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Things are picking up around here at the Summer Studio as the campers move further through the week and deeper into their designs. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of camp this week held a variety of projects, outings, and challenges for the campers to complete to continue building their imaginations and a spirit of teamwork, as well as confidence in their creative work and abilities. Ms. Réna may or may not have taught all of us The Hustle during breaks, as well. Some exciting news: we welcomed two new students to the camp, as well as two new counselors! Jesse has stepped into the role of Design counselor, and Justina into the role of Build counselor. The more the merrier, and our team is not lacking in merriment. On Tuesday, the campers were given a series of challenges using 100 bricks to create different sculptures, with the purpose of encouraging teamwork and the concept of creating something out of nothing. The original designs the campers came up with were nothing short of impressive, from robots, to domino effects, to a "Tired-a-Lot" logo thanking our fearless leader, Réna. Wednesday was spent primarily indoors as the campers were introduced to several sketching projects which led to building models of their designs, led by our new Design and Build counselors, Jessie and Justina, as well as our Junior counselor, Sam. Thursday was an exciting day as the students were able to take the rough sketches and models they created, get into groups, and based off of those models design a sculpture together--something that would meet some sort of community need. Then, we all piled into the van and headed down the road to Menards, where we picked up the materials needed to make these sculpture designs a reality. The campers look forward to working on these sculpture designs a bit further to end the week, and then presenting their creations and ideas on how to better the community in a neighborhood event Tired-a-Lot will be hosting on Monday. The event will take place in the currently empty lot that the campers will eventually be using as the space that will house their project. Through this, we hope to invite the community into what Tired-a-Lot is working on this summer, sharing and receiving insight into how we can all work together to make our neighborhood a better place.
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Meet the Counselors: Jesse6/12/2018 Jesse was born and raised in Richmond, Indiana, but has also lived in Ohio and California. He studied urban planning at University of Cincinnati as well as landscape architecture at Ohio State University (MLA). He is our Design counselor for the 2018 Summer Studio.
Q: What drew you towards the Tired-a-Lot Summer Studio? A: I was drawn to the studio due to its mission and process. I’m passionate about exposing students to creative problem solving and love working with my hands to bring good ideas to fruition. Q: What's a fun fact about you? A: I love riding on my bicycle! My friends and I once rode the 75 miles around Lake Tahoe in a single day. Q: What made you want to be an architect? A: I’ve always had interest in both the environment and built environment and knew I wanted to have a career making things. Landscape architecture was a great fit, as I am comfortable utilizing both sides of my brain. Q: What are your greatest design/architectural accomplishments so far? What is your favorite project you’ve completed to date? A: My first professional project was an urban plaza design in San Francisco. I was fortunate to have been a part of the team from concept to construction. Seeing the project emerge out of the ground and subsequently used by the public was very gratifying. Q: What design/architectural goals do you still hope to achieve? A: I want to continue to learn and grow as a designer with the hopes of having my own collaborative practice someday.
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Tired-a-Lot kicked off this summer's design studio today with nine campers, a new headquarters, and lots of energy and excitement for a new project. This year, the first three weeks of the design process will take place in Wunderkammer Company, a beautiful art center on the south side of Fort Wayne. Our theme for Week 1: inspiration. We began the day with introductions, both of the new staff- Sam and Mari, our Junior Counselors, and Jordyn, our Communications and Marketing Counselor- and of new campers. Following intros, local artist extraordinaire Frank Louis Allen returned this summer to speak to the campers about making their mark through inspiration, imagination and creativity, leading them through a drawing exercise that resulted in a roughly 10-foot long mural. To end the day, the campers split into three groups and participated in a Community Walking Tour through the neighborhood where they will be designing and implementing some sort of project to benefit the community (i.e. a park and a deck area in the 2017 summer studio). This allowed the campers to discuss the strengths and needs of the community, as well as jumpstart inspiration for projects that could either meet a need or build on a strength. All in all, the 2018 Summer Studio has begun with a successful day of team building, imagination, fun- and, yes, inspiration.
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Meet the Counselors: Mari6/11/2018 Mari is a senior in high school from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who plans to study Education at Ivy Tech. She is one of our Junior counselors for the 2018 Summer Studio.
Q: What drew you towards the Tired-a-Lot Summer Studio? A: A great opportunity to be involved in the community. It was a called opportunity that I have taken and I love it. Q: What's a fun fact about you? A: I cry every time I get my haircut no matter how much hair it is. Q: What field do you hope to enter? A: The field I hope to enter into is education & an Entrepreneur. I would like to have my own business and most likely for it to be a daycare or a learning center for all ages. Q: What are your favorite accomplishments/projects that you've completed so far? A: The accomplishments I’ve completed so far would be getting accepted into the Anthis Career Center for Early Childhood Education. Also, being able to show off my skills with designs and making flyers for school and being on call if someone in the library needs me to record a live show for them. Q: What goals do you hope to achieve in your field? A: To graduate and be apart of the teaching world. We need more teachers and people teaching the world and children before they hit real life situations.
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Day 5 Tired-A-Lot Spring Break Camp4/6/2018 Day 5, the final day of the Tired-A-Lot Spring Break camp culminated in the unveiling of the community mural that the campers had been working on this past week. These students were guided through the process of exploring how art can be transformative through the message it conveys. Their work reflects the concerns and desires of the residents of the Mount Vernon Park Neighborhood, as well as each of their own concerns and desires for the community.
The collaborative work done by this group of young people and the genuine dedication to their community, along with their incredible artistic talents is nothing short of inspiring! The Tired-A-Lot Spring Break camp, run by Rena Bradley with the Bridge of Grace Compassionate Ministries, provides a venue for young people to learn how to effectively be a vehicle for positive change in their community and how to effect that change through art. On the final day of camp, members of the community were invited to share lunch and hear what the students had to say about the mural they created. Thanks to all those who participated in making our community a better place in which to live through the Tired-A-Lot Spring Break Camp 2018! |