform. This brand embodies a cool, spirited, inquisitive, challenging and honest essence, one that adapts to the needs of open-ended play.

When prompted in their Product, Brand, & Experience class to design a tool for pro-test, Clay and I took the opportunity to challenge the idea of protest, and adapt their product for a younger audience. The Totally Hacked Possibility Pack, or THPP, addresses play that is dictated by adult designs, and toys that are not gen-der-neutral. When surveying toy stores, it was obvious that most of the activities designed for kids are prescriptive because they have one intended use. These types of

products, especially dress-up kits and role playing games do not give enough credit to the incredible imaginations of children, which already create worlds for them-selves. The THPP is a platform of inter-changeable objects, purpose-built for kids to use in any way they please. Clay and I promise to listen to their needs, and pro-vide toys that allow for the development and expansion of the imagination.

To promote qualities of free and creative play within their product, We have chosen materials such as velcro, spandex, wood, wool, and rope to supply textures and monochromatic color providing an hon-esty of materials and tactility. Diverging from the common polyethylene solution commonly used in toys, the THPP har-nesses the essence of the adventure play-ground movement, Montessori method, and the current studies by Stuart Brown and the National Institute of Play. There is a clear need for more toys to promote the navigation of space with others. Kids have the power to learn through making, and we believe that education and person-al development are important aspects of growing up.

Fig. 34 —Clay Kippen and Myself working on an adjacent project. Clay helped inform and execute the Totally Hack Possibility Pack.


Fig. 35 — A slide from a presentation deck. This slide indicates the problematic toy landscape which exist in today’s market.

Fig. 36 — The needs for the problematic toy landscape are stated clearly. These also double as goals and promises to our con-sumers.

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Fig. 37 — A slide making clear what our agenda and intentions are for this project.

Fig. 38— A brand pyramid for Pure Imagination.


Fig. 39 — Examples of the Adventure Playgrounds which inspired the Pure Imagination Brand and the Totally Hacked Possibility Pack Product.

Fig. 40 — Current on the market toys which set similar goals.

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Insight Into (collaboration

with Beam Cen-ter & Allen Riley)On Sunday March 30th, in collaboration with Beam Center, I presented the last workshop of two 6 week long programs. These programs extended further than 12 weeks from the internal view because of the organization, curation, and collab-oration prior to and preparatory work. It will extend afterwards as well to continue to nurture these relationships and sustain a partnership with our collaborators. The conceptualization was done in collabora-tion with a fellow artist Allen Riley and the execution was done in collaboration with 9 artists/engineers. These artists presented a topic they were interested in and explored it with the kids. The weekend workshops were titled “Insight Into _____!”; the art-ist filling in the blank with the activity or interest they are presenting and explor-ing with the group. The first 6 week pi-lot showcased one 3 hour workshop on a different subject each week. \The second round focused on three different design-er/artists’ practices. These ran between 2 and 3 weeks long. After the workshops were over, I followed up with the artists for feedback. They were emailed nine ques-tions about their experience. And asked to answer any or all they would like. In the following pages you will find the call for proposals which was sent out, the email requesting feedback, and some of their an-swers.

Workshop and their Leaders:

Insight Into Pixilation! - Ben KinsleyInsight Into Smart Materials! - Sibel Deren GulerInsight Into Semaphores! - Jessica Lang-ley Insight Into Bismuth! - Ian CharnasInsight Into Music Makey! - Jason SigelInsight Into Kinetics! - Tim MackenInsight Into Chocolate Bar Design! - Alli-son MilgromInsight Into Unleashing Design! - Tim Macken & Christina PerlaInsight Into Bag Design! - Kevin Yoo

Note: the call for proposal on the right shows dates only for February and March. Insight Into _____! start date was Dec. 2013 and continued through March 2014.

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Dec. 1stINSIGHT INTO Pixilation!Lead Learner: Ben Kinsley

“Pixilation” is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, becom-ing a kind of living stop-motion puppet. In INSIGHT INTO PIXILATION, we will look at a sampling of classic examples of Pixilation by leading animators, and (us-ing Improv game tactics) create our own collaborative animation. This animation will use props and the young creators si-multaneously as puppets, animators, and directors. IMovie will be explored and Dig-ital Cameras will be used, this is an exer-cise in creative use/reuse and imagination.

Bio: Ben Kinsley is an artist and educator. His videos and animations have show at venues such as the Ann Arbor Film Fes-tival, NEMO Film Festival (Paris) MMX Open Art Venue (Berlin), Show Cave (Los Angeles), and Artprojx Cinema (New York). He has taught courses in Electronic Media at Carnegie Mellon University and American University in Washington DC. This past summer he was a Domain Guest at Beam Camp where he led domains on Green Screen performance and Ping Pong.

Dec. 8thINSIGHT INTO Smart Materials!Lead Learner: Sibel Deren Guler

In this workshop, students will learn about smart materials and how they can be used to re‐invent everyday objects. Students will be introduced to an array of different state‐change materials and then design and create their own projects using tools and materials provided.Materials: String, Zipties, UV beads, hy-percolor fabric, fiber optic cable, scrap fab-ric and cardboard, LEDs, coincell batter-ies Tools: Scissors, Glue, Hot‐glue, Hole punch, needle+thread, markers

Bio: Deren Guler is the mind behind In-vent-abling. She is a maker, tinkerer, de-signer, and physicist. She has a master’s of Tangible Interaction Design from Carne-gie Mellon University and has worked on many educational and community-based projects. She leads workshop at museums, universities and other venues around the world. She is interested in combining dif-ferent materials, craft techniques, and computational methods to make accessi-ble tools. She created Invent-abling in at-tempt to fill the gap of low-tech toolkits for children, especially for young girls.


Dec. 15thINSIGHT INTO Semaphores!Lead Learner: Jessica Langley

“Semaphore” is a physical apparatus for visual signaling.Insight into Semaphores! is a collabora-tive project in communication and design. Using an abstract language of color and shape, participants will create a personal-ized lexicon/language of visual signals to be displayed at a distance in order to com-municate with passersby or fellow Beam participants. This workshop will be using hand sewing and the sewing machine to fabricate our semaphores!

Bio: Jessica Langley is an artist whose work draws from idealized nature pho-tography and Romantic landscape paint-ing, abstracting and obscuring images through a variety of processes and ap-proaches. She has exhibited national-ly and internationally at venues such as SPACES in Cleveland, Nathan Larra-mendy Gallery in Ojai, Denise Bibro Gal-lery in New York, Parse Gallery in New Orleans, Skaftfell Arts Center in Iceland, La Galería de Comercio in Mexico City, Kallio Kunsthalle Taidehalli in Helskinki, and Askeaton Contemporary Arts in Ire-land. Jessica earned her MFA from Vir-

ginia Commonwealth University in 2008 and was awarded a J. William Fulbright Grant for research in Iceland from 2008-2009. She is co-founder of Ortega y Gas-set Projects, a cooperative art space in Queens, NY.

