Event highlights Hill public art project

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 04:16:05 +0000

Event highlights Hill public art project Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/29/2019 - 21:16

For two years the �� faculty and students and the city of Boulder have partnered on projects addressing community design issues for the University Hill area.

On Feb. 1, Uni Hill residents and the Boulder community are invited to a gathering at the Boulder Public Library to learn about the students’ work and to discuss a new initiative, the Public Art and Community Engagement project.

The project brings together teams of CU Boulder students and faculty working with the University Hill community to conceptualize, design and fabricate public art inspired by the Hill area, says Brian Muller, director of CU Boulder’s Community Engagement, Design and Research (CEDaR) Center, which has coordinated the overall community design effort on Uni Hill.

“The students will install a work of art that responds to the perspectives of community residents and enhances the life of the neighborhood,” Muller says. “This project expresses a philosophy of service that links innovative design and teaching with outreach and discussion with the community.”

During the past two years CEDaR has helped organize classes that have engaged more than 200 students in University Hill projects. Attendees of the Feb. 1 event will have an opportunity to interact with some of these students and discuss results of a community engagement process that includes surveys and interviews students conducted with Hill residents and business owners, as well as initial public art concepts.

In the next few months, a group of 12, third-year students will be designing, fabricating and installing the piece of public/community art, while focusing on energizing the community and bringing together stakeholders, says Marcel de Lange, assistant clinical professor of environmental design. The students are participating in their praxis semester, a design class that focuses on design-build education with community partners and “real clients.”

“By keeping in touch with the community and having an art advisory board involved we hope to transform a new generation of ENVD students to be socially responsible, sustainable, “master” builders and at the same time deliver an inspirational project to the University Hill neighborhood,” de Lange says.

If you go

Who: Everyone Invited

What: Public Art and University Hill

When: Feb.1, 5-6:30 pm

Where: Boulder Public Library, Canyon Theater, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder

Etc. Refreshments will be served

RSVP Requested

The project is part of a broader partnership between the city and university to develop innovative design for the city of Boulder, and is affiliated with the nationwide MetroLab initiative, pairing research universities with nearby cities to solve design, technology, engineering and other community issues. This project is also the product of a continuing effort on the part of both the university and the city to discuss and develop solutions to problems of rapidly-growing neighborhoods adjoining the university.

Participating faculty include Beth Osnes, associate professor, theatre & dance; Nii Armah Sowah, senior instructor, theatre & dance; Marcel de Lange, assistant clinical professor, environmental design; Brian Muller, associate professor, environmental design; Jota Samper, assistant professor, environmental design; and Stacey Schulte, senior instructor, environmental design. The CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement and Program in Environmental Design has supported the effort. The event is free and open to the public, but online RSVPs are requested.

More information about CEDaR

More information about MetroLab

Join us for a conversation about a new public art installation for University Hill, a collaboration between CEDaR, CU Boulder students and faculty and the city of Boulder.

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Student projects revitalizing The Hill focus of Dec. 15 open house

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 01:31:19 +0000

Student projects revitalizing The Hill focus of Dec. 15 open house Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/07/2017 - 18:31

The city of Boulder and CU Boulder partnered this fall to gather design ideas from Environmental Design (ENVD) students, neighborhood residents and elementary school students for revitalizing the University Hill area. The area has a rich history as a residential, shopping and music district, and over the last few years the city and local residents have been working toward developing office space, gathering spots, retail shops, hotels and parking areas.

The results of work by more than 150 students will be displayed at an open house—free and open to the public—from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, at Flatirons Elementary School, which is located at 1150 7th St. in Boulder. RSVPs are requested.

"Ongoing programs with CU Boulder student organizations have been instrumental in helping shift people’s perceptions of The Hill," said Sarah Wiebenson, Boulder's Hill community development coordinator. "This event brings the hard work and positive energy of the students to the community.”

The event marks the third design workshop organized through Colorado MetroLab, a partnership between CU Boulder and city governments in Colorado. As part of the effort, students interviewed residents and other area users and helped develop design and policy solutions to selected problems. They also helped engage residents and area users in a dialogue about the future of the area.

"MetroLab has been a strong partnership between Boulder and the university. It's been very effective in extending student work to the community and helping students understand community priorities and constraints," said Brian Muller, faculty director of CU Boulder’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR), which organized the University Hill MetroLab project. "The students did great research over the fall, and at this event, they will present useful designs and concepts to help The Hill move forward."

Environmental Studies (ENVS) doctoral student Jenn Shelby said the students provided fresh perspectives and a neutral platform, which helped moved the creative process forward.

If you go

Who: Open to the public
What: MetroLab University Hill Student Presentations Event
When: Dec 15, 5–7 p.m.
Where: Flatiron Elementary School, 1150 7th St.,
Boulder
RSVP: Requested
Etc.: Holiday snacks will be served.

"This project gave students an opportunity to work in a real place, with real stakeholders, designing solutions for real challenges," said Shelby, who coordinated communication between the various classes and neighborhood groups. "So often students are given hypothetical scenarios, but this project gave them a chance to understand the complexity of real-world design problems in a familiar space."

Participating faculty and staff included Beth Osnes and Nii Armah Sowah from the Department of Theatre & Dance, Jota Samper and Brian Muller from Environmental Design, Kira Pasquesi and Stephen Sommer from LEAD/CU Engage, Mara Mintzer and Cathy Hill from Growing Up Boulder/CEDaR and Jennifer Shelby from Environmental Studies.

Here are some ways students were involved in the project:

Students from an Environmental Design class researched University Hill's history, interviewