Event: Chicago K-12 Design-Ed Potluck Feb. 4th At 6.30 With A Presentation By Public Workshop.

Event: Chicago K-12 Design Educator Potluck

Presentation:  You Can Change Your City by Alex Gilliam of Public Workshop

Date: Thursday February 4th from 6.30-8.00 pm-ish

Location: Landon Bone Baker Architects, 734 N Milwaukee Ave.

Here’s why you shouldn’t miss it:

Normally Public Workshop wouldn’t trumpet giving a presentation at a relatively informal event but ladies and gents, the people who are involved in this potluck are K-12 design education rock stars. Sure, you can come for my presentation about new tactics for directly engaging people in transforming their public spaces and cities- I can assure you that it will be lively, inspiring and damn near entertaining. Heck, if I can get a bunch of grizzled New Urbanists and jaded policy types cheering, not to mention your average 15 year old…..

But really, you should come to meet the burgeoning group of designers and architects who are doing great things with K-12 students in Chicago. Of the many places I have taught, consulted or just visited for a spell, Chicago hands down takes the cake for the number of designers who are working with K-12 students and the variety of approaches they take.

Kids doing community design-build? Yep. Architecture integrated within public school curriculum? Sure. Teens working in architecture firms? You betcha.

To further nurture that community, of which I am pleased to now be a part, Krisann Rehbein (of the Chicago Architecture Foundation), Charlie Vinz (here) and others started a monthly potluck. You live in Chicago and you’re interested in getting your feet wet doing K-12 design ed-esque things? This is a great place to start. And tomorrow’s event will be hosted by Landon Bone Baker Architects– a great office and a wonderful group of people doing fantastic work in affordable housing.

Thanks to Krisann for inviting me to share.

Here is Krisann’s invite for the event. Feel free to email me (alex@publicworkshop.us) if you have any questions:

Hey Design Educators-

This Thursday, we have a double treat for the design educator pot-luck.  The first is that we are going to be hosted by Catherine, Mejay and their colleagues at Landon Bone Baker Architects.  Their offices are conveniently located off the Blue Line at the Chicago stop.

The second treat is that we have a GUEST SPEAKER!  Alex Gilliam, dear friend and inspiring educator, is going to share his work and research with the group.  Alex is the studio instructor for CAF’s Taliesin apprenticeship program and has worked with me on other high school student workshop.  He has done tons of research on play spaces, intergenerational urban spaces, participatory urban building projects and other such exciting topics.

(You may have met Alex at the December party at Mejay’s fabulous house.)

He just arrived in Chicago from Austin, TX and will be with us for the next several months.

Come and share some food and drink, listen to what Alex has been up to and be inspired!

Bring something and take even more away.

-Krisann