Photo by Mark Stehle
Alex Gilliam, long committed to K-12 design education, is scheduled to be the first speaker in Architecture and Design Network’s 15/16 lecture series, the non-profit’s 12th season of talks by well regarded design professionals. Gilliam, who earned an undergraduate and a graduate degree in architecture, will share his ideas about the value of hands-on experience and its role in design education.
Gilliam will speak tonight at 6pm at the Arkansas Arts Center. A reception at 5:30 will precede the remarks.
As founder of the Public Workshop, an organization that works with young people to encourage their participation in the design or redesign – as the case may be – of facets of their communities, Gilliam refers to himself as the “cheerleader of possibility”. In their roles as agents of change, his young charges hone skills that enable them to repurpose abandoned spaces and bring change to places that figure in their everyday lives – schools, playgrounds, bus stops, parks and more.
With the help of their mentor, participants learn to set goals for themselves and develop the competencies needed to make their surrounds more accommodating to their needs and those of others. Each hands-on effort takes place in full public view with the result that students get feedback from friends and neighbors, some of whom are likely to get involved with the project. “Small groups of motivated people attract the interest and support of others”, notes Gilliam.
Since the Workshop’s founding, Gilliam has worked with the Rural Studio, the Hester Street Collaborative, Cooper Hewitt Museum, the University of Pennsylvania, the National Building Museum, the Chicago Architectural Foundation and numerous other organizations and institutions across the country.
Architecture and Design Network lectures and receptions are free an open to the public. No reservations are needed. For additional information, contact ardenetwork@mac.com.
Supporters of the non-profilt Architecture and Design Network (ADN) include the Arkansas Arts Center, the Fay Jones School of Architecture, the Central Section of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and friends in the community.
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