we're in DC ... HOLLAAA

hello  beautiful !!

are you ready for the most fabulous group of people you've ever seen !?! 

this weekend the Iarc 2nd year studio got to travel to Washington, DC to explore the Amazing museums of the Smithsonian. We started our journey right outside the Castle on the lawn (above). here students were given their assignments for the day - three museums to focus on. part of the assignment was to observe specifically the outside of each museum, its lobby space, and the main reception area.

Iar 2nd year studio on the steps of the Library of Congress

Jessica Krasuski, an alumni of the Iarc program, currently lives in DC and works with the Library of Congress as an interior designer! she gave us a tour of the Library and told us a little about what she does. it was fantastic to hear from someone who graduate from our department and made it with such a fabulous job!

Jessica giving our class a small tour of the library.

GHM - diagram that space ...

after visiting the Greensboro Historic Museum, we came together as a class and decided to diagram the space out! every student was asked to individually create a diagram that they thought was representative of the space. using the same brown trash paper, everyone found a spot to draw on and it turned out to be a pretty spectacular composition!

ideas on paper ...

after our visits to the three spaces we will be working with during the first part of this semester, we decided that the best way to throw out all of the ideas fluttering through our heads would be to put it to paper. the class was split up into seven different groups and told to create a composition, using text and diagrams, describing the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro Historic Museum, and the Industries of the blind.

after brainstorming and discussing their findings, the teams 

walked up to the "paper wall" and composed all 

their thoughts into one.

 it was great to see everyone working together and interacting 

with the space, rather than sitting at their desks 

and sketching in their notebooks.

the final Lovely set !!

Blog Assignment 001

On Friday, September 2, we all visited the Industries of the Blind for a site assessment. I hope everyone realized how incredible the workers of IOB are and how much of an honor it is to even think about ReDesigning a space for them.
I find that when taking on any project the most important thing you must do is fully understand your client. Then, you must invest everything within yourself into your Design. You have to fully commit and that is the only way you can produce a truly great piece of Art.

Maya Angelou said ...
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

So tell me your story ...

For your Blog Assignment 001 I want you to Narrate your experience through the Industries of the Blind. Walk me through what you saw. Tell me what you learned. Describe to me how you felt throughout your time there. Use one ... three ... twenty five ...... two hundred and forty one pictures to help tell your story.

i only want everything ...
and by that i mean at least 521 words and one [if you want to be boring] picture

thanks ya'll =)

A New Perspective ...

Today in class we traveled to the Industries of the Blind, Inc. of Greensboro, NC.

The company mission is, "to provide opportunities for employment and personal development for people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve greater independence."

While touring the building we were all introduced to an environment we would have never otherwise thought of. Firstly, there are so many different categories under the title "legally blind." Some workers have  Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Glaucoma, and some are completely blind. It was an amazing visit and an opportunity to engage with so many different people.

Original Main Conference Room

Snap Shots of the Amazingly talented workers at IOB

Come Together

It's time to start a new tradition ...

Today we gathered both second year studios and joined together with the Iarc first years. We extended our hands and welcomed them with warm smiles and open conversations. Our department is so unique and special to this university, and while drama will always be present wherever people are - it's important to know when to set that aside and Come Together as Whole. We see the world in a creatively different way than every other person on this campus. We look at every inanimate object as inspiration rather than "just" things. We are the imagineers that help design the Built Environment. Embrace your peers and feed off the passion for what they find beautiful ...

young designers learning from each other.

After Coming Together and introducing themselves to each other, the first and second year studios were split into groups and asked to discuss three major issues of Design ::

where do ideas come from?

how do you unveil them?

& what sources must you consult?

professors and their teaching assistants discussing rather important things!

What we discovered is that ...

design comes from everywhere. design comes from your own personality. design comes from how you perceive life. design comes from precedent studies and examples.

"everything comes from history!"

Frank Cheney

We also heard from ...

guest speaker Brett Carter, the Dean of Students, UNC - Greensboro

Mr. Carter came to visit our studios to discuss the University of North Carolina, Greensboro's Academic Integrity Policy. He had a lot to say about the topic and engaged all of us in an energetic conversation. The experience was enjoyable and entertaining! Rather than explaining our whole Academic Integrity Policy, I'll sum it up for you ... Don't cheat and site your sources or you'll get kicked out of school, never get into another university, and you may get your degree taken away! Honestly ... it's not that hard.

... our standing ovation for Mr. Carter.

After the Weatherspoon ...

While at the Weatherspoon Art Museum each student was asked to document their experience from the moment they approached the building to the time they left. Afterwards our Visionary Explorers created vignettes of their time in the museum and wrote a short narrative describing what they saw.

below are some of our Explorers findings ...

by: Alex Pokas

For my final diagram, I decided to break the experience into five different sections. the first is the entrance to the sculpture garden, the second is inside the sculpture garden, the third is the overhang, the fourth is the vestibule, and the last is the lobby.  I wanted to focus on the way the light effects the experience as you make your way towards the lobby.  the entrance to the sculpture garden and the garden itself are both completely naturally lit, and therefor the light is uncontrollable.  this effects the way the sun shines or doesn't shine on the sculptures as you pass through the garden.  the next picture of the overhang is a lot darker and shaded and takes you out of the direct sunlight.  you then pass through the vestibule, which is also darker than the garden.  I think these two experiences are very important to the experience of walking to the lobby because you start out in such light and then you are immediately pulled into a darker setting.  then as you enter the lobby you are thrown into a soft white light that is much calmer and lighter than the other lighting that you have experienced.

by: Anna Hambly

For my narrative i wrote from the point of view of an art student who had sculpture class in the gatewood studio arts building and then art history in the WAM. my trip took me from the studio to the weatherspoon and i had a few sidetrips along the way. in my diagram i expressed the trip step by step and emphasized the more important steps in different ways. The bigger squares are the main objectives and the main places i needed to go on my trip to class. the smaller ones are side trips and distractions. the more i drew my diagram over and over the better it got.