Jan. 5thINSIGHT INTO Bismuth Crystals!Lead Learner: Ian Charnas

How would you like to use a blowtorch to melt metal, and turn the molten metal into amazing multi-colored crystals? Teams will collaborate just like in a real met-alsmith shop or materials science labora-tory. This workshop will explore the basic process of making Bismuth Crystals and basic techniques of jewelry making. Files, a blowtorch, and cardboard engineering will be tools we will use to talk about sci-ence and create together.

Bio:Ian Charnas graduated from Case in 2005 with B.S degrees in both computer and mechanical engineering. His work blends art and technology in creative-ly-themed exhibits and events, including theWorld’s Largest Twin Musical Tesla Coils, a Magical Mustache Mirror, and a Waterfall Swingset. Mr. Charnas and his work have been featured on Wired.

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com and Wired Magazine, NPR online, Popular Mechanics, IEEE Spectrum, Bo-ing-Boing, Make Magazine, PitchFork, Hack-a-Day, He aims to inspire creativity at think[box] and the belief that you can do anything.

Jan. 12thINSIGHT INTO Musical Instrument Design!Lead Learner: Jason Sigel

In this workshop, we’ll design an ensem-ble of musical instruments. Collaborative groups will sketch ideas on paper using con-ductive graphite. These groups will work together to define and create a variety of samples using a virtual MIDI instrument. A MaKey Makey tool (arduino-based mi-crocontroller) will also be introduced, to map these sounds from the computer to the physical world, allowing a glance into triggering sounds and completing circuits. At the end of the workshop, we will have an ensemble of prototypes, and will im-provise some truly original music!

Bio: Jason hosts radio at WFMU, where he also oversaw the Free Music Archive web-site until 2012. He is a master’s candidate at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and holds a BA in Computer Mu-

sic & Multimedia from Brown University. A sound designer and composer for the-ater productions, Jason is also a multi-in-strumentalist and member of three active bands.

Jan. 19thINSIGHT INTO Kinetics!Lead Learner: Tim Macken

“Kinetics” deals with the effects of forc-es upon the motions of materials bodies or with changes in a physical system.

Everyday we interact with objects, which require our motion. From wheels on a car taking us to school, to a handle on a door knob, down to the pen with one can take notes. Objects all around us move in order to help us accomplish our goals. In this workshop there is a ball which is still, but has movement dreams of its own. This ball wishes to travel from one small table to another located a short distance away, with obstacles in between. It is our job to get it there. Piece of cake, right? Using de-sign techniques we will imagine and pro-totype ways we will move this ball through the obstacles. This challenge will explore the world of kinetics. Lets make it happen!


There is a bucket placed 5 feet off the ground. In small groups, your job is to build a contraption that will make a ping pong ball successfully land inside the buck-et. The contraption that you build to com-plete this task must start under the height of 36 inches, and you may only trigger the contraption with a single action. Through this small challenge, we will explore the world of kinetics. To get a better under-standing of kinetic ideas, check out this music video by OKGO called “This too shall pass.” Lets make it happen!

Bio: Tim Macken is an industrial design-er currently attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2014. He is particularly pas-sionate about tackling design challenges and hopes to jump into design consulting after graduation.

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Fig. 41 — Insight Into Pixalation! with Ben Kinsley.


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Fig. 45 — Insight Into Smart Materials! with Sibel Deren Guler.



Fig. 47— Insight Into Smart Materials! with Sibel Deren Guler.


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Fig. 49 — Insight Into Semaphores! with Jessica Langley

Fig. 50 — Insight Into Semaphores1 with Jessica Langley

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Fig. 53 —Insight Into Bismuth! with Ian Charnas

Fig. 54 — Insight Into Bismuth! with Ian Charnas


Fig. 55 — Insight Into Bismuth! with Ian Charnas

Fig. 56 —Insight Into Bismuth! with Ian Charnas

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Fig. 57 — Insight Into Musical Instrument Design! with Jason Sigel

Fig. 58 — Insight Into Musical Instrument Design! with Jason Sigel


Fig. 59 — Insight Into Muscial Instrument Design! with Jason Sigel

Fig. 60 — Insight Into Muscial Instrument Design! with Jason Sigel

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Fig. 61 — Insight Into Kinetics! With Tim Macken


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Documentation System Map

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Science Dreams, Product Realities; A speculative story

She sits, she waits, they are aware of her block.

Green, yellow, turquoise.

It changes quickly. She struggles with what is in front of her. Her current state is not enough. Her ability to be flexible is lacking. She can’t find the answer. She needs help and it is visible.

Green, yellow, turquoise.

Someone approaches from behind. Short, young, alive. Alive in ways that she is lack-ing, and they know this. She recognizes the young boy from 3 weeks ago. The tur-quoise fades into pink and becomes irides-cent. She is comforted by the youth, en-couraging words are given but directions are minimal. The young boy motions for her to get up and follow. They walk down the aisle together. Many others are scat-tered throughout the spaces on their floor.

Some are working in groups in low chairs and others are sitting individually at their desks. The youth picks up a couple more of the older workers who are showing similar signs.

Green, yellow, turquoise. Green, yellow, turquoise.

Its visible they all need help. They walk to-gether down a long corridor. Some make small talk about their day. Others are quiet and withdrawn at the moment. The young boy has accumulated 15 and slow-ly approaches a door marked PTT with the group.

He motions for everyone to gather in an open space right outside the door. Olivia has been here before, the emblem on the door is familiar. The iridescence starts to sparkle. She looks back and she sees Kev-in, Cecilia, and Shawn, colleagues of hers. The rest are newbies, she notices that the pinks are showing signs of iridescence and the iridescence are sparkling collectively.

The young boy introduces himself infor-mally and PTT to the group, stating the benefits for having PTT in the office and how his duties relate to these new practices. He gives a rough back story on the found-er and some brief information about the room they are going to enter. Right before the sparkling group is led into the room he gives them instructions and a few rules.

They are to hang up their coats on the rack provided, there should be a suitable amount of hangers.

Science Dreams, Prod-uct Realities

(a speculative story)


There are no shoes to be worn in the space, if they must, shoes should be placed on their hands.Movement is important in keeping the music going. So they are encouraged to dance or they can find jump ropes on hooks placed on the north wall.They are to eat the cupcakes on the ta-ble in the far corner, as a treat for today’s PTT guests.They are told not to talk about work when in the PTT Room. And they are to try and enjoy their time there.

The group’s sparkles get brighter and brighter, and smiles start to erupt on their faces. The young boy opens the door and ushers everyone in. He smiles and says,”Welcome to Play Together Today” no go have some fun.

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Proto Personas

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Fig. 22 — Mark Kleback helps a camper understand circuitry in his Domain Bluetooth Boom Boxes. His other Domain at camp consisted of motion sensors for a photo booth. Mark teaches at Beam Center in Brooklyn, and also is a member of the collective artist run space Death By Audio.

Fig. 23 — Christian Gregory of Virginia Commonwealth University brought a studio in his car. Here you can see kids using oil based woodblock inks. Christian showed his domains how to make silk screens and wood blocks to print.

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Cybernetic Systems

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Saturday Art School & The Feral Educators

(social & project art practices)

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Research

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Research

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Books

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Books

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Books

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Interviews

“takes all these people to make the real world

happenx

Ian Charnas

Ian and I met during college in Cleveland Ohio. Ian went to school for Computer and Mechanical Engineering but spent a good amount of time at the Cleveland Art In-stitute.

Ian manages the Think Box, an invention cen-ter at Case Western Reserve., which provides public access to over a million dollars of high-end digital fabrication as well as traditional fabrication machines. Ian is also a contributer to a tesla coil project and the Rain Swing.


“it’s problematic to continue

institutions that are build and

need others to be in suffering”

xKim Charles Kay

Kim and I met in Portland Maine. Cour-taney Finn (then the Curator of Art In General and now the Curator of Aspen Museum of Art) introduced us.

Kim is the Co-founder of Motor Park, and on going project wit Lisi Raskin. She is also a painter and teaching artist at The Drawing Center and Socrates Sculpture Park. She works with all ages in learning environments.

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“It’s challenging because

teachers are not interested in

inquiry and the majority of them are not going to

change”x

James Bader

Jim and I were introduced through Ian Charnas.

Jim Bader is the executive director of the Leon-ard Gelfand STEM Center at Case Western Reserve University. In this capacity, he has overall strategic and operational responsibility for the Center’s staff, programs, and execution of its mission. hrough the work of the Center, he draws upon the expertise of faculty, staff, and students in the College of Arts and Sci-ences and the Case School of Engineering to design and implement exemplary and high im-pact precollege STEM initiatives that increase the number and diversity of students pursuing study in the STEM disciplines at Case Western Reserve University and elsewhere.

Interviews


“Professors are too well versed

to pass on knowledge...I

don’t want to loose the

ability to communicate.”

xChris Dickey

Chris and I were introduced through Ian Charnas.

Chris Dickey is a bio chemical engineer in undergraduate school at Case Western Reserve. He volunteers and mentors high school students for the First Robotic Com-petition.

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“Kids are often the conduit to which adults participate”

xPetrushka Bazin

Larsen

Petrushka and I were introduced through Courtaney Finn. They attended Califor-nia College of Art in San Fransisco togeth-er and both received a MA in Curatorial Practice.

Petrushka Bazin Larsen is an independent cu-rator and arts administrator committed to find-ing new ways of making art more accessible. At The Laundromat Project, she works with artists to present engaging art programs in un-conventional spaces like laundromats, libraries, sidewalks, and parks. As an independent cu-rator, Bazin Larsen has organized exhibitions at The Kitchen, NURTUREart, along New York City’s 14th Street for Art in Odd Places, among other venues.”

Interviews


“enter or disrupt didactic

education, codify it through

play”x

Emilie Baltz

Emilie Batlz and I met at the Pratt Insti-tute. I was working there and she was vis-iting an old instructor of hers. We then reconnected when I decided to pursue my Masters Degree at SVA Products of De-sign.

Emilie teaches at Products of Design and the Pratt Institute. She currently is designing and facilitating creative workshops on sensory tech-nology between designers, technologists and cultural influences for MUZSE, a partnership between Intel and Milk Studios that promotes the development of content and relationships at the intersection of fashion, technology and cul-ture.

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“create a culture where kids care about

opportunity and they take it”

xBrian Cohen

In the second semester Spring 2013, Brian Cohen gave a talk at SVA Products of De-sign about Beam Camp. Since that day Brian and I have been in collaboration with Beam Camp and Beam Center.

Brian spent 18 years as a marketing execu-tive in the music industry. In 2004, he left his role as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Elektra Records to pursue his dream of start-ing a summer camp. Inspired by his formative camp experiences at Lighthouse Arts and Mu-sic Camp in Pine Grove, PA, he started Beam Camp with Danny Kahn.

Interviews


During the IDEO “Creative Confidence” book launch Q & A, Erica asked a questionwhich had been on my mind throughout the panel. I had the pleasure of interview-ing Erica.

Erica Kohl-Arenas is an Assistant Professor at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy and is the first recipient of The New School award in Outstanding Achievements in Diversity and Social Justice Teaching. She earned her PhD from the Social and Cultural Studies in Edu-cation program at the University of California, Berkeley (2010), an MS in Community De-velopment from the University of California, Davis (1999), and a BA in Sociology from Reed College (1991).

“to be human is to create an act upon the world”

xErica Kohl-

Arenas

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“it’s problematic to continue

institutions that are build and

need others to be in suffering”

x

Kyla Fullenwider lead a class in the Prod-ucts of Design Department which centered on Social Innovation.

Kyla Fullenwider is a social designer, educa-tor, and entrepreneur who works to improve the quality of life of communities.She has designed and implemented other pro-grams and initiatives with the City of New York, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Baltimore, the Cooper Hewitt Design Muse-um, UCLA, Etsy, GOOD, and the Legacy Foundation among others. A former Fellow in Social Design at the Maryland Institute Col-lege of Art, her work has been featured in the NY Times, LA Times, NY Magazine, and Fast Company and in case studies authored by the Harvard School of Business and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Her writing has been

Interviewspublished by Metropolis Magazine, Next City, GOOD Magazine, and Outpost Journal, among others. Kyla speaks and has lectured at schools and institutions including the Smithso-nian American Art Museum, Columbia Uni-versity, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Ashoka Future Forum.


Manuel lead a workshops at Products of Design Department in partnership with the Camden Coalition. I worked with Manuel on this project.

As the CEO of Zago, Manuel Toscano helps his clients bridge business and design by com-bining an expertise in innovation with compel-ling visual storytelling. In 1996 he joined New York design firm Zago. Under his leadership the studio broadened its scope of services, le-veraging design, visual media, and digital in-novation to reach target audiences and foster environmental, cultural, and social change. Zago’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, international nonprofits, start-ups and glob-al brands. In addition to his role at Zago, he served in the communications advisory board at Human Rights Watch, on the board of the

photo agency VII, and as National Director of Social Engagement for Design for Good at the AIGA. He is currently an Advisory Board Member of MindLab, a Danish cross-govern-mental innovation unit which involves citizens and businesses in developing new solutions for society. He is a faculty member in the Products of Design masters program at SVA.

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Jaimie and I were introduced through Thu Tran. Her projects are endlessly inspira-tional and can be found later in this texts.

Jaimie Warren is a photographer and perfor-mance artist living in Kansas City, MO and Brooklyn, NY. She is the recipient of the 2014 Baum Award for an Emerging American Pho-tographer, and has had a solo artist mono-graph published by Aperture. She has exhibited solo projects at The Hole and Higher Pictures (NYC), the Kemper Museum (Kansas City, MO) and the Miami Dade College Museum of Art (Miami, FL). Her work has been fea-tured in numerous publications including the New York Times, i-D, the Huffington Post, New York Magazine, Paper, and Dazed & Confused. Warren is a recipient of the Lighton International Artist Exchange Program grant,

Interviewsthe Rocket Projects grant funded by the Char-lotte Street Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and a United States Presidential Scholars Program Teacher Recognition Award.

Warren is Co-Creator/Co-Director of the faux public access television show “Whoop Dee Doo”. Whoop Dee Doo is a traveling, artist-led project that creates ambitious installations and live performances internationally, generally through universities, festivals, arts organiza-tions, and museums. Our programming heav-ily engages the immediate community of the organizations with which we partner, and we work closely with underserved youth groups to research, conceive and create our projects. Our process emphasizes collaboration, encourag-es respect for diversity, and seeks to initiate a cross-generational and cross-cultural dialogue.

Whoop Dee Doo has created commissioned projects and events for organizations including the Smart Museum (Chicago), Deitch Projects (New York), The Kemper Museum for Con-temporary Art (Kansas City), Loyal Gallery (Sweden), the Time-Based Arts Festival/Port-land Institute of Contemporary Art (Portland, OR), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Philadelphia, PA), Luminaria (San Anto-nio, TX), City Arts/Maryland Institute Col-lege of Art (Baltimore, MD), POP Montreal and DHC Contemporary Art (Montreal), and Miami Dade College and LegalArt (Miami, FL).


Notes regarding phone meeting with Mat-thew Manos of Very Nice on Feb 7th at 4pm:

I reached out to Matt because of his com-pany Very Nice, a for profit design consul-tancy which uses a business model which allows them to dedicate 50% of their ef-forts to pro bono design. He has just re-leased a book called How to Give Half of your Work Away for Free. This book gives access to the business structures his com-pany uses to sustain the pro bono model. I was very excited to meet Matt a couple of weeks ago at the Center for Social Inno-vation. We spoke about a variety of topics from the release of his book, to the histo-ry of philanthropy and its roots in upper

middle class women’s lives. I was eager to speak with him again to explore ways this could apply to non profit arts organiza-tions working with kids and artists, and their networks. This phone call lasted ap-proximately 30 mins because both Matt and myself were on time constraints. I had prepared a couple of questions to ask with-in this time frame.

I asked Matt to explain the office dynam-ics at Very Nice, and what internal bureau-cracy there is, if any. The current office is all managerial positions, which include 7 people. The space accommodates those 7 comfortably and being a young company, everyone is content. The managing of all production is done in house, hence every-one in house being managerial. They have 1 large pool of resources & employees and the projects are split into 2 buckets. One of the buckets is for profit and the other is pro-bono work. The large pool of employ-ees change roles and some serve as vol-unteers on one project but are paid while working on another.

Dynamics change depending the type of work, paid or volunteer. When it comes to project time lines, incentives, and own-ership/flexibility the paid and volunteer work is managed differently. Matt and I discussed these differences and why they are applied to these different buckets. The paid dynamic is very simple, someone is hired specifically for a task, there is a firm timeline and requirements are met. When speaking about volunteers incentives and reciprocity starts to get more complicated. This I find extremely interesting. When doing work for free, or when exchanging alternative currency such as social capital, there is an exchange, but how is this moni-tored, what is the feedback and how do we know its working? Matt and I explored this

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through the model they use at Very Nice. In order for volunteers to work they have to be given some flexibility, the volunteer has to stay engaged and a way to accomplish this is making them part of the process of managing their time.

The volunteer experience has to be a posi-tive one for the individual or group to want to participate and continue to work in this manner again. Continuing to keep a gen-uine excitement is also important. What i didn’t ask but comes to mind, is identify-ing those physical or non physical touch points. These could be emails, phone calls, contracts, forms, or other ways to engage a contract. I also wonder what are ways that excitement is carried. Skype meet-ings, availability to chat through difficul-ties one might be having on a project, or a certificate for a job well done. Do people earn points, or is it invisible and if it is in-visible does the accumulation only happen by the individual for the individual? I did not take away a feeling of competitive or gamifying this system from Matt, but be-lieve that Very Nice is drawing from the Purpose Economy; people who are trying to place meaning in their lives through putting meaning into their work.

We discussed where the majority of his cli-ents fell in terms of subject area and mis-sion and specifically who Very Nice works with in the social sector. I was very sur-prised to learn that Very Nice works with Public policy, Health Initiatives, and Hu-man Rights organizations, but is a small percentage of their business. And that very rarely do they work with Non profit art sector organizations. When inquiring deeper into why this is so, Matt told me these places exist on alternative structures already an are well versed in working within these constraints.

The biggest takeaway from this conver-sations is that non profit art spaces may have created the alternative structure of business and thrive on them current-ly. This hypothesis makes sense, because of the constraints that a non profit is up against in monetary currency, that they would work to find alternative ways to do business. This in turn would allow them to continue to create and maintain value in the work outside of a market that de-pends on monetary capital. This value is not monetary but contributes to the com-munity within and its outlying boundar-ies. I realized through this system, that my perspective in the dose i was ready to in-tervene, may not be what is needed. It also made me consider that others maybe need my perspective much more. I concluded that I still want to work in this space, and will look at the problem area from a dif-ferent angle so that my involvement is a “new” contribution.

Matt is a neo-philanthropist, creative director, and author that is dedicated to disrupting the economic models of service-oriented business. Matthew began his freelance design career at the age of 16, which is the same year he took on his first pro-bono client, and launched his first company. Three years later, he found-ed verynice, a global design and innovation consultancy that dedicates over 50% of its efforts toward free services for non-profit or-ganizations. Matthew has helped build 350+ brands in every sector and industry across the globe, and his studio works with a diverse cli-entele that range from Fortune 500 compa-nies to small local shops. As of 2013, veryn-ice has also provided over $1,000,000 worth of pro-bono design and consulting services in 40+ countries spanning 6 continents to bene-fit 250+ organizations thanks to a volunteer staff of 275+ practioners located around the


world. Now with offices in Los Angeles and New York, the company is on track to donate the equivalent of over $10,000,000 worth of pro-bono services by 2020. Notable clients of verynice have included UNICEF, NASA, MTV Networks, NRDC, Edison Internation-al, Facebook, Kaiser Permanente, and Disney Imagineering.

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“bridge your language gap and show your

impact”x

Sarah Lidgus

Sarah co taught, Design Research and In-tegration with Ingrid Fetell, a class spon-sored by ebay and IDEO.

Sarah Lidgus is a writer and strategist from IDEO’s New York studio. Whether it’s print, audio, or film, storytelling has always been core to Sarah’s professional work and personal explorations. Sarah has worked in industries spanning from fashion to financial services, and has crafted stories in collaboration with American Express, Eileen Fisher, and Harvard Business Digital. Since joining IDEO in 2007, Sarah has earned two IDSA awards and her work has been featured in publications like The Boston Globe, Fast Company, and The New York Times.

Interviews


“Institutions loose flexibility”

xCarolina Zamora

Carolina and I met during my tenure at the Pratt Institute teaching ceramics. She was a undergraduate sculpture ma-jor. Through this process Carolina has been an immensely helpful and supportive friend and mentor. I asked Carolina to be an unofficial thesis advisor. Her expertise is in experiential learning environments.

Carolina is the Education Coordinator for the Learning Through Art program at the Guggenheim Museum. In the photo above she is in special training for “The Touchy Subject” lead by contemporary artist, Car-men Papalia. Carolina is also a founding member and curator for the Poetry Club space in Brooklyn, New York. She is an artist, educator, and life long learner.

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Inspirations

Whoop Dee Doo Projects

Text which follows is taken from Whoop Dee Doo’s Website;

http://whoopdeedoo.tv/education/art-ist-statement/

Whoop Dee Doo projects are directly reflective of the specific social, financial, and cultural en-vironments within which we are working. As artists, our approach is to understand the con-straints, limitations, and opportunities within our project environment and allow theses con-straints to serve in the conception and creative development of the final project and perfor-mance.

Site – Specific Installation

For a recent project titled Frigerator Follies (sic) at the University of Cincinnati in 2013, our exhibition space was a four hundred-seat

auditorium with stadium seating. When creat-ing the floor plan of the installation, one of our objectives was to subvert the original or intend-ed use of the space. Our goal was to undermine the implicit authority of the presenter’s podi-um as well as transform the space beyond its commonplace use in hopes to disorient students and faculty who regularly use the space for its designed purpose.

Theme

When we begin a project, often one of the first creative decisions we make is to set a theme for the show. Whoop Dee Doo themes have varied from simply “Anatomy” or “Water” to the more complex, like our 2012 “Science and Royalty” themed show at Gallery CA in Bal-timore, MD. In our process, setting a theme creates a common ground for the individuals, artists, and performers to connect and collab-orate within. In a recent example, our theme for our project titled Frigerator Follies in Cin-cinnati was “Landscape”. Within the audito-rium, we created both an interior space and an exterior landscape. The stadium seating was used to create the illusion of depth you might associate with landscape painting. We created scenery and props that varied in scale, placing the smaller ones toward the rear of the audi-torium. From a specific vantage point in the center of the auditorium’s stage, also the typ-ical position of presenter’s podium, when one looked “out” at the stadium seating an illusion of great depth was created using simple princi-ples of linear and atmospheric perspective.

Materials

We aim to use common basic materials in inno-vative, unique, and unexpected ways. As with all the creative components of a Whoop Dee Doo production, our vision is to be resource-ful and to create art without discrimination. We aim to use these recognizable materials

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and approachable processes so that artists and non-artist alike, of all ages, can participate in the creative process. We pride ourselves in the multi-media effects we are able to achieve through this experimental transformation of common materials.

Collaboration

Full production of a Whoop Dee Doo instal-lation and performance requires the talents of many artists and volunteers. We consider the experience of everyone working on a specif-ic project and allow their interests, ideas, and personality to influence the details of the show. During pre-production we aim to highlight and utilize the strengths of every individual working on the project and then allow the in-stallation and script to change and be refined in the moment throughout production. Over-all, a Whoop Dee Doo installation is a lead by directors who thoughtfully match the skills and interests of a multitude of artists with varying degrees of skill to create cohesive and thoughtful sets, props and costumes.

The environments and collaborations we create are catered to each situation to match the needs of the organization we work with, the artists we bring to lead the structure of the process, the youth we teach and create with, the com-munity and performers who alter and enhance our artistic decisions, and the audience that participates in the final production. It is a col-laboration to the fullest extent of our abilities, which is what makes the experience so strange, so unique, and so exceptional.

Performance

Whoop Dee Doo artists and our college students or youth groups research performers within the local communities of where we are traveling to, sometimes up to six months in advance. This practice gives us a greater sense of the commu-

nity, cultivates ideas for potential collabora-tions, and ideally sheds new light on the di-versity of their immediate community. Whoop Dee Doo’s projects range in scale and levels of collaboration with and between performers. There are two basic structures we have been following, which are tailored more specifically upon our arrival.

Our first form of performance is a full variety show, which focuses on presenting as wide and diverse of an array of performers as possible, paired with skits, contests and dancing. With this structure, the audience plays a large role in the outcome and content of the live show, and our youth group focuses more on the concep-tualization and creation of our installations. These surreal environments create an equal playing field, as the community participants are immersed in an eccentric and unfamiliar, yet welcoming and vibrant setting. They are sharing a community experience and fully engrossed in a high-energy variety show fea-turing wild amalgamations such as American Indian ceremonial dancing, vegetable-eating contests, live faux amputations, R&B singers, clogging troupes, UFO lectures, and moulage demos by the National Guard followed by dis-co dancing competitions, or other similarly bi-zarre and unique experiences.

A more involved and direct collaboration is structured with one or more performance group and a youth workshop group. The goal is to bring together all participants in a more pro-longed and intimate collaboration that signifi-cantly but respectfully alters the standard ap-proach of the performers. This process includes presentations from the performance group/s providing historical and cultural context to their work. Whoop Dee Doo and the youth group work with the performers to make deci-sions on costuming, tone, and setting that cre-ate a new context for the performance as well as providing a new audience.


Conclusion

Upon completion of a Whoop Dee Doo pro-duction, our collaborators and audience leave the show having witnessed and/or participated in a diverse exhibition of visual art and perfor-mance created and executed entirely without pretention. Through our projects, Whoop Dee Doo is creating successful community and con-temporary art that truly engages and is mean-ingful to the populations in which we work, and is simultaneously on par with successful and challenging contemporary art. Whoop Dee Doo strives to breaks down stereotypes and barriers between age, gender, culture and sub-culture, and to form and foster unique col-laborations between unlikely pairings of com-munity members, which ultimately blossom into exceptional and meaningful interactions.

This chaotic mix creates an unexpected and endearing experience that invites a cross-gen-erational and cross-cultural dialogue.

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Inspirations

The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that uses design and art to improve civic engagement. CUP projects demystify the urban policy and planning is-sues that impact our communities, so that more individuals can better participate in shaping them.

We believe that increasing understanding of how these systems work is the first step to better and more diverse community participation.

CUP projects are collaborations of art and de-sign professionals, community-based advocates

and policymakers, and our staff. Together we take on complex issues—from the juvenile jus-tice system to zoning law to food access—and break them down into simple, accessible, visual explanations.

The tools we create are used by organizers and educators all over New York City and beyond to help their constituents better advocate for their own community needs.


Fig. 65 — Center For Urban Pedagogy’s Staff.

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The Laundromat Project believes art, culture, and engaged imaginations can change the way people see their world, open them up to new ideas, and connect them with their neighbors. When artists have the opportunity to build and contribute their unique skills and perspectives to the needs of their neighborhoods, they can be invaluable assets in furthering community wellbeing. When the skills and strategies for igniting creativity are made broadly available to everyday people and purposefully applied as tools for visioning a new and better world, these can be powerful forces for positive, transforma-tive change. We know we have been successful when, over time, our neighbors—artists and everyday people, newcomers and old-timers, individually and collectively—become more involved in the civic and cultural affairs of their communities, feel more deeply connected to the places and people where they live and work, and bring a sense of creativity to com-munity concerns.

Inspirations

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“When doing art in Public Space, there is nothing more beautiful and more

persuasive than to proceed from Art as Art. And by insisting on the notion of

Art, doors are open for the other, open to encounter what the other does not know and does not want. Precisely because Art

can achieve something which one does not want. This is what is unique about art, and philosophy. Therefore I do not distinguish

between a person who could be a ‘receptive participant’ and the person ‘hanging around’. Not making a difference can

only be justified in regard to the principle of Equality – which demands making no

difference in regard to all differences. It is not always easy to insist upon

this, but if I resolutely keep to it, this assertion can lead to miraculous and

enchanting moments, which - to me - are the most sublime and beautiful moments in

my work.”


xThomas Hirschorn

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In the summer and fall of 2013 an artist/practitioner’s created a work in a public space produced by the Dia Art Founda-tion. Thomas Hirschhorn created a mon-ument to Antonio Gramsci, a Marxist Theorist at the Forest Housing Projects in the Bronx. The duration of this proj-ect on site was from July 1st to September 15th and open everyday. In the center of the Forest Houses a daily schedule was held including; children’s class, newspaper highlighting one tenant a day, a radio sta-tion, lectures, and workshops. Weekly pro-graming consisted of theater, events, field trips, and open microphone. Hirschhorn invited and offered lectures on Gramsci himself by philosophers from around the world. The piece which involved public

Inspirationsspace and the collaboration of residents, questioned and confronted the ideas of authorship. Hirschhorn called it a project of “presences and production”, he referred to this as a rejection of the term “partici-patory artwork” and used this to describe his physical impression on the site. His daily physical presence created a “noble task” for him to claim responsibility for the piece and the impact it has on the res-idents. This is a nice sentiment. It tells us, that the work Hirschhorn is pursuing is of a serious nature. He understand the temporality the work brings, along having the awareness to question and address the impact it has on the residents.

“Such an important decision can only be made after a long process of fieldwork, it cannot be made by an institution or an administration, its’ an artistic decision and such, has to be out of of a process, this process is fieldwork.”

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State of the ArtProject

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Transforming Local


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Transforming Local




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State of the ArtProject

Revisiting prior research and experience I knew the essence of the work could be turned into an actionable design interven-tion. The essence was clear; craft in rela-tionships and craft in making together. In the previous months of this thesis it was materializing into a service which helped artist connect to organizations working with kids. This service was provided to make the barrier of entry easier for these opportunities, and allow for more access. I found difficulty defining the term artist and practitioner even when introducing a lexicon. It appeared that my net was cast too broadly. The essence needed a problem to sit on. A problem which would create a context to start the design process over again. This context came after a series of meetings and rediscovered research.

In January I skyped with John Thackara. We looked over my work. He confirmed the assumption myself and others had. The email is included in this book, as it made clear that I needed to find an individual or a group to partner with, something real and happening now. That same month, I volunteered to help with an Arts N Parts event. This event was also a chance to

discuss my thesis. I created conversation cards to get a better handle on attendee’s. These cards ask questions about motives

Fig. 65 — Conversation cards above at Active Activities, an event hosted by Arts in Parts.

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Fig. 66 — A contract

Fig.67 — Arts in Pars in action located in Rockaway Beach, New York.


and understanding in learning environ-ments. Heather Kramer and Ceci de Cor-ral live and work running a project in the Rockaways called Arts N Parts. Arts N Parts is a summer camp and after school program which promotes creating com-munity. During this event, I met Andrew Field. Andrew and I had a conversation in regards to his capacity to hire teens. An-

drew is the owner and operator of Rocka-way Taco. This moment excited me, and I was interested in learning more about the role an employer (mentor) could play in a teens development and on a community. Testimonials and first hand experiences are very powerful. In the following weeks, I tried to get in touch with Andrew to fol-low up, and did so successfully but only for another chat. I videoed an interview with Andrew where he described the impact working with local teens had on his taco shack and on him. Shortly after meeting with Andrew, I was sitting at my local cof-fee shop reading the New York Times. I encountered an article on the front page which spoke about minimum wage work-ers. Personal stories were told, along with alarming statistics. These numbers in-cluded the average age of the minimum wage worker, along with education histo-ry. This problem is a cause for huge con-cern for our economy. It was the problem i

Fig. 70 — Andrew Field, owner and operator of Rockaway taco.

Fig. 68 — Rockaway Taco during an Arts in Parts Benefit.

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Fig. 71 —Center for Economic Policy Research, http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/FullReport.pdfThe New York Times, Greenhouse, Steven. “Low-Wage Workers Are Finding Poverty Harder to Escape.” The New York Times 18 Mar. 2014, Economy sec.: n. pag. New York Times. 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

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and allows for real world application of a trade. This has the potential for the teen to understand themselves as a team mem-ber and understand a larger context. The apprenticeship model celebrates choice, anatomy, and collaboration.

The Research

Apprenticeship models are not new inno-vations. They have history, and in places like Germany are widely used. An article published in the Wall Street Journal asks why apprenticeship models are in decline, if they aid in closing the skill gap? It sites that “apprenticeship model helps us show people there’s a career path.” According to The U.S. Department of Labor, and Ger-man Federal Statistics Office, the United States has 285,041 apprentices to Germa-ny’s 1,423,000. Brad Neese, the director of Apprenticeship Carolina, a program of South Carolina Technical College System reports, “employers are seeing a real lack of applicability in terms of skill level from college graduates.” And according to the Labor Department, formal programs that combine on-the-job learning with mentor-ships and classroom education fell 40% in the U.S. between 2003 and 2013.74 Why is 74 Webber, Lauren. “Apprenticeships Help Close the Skills

this happening? And what are programs in New York City area which are leading Teenagers to these opportunities?

The investigation lead to a population of students called Over Aged and Under Credited Youth. These were students who are currently enrolled in a Transfer School in New York City. The students as catego-rized were over the age of the typical high school student yet under credited. They range in ages 15 to 19. Many are behind in credits and some have dropped out be-cause of personal circumstances, but had persevered and enrolled themselves back in school to get a degree. Transfer Schools have personalized small classroom settings and help students with college and career options. They are full time highs schools which designed to re-engage students who have dropped out or fallen behind. They offer support in areas of academics, coun-seling, college preparation, job and career

Gap. So Why Are They in Decline?” The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303978304579473501943642612>.

Fig. 71 — Source: Department of Labor, German Feral Statis-tics Office, World Bank

“It’s a great model for

transferring skills from one

generation to the next”

xJohn Ladd


development, and paid internships. There are sixteen transfer schools in Brooklyn and forty eight across the five boroughs. Included for reference in this text is a list of these transfer schools in the five boroughs. Another opportunity for aged and under credited youth to finish or catch in high school are through YABCs or Young Adult Borough Centers. These differ as they ac-commodate late afternoon and evening programs. They are designed to serve the older population of this group, ones who are in their fifth year of high school. These students might be on the verge of dropping out because they are behind or have oth-er responsibilities that make attendance during daytime hours difficult. These stu-dents are usually between the ages of 17-21. There are nine located in Brooklyn and twenty three total in the five boroughs. In this text there is also a list of these organi-zation for reference.

Both of these programs engage in the Learning to Work initiative from the DOE. This is lead through YABCs and transfer schools for youth to develop skills to graduate high school and find employ-ment. The program is for the teens to expand their knowledge of careers and also secure themselves with paid intern-ships. When participating in the LTW programs, teens are able to receive sup-port and counseling, college preparation such as fairs and workshops, and career development. The programs are ran by individuals in the schools and YABCs who monitor and continue to keep in contact with the placement of the internships and the process. The internships are paid, as the DOE helps subsidy the wage. I have included the requirement and assessment sheet for more in depth information of this program and what it aims to achieve.

I turned to Tom Pendleton of New York City’s Department of Education. Tom is The Deputy Executive Director of Career and Work Readiness Office of Postsecond-ary. He is primarily in charge of intern-ship programs, like ones described above. It was great to speak with him, and hear what he had to say about the future of the DOE’s involvement. Apparently the Obama Administration had just given a 4 million dollar grant to New Yorks De-partment of Education to be used in pre-paring kids for the jobs of tomorrow. Tom was very open about his career and the work being doing in his department. He was also very knowledgeable about on the ground happenings, and where the weak links in the system could be. Coordinators work with 50 or so teens, and providing support and infrastructure for that many people can be taxing. The weight of this can cause for quick burnout or if it becomes to much and there aren’t others involved it can collapse. He was interested in under-standing why i was pushing for physical making based practices and invited me to continue the conversation. Something

“Coordinators of these programs

at highschools do not have enough

support or infrastructure”

xTom Pendleton

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which became apparent through the con-versation with Tom and Sonia, was that most of the internships were in sectors of policy and healthcare, placing students in offices. Very few partnered with local practitioners who focus on a craft.

Also researched, was the way the New York State supports vocation and learn to earn models. It was important to un-derstand all funding and aide available to local businesses. Gathering this in-formation would make a compelling case when approaching one to offer services. The NY Labor Youth-works is a program run through New York State for Teens and Businesses. If enrolled a business can earn up to 4,000 dollars a tax credit for every teen employed. The state will also pay a minimum wage hourly to the teen for com-pensation. There are requirements and a mandatory application and registration of the business. Facts sheets for both busi-nesses and teens are included for reference.

Next came conversations with two Co-ordinators of internship programs. One worked within the transfer schools sys-tem and one outside. Sonia Phelps was contacted via a cold call to Brownsville Academy High School. Speaking with her briefly, she outlined the responsibili-ties it took to keep students engaged and in attendance. Most of the businesses she worked with to form internship programs were local, but some were supplied by con-nections from the LTW programs. Her position as a Counselor gave good insight into the heavy lifting on the schools part to create and sustain these partnerships for the teens. Their partnerships reflected what Tom Pendleton had said and were mostly banks, hospitals, colleges, policy offices, and other administrative occupa-tions. Again, local craft based businesses

“for every 25 business I

contact, about 1 replies”

xScott Jackson

were omitted from their official list, but So-nia did say that there was a beauty shop in the neighborhood which participated in their program. The next contact came through Brian Cohen of Beam Center. He directed me to the Brooklyn Internation-al High School, as they work with kids from this school. Brooklyn International is not a transfer school or a YABC, and their population is immigrant based, with most kids not speaking English when they are enrolled. Here Scott Jackson was im-mensely helpful in helping to understand the dynamic of being a teacher and also organizing other programs.

What was needed was closer to the ground understanding and an in depth interview with someone who could lend their per-


sonal experience. I was connected to Scott Jackson of Brooklyn International High School by Brian Cohen. Scott is a teacher but also fulfills the role of a “Growth Team Member”. The Growth Team matches their students with appropriate intern-ships. He confirmed an assumption, that most of the heavy lifting was done on the schools side. That the process of recruit-ing, prepping, and acclimating businesses was complex work. Scott confessed that it was hard as well, “for every 25 businesses I contact about 1 replies.” This is on top of coordinating 30 or so students to work in these businesses. A total of 5 members are on the Growth Team and all teach full time at Brooklyn International. It is clear that the infrastructure which handle these programs come within, but are also extremely fragile. They simply need help to grow their programs.

But when growing programs that are cen-tered on human beings’ development, it is important to understand that goals of scale and scope should not be efficiency. Effectiveness is not always efficient, and we are not building a machine. It is im-portant to remember that the arrows and words in the diagrams in this chapters are people, dynamic systems made of people. And because this, we need to treat these relationships with care. These people need support and teens need mentorship. It be-came apparent that internships are not apprenticeships and sometimes lack the seriousness of what a mentorship can ac-complish. A book by Paul Tough called, How Children Succeed shares the the-ory of attachment and how mentorship can change children’s lives. In the 60’s a psychologist named Ainworth invented a method which aimed to measure a child’s emotional capacities. It was called the Strange Situation. This situation set up

a separation between toddlers and their parents. It observed the way attachment was made and categorized the different types of attachment a child may have to a parent. The results of the child’s re-sponse directly correlated to the parents degree of responsiveness in the first year of the infants life. In 1972 this experiment was taken a step farther and became a 30 year long study of 267 families from the Minneapolis area, all low income mothers and their children. The two researchers Byron Egeland and Alan Sourfe co au-thored a book in 2005, The Development of the Person, which shared their findings and became a full evaluation of long last-ing effect of early parental relations on a child’s development. The study concluded that positive attachment in a child’s life in the first two years can make a world of dif-ference in every aspect of their lives from anxiety, to forming proper relationships in the future. These kids were also more cu-rious, had self confidence, and were better able to deal with setbacks. The ones with negative attachments spent less time with their peers, more time with counselors, and more time alone.

