spirit of space gallery

Milwaukee Youth + Architecture

02. Develop the Platform

We also need to consider platforms that will engage our audience beyond Vimeo and YouTube. If this series feels static or doesn't capture attention we won't reach our audience.

Spirit of Space has developed a following on TikTok through a historic series of architectural explorations, and quick lessons on design for the general public.

01. Build the Partnership Around an Inclusive Table

We are not the experts in communicating with Milwaukee Public Schools students, and the composition of our content should be driven by those with experience. To begin, the Spirit of Space team would meet with representatives from the three organizations to brainstorm our combined networks of individuals in Milwaukee who inspire generations of creatives. With these partners we will host an in-person design workshop to refine the topics that we feel our group can authentically speak to through film.

One landmark, successful feature we could consider as our guide is the Pacific Standard Time production featuring Ice Cube visiting the Eames House in Los Angeles.

03. Produce the Content

Spirit of Space would like to produce a short series for the purpose of communicating ideas to the Milwuakee Public Schools Middle and High School students. Using the sample of Ice Cube's Eames story as a guide we have estimated the following costs to produce the series.

We envision a series would include 3 Features approximately 5-7 minutes in duration, led by a narrator from Milwaukee or an expert in the field of design, that specifically address what it takes to Build Architecture with Community.

Soundtrack $5,000
Filming 8 half-days $20,000
Editing 20 days $25,000

04. Distribute the Ideas

Using the Hip Hop Architecture Camp as a guideline, our program should use the Features as a starting point to the conversation. With experts in the field of education, our team will develop a curriculum for After School programs where students can volunteer.

Spirit of Space would donate our time to the after school program initiatives.

We also are interested in using this as a mentorship opportunity or hosting a design competition with students. If we were to involve them in the process of making the films the budget would look like this:

Soundtrack $5,000
Filming 8 half-days $20,000
Mentor Editing 5 days $5,000

Stone Stories
The project shows how redesigning cities’ public spaces—including those with complex histories—can be an inclusive process that empowers communities and gives rise to greater belonging.

Brittney Boyd Bullock, artist
Tami Sawyer, activist
Rev. Marlon Foster, community organizer
Elmore Nickleberry, partipant in the "I Am A Man" March Memphis
Mauricio Calvo, community organizer
Chris Dean, filmmaker and activist
Tonya Dyson, musician
Jim Strickland, mayor
Barbara Hyde, community organizer

Production Notes

Architecture of Community
We asked an artist, activist, and a writer what memories were triggered while touring an exhibition highlighting an architectural portfolio halfway across the globe. What design ideas are truly universal?

Asiaha Butler, activist
Edra Soto, artist
Nadalie Moore, writer

Watch the rest of the series at the link below.
https://vimeo.com/471417891

Over the past 15 years, the Spirit of Space team has worked with professionals in the fields of architecture, art, and design to reveal why design matters. The following films highlight the questions architects can be asking to build stronger community connections. We hope these questions could build the empathy between young student, those starting advanced studies, and those who may be talking more than listening at this point in their career.

We count the following clients as friends, and would like to approach them with our pitch to create a fresh knowledge base that brings their stories to MPS Middle and High School Students for UWM and MATC.

Thrival Geographies (In My Mind I See A Line)
The intention behind this installation was a transformative act that could change the thinking behind what architecture is, what black space is., what design process is.

Amanda Williams, artist + architect
Andres Fernandes, artist + architect
Shani Crowe, artist

THE LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE SHOULD BE THE LANGUAGE OF EMPATHY

In March 2021, Hip Hop Architecture hosted a Virtual Camp for Middle and High School Students from Milwaukee Public Schools as a "catalyst to introduce Milwaukee based students to architectural history, design, coding, and music production."

The free camp sold out.

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Architecture and the Milwaukee Area Technical College has a clear audience in the Milwaukee Public Schools to build on this existing momentum.

Sharing knowledge with the community it serves is the best investment these organizations can make in the future.

Music, design, coding, and history taught at Hip Hop Architecture Camp are all tools in the architects' kit for communicating with an audience outside the profession. At Spirit of Space, we believe film is an essential element - it is the best tool to build empathy.

In the proposal below we are starting a conversation between Milwaukee Public Schools, UWM, and MATC for the purpose of bringing film and architecture to the young creators of the city. It is our hope we can also learn from Hip Hop Architecture, and leaders in the Milwaukee communities we hope to serve.