The question was asked if one can turn kids around from this type of behavior. The older one gets the consequences for their actions build. Teenage years are dif-ficult for many of us, but growing up in adversity, your teenage years can mark an ugly turning point towards bad behav-ior/choices which can yield horrible results. Can bad attachments during childhood be overridden and positive ones made to change the path in life? Chicago‘s schools believe so. YAP is involved with the city’s ultra high risk teenagers. Youth Advocate Programs is a nonprofit organization ex-clusively committed to the provision of community based alternatives to out of

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home care through direct services. They are committed to “the creation of substi-tute or supplemental family structures for children who don’t have them.”75 Tough goes on to highlight cases where YAP has succeeded with teens. It is a journey which requires patience, perseverance, and persistence from all parties. But the outcomes can be extremely powerful and positive. They have found that programs can be quite effective later on in childhood as well, “Pure IQ is stubbornly resistant

75 Tough, Paul. “How to Fail (And How to Not To).” How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 43. Print.

to improvement after about age eight. But executive functions and the ability to han-dle stress and manage strong emotions can be improved, sometimes dramatical-ly, well into adolescence and even adult-hood.” YAP believes that “teenagers also have the ability - or at least the potential - to rethink and remake their lives in a way that younger children do not.”76 Creating environments which help build positive relationships and behaviors outside the classroom are a positive addition to the classroom. Mentorship is also a key com-ponent in this infrastructure. A Friday af-ternoon in April, I attended a mentorship workshop at the Mentoring Partnership of New York Foundation. I have included a handout from this workshop. There I was joined by many of the Big Brother and Big Sister caseworkers. It proved to be a very informative experience on understanding proper protocols and appropriate closure procedures. This is Social Work.

The Opportunity

Claire Hartten my thesis advisor listened

76 Tough, Paul. “How to Fail (And How to Not To).” How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 48. Print.

“executive functions and the ability to

handle stress and manage strong emotions can be improved, sometimes

dramatically, well into adolescence

and even adulthood”

xPaul Tough

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to this direction, and with it had some rec-ommendations. She knew someone who had tried to recruit and execute a program at his local business. It had failed. She made the connection, and introduced us. Zachary Golper, along with his wife, own and operate Bien Cuit Bakery in Cobble Hill. It is situated on a busy street near downtown Brooklyn Bien Cuit special-izes in a craft of making artisanal baked goods with heirloom grains. Bien Cuit was featured in an April Dining Issue of the New York Times which was called the “The Bread Issue”. The article highlight-ed Bien Cuit and other Bakeries for their dedication to quality and craft. During our first meeting Zachary and i connect-ed and agreed upon the transformation a hands on process can lend. He believe that “hands on making lends a sense of involvement that no other experience can”. Zachary and his wife stand behind the no-

tion of making local business a hub for dy-namic cultural experiences and a place of sustainable training for alternate learning environments. Zachary and I decided to work together to investigate the failed pi-lot, and move forward to create and launch a successful apprenticeship program. We met and he spoke about the process he had envisioned and why he thought it had failed. We spoke about where he sees it going next. I took notes and made maps for him to understand. State of the Art Project at its final iteration formed. It was currently dedicated to understanding the ecosystem and building an apprenticeship model infrastructure for a business, specif-ically Bien Cuit. Second and third meet-ings were scheduled. I then unleashed a 40 page packet of information regarding building a peer support network/potential partners, effective mentorship strategies, funding models (included paperwork),

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workshop schedules, building curriculum and additional information including ap-propriate time-lines. We spoke about the specific problem sets that Zachary faces in this endeavor, such as abundance of baked goods from the workshops, capacity for growth, what could be handled with their current staff, and possible peer support networks. In the following pages diagrams will illustrate the process and partners in-volved. There is also a curriculum which Zachary decided upon. The 2nd improved pilot will launch in late October to early November with 3 teens from the local high school. Bien Cuit has partnered with State of the Art Project, Family Cook Produc-tions, and Matt Frankel a culinary teach-er from the local high school. Through this project and others, we are excited to build and nurture community commitment and communication to further engagement and empowerment of teens.

It is also apparent that if Bien Cuit, Rock-away Taco, and Caracas are interested in hiring teens, there are more. This audience sees their jobs as very intimate; they live with their work and their work lives with them. Through conversation, it was obvi-ous these business owners knew that they

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have responsibilities to a larger communi-ty to help create pathways for others. To give back to the community by sharing their craft.

State of the Art Project is a consultancy. One which uses knowledge, support, and connection to build and launch appren-ticeship programs in process and making businesses. The goal is to work with a di-versity of local process making business to leverage their networks to build and sustain community through teen devel-opment. A consultancy based model felt right because a consultancy understands the need for flexibility and can design for it. All small businesses have different problem sets outside trying to build an ap-prenticeship model and deal with barriers in this process. The process is simple, and in the border since we are dispersing the responsibility of learning amongst a larg-

er community. Specifically targeting the local business to build strategies for effec-tive collaboration. In the first phase we investigate what the business can handle. It is important to understand the capaci-ty as nurturing existing partnerships are important to understand. This capaci-ty includes how many teens the business can take on effectively, what type of teens (i.e. audience), and any special problem sets the business has, whether it be a taco shack, bakery, or bike builders. The next step is to build infrastructure: create stabil-ity. As mentioned prior, nurturing existing relationships and facilitating new ones is a sustainable act. To build infrastructure we have to ask some specific questions. First, is there funding? And if so, where can that funding find support? Secondly, Build a peer support network and understand who you need on your team. Once this team is assembled, roles and responsibilities need


to be clear, flexible of course, but clear. Once these have all been established creat-ing curriculum for the workshops, setting dates and times, along with documenting through notes, interviews and photos can happen. This part of the process is called execute and measure. Launch and see if it works, review and make it better. Un-derstand that it is an intimate experience and people can be asked for feedback. It is important to find ways to measure what is true to the context and creates a more ro-bust program for teens and mentors. The last part would be to share, and shed light on the process. Let people in the commu-nity know how they can support and get involved. The teens and the local business could host an event, decide together what makes the most sense in the case of the craft. Outfacing workshop given by teens is an example, community events to create awareness around getting involved. Then

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Special ThanksCarolina Zamora

Claire HarttenJohn ThackeraJanna Gilbert

Amy WhitakerAllan Chochinov

Brian CohenAllen Riley

Kathryn WallemBrent Arnold

Benjamin CrittonFran Argone

Heather KramerAndrew Field

Zachary GolperTom Pendleton

Kim Charles KayIan Charnas

Courtaney FinnPetrushka Bazin-Larsen

Danny KahnMarko ManriquezGabrielle Kellner

Abby CovertCarol ArcherFred Sherry

Andrew ScholsMatt BarberRona Binay

Samantha MooreRichard Clarkson

Clay KippenDamon Ahola

Charlotta Hellichiusgaia orain

Emi Yasaka


Willy ChanMansi Gupta

Cassandra MichelJoseph WeissgoldKathryn McElroy

Oscar BrettCaroline Woolard

Rosa JurjevicsAnne Nash

Lisa RamseySinclair SmithJames BaderChris DickeyEmilie Baltz

Kyla FullenwiderErika Kohl-Arenas

Scott JacksonDavid Thonis

Lynn FredricksMatt Frankle

Jaimie WarrenMatt Manos

Manuel ToscanoNatalie Balthrop

Alex SatinMorgan Street

Jeremy HawkinsBryan DalyKim Korr

Manda Louise PestaTim MackenBen Kinsley

Jessica LangleyJason SeversRob Walker

Richard TysonDavid Kirshoff

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State of the Art Project Thesis Book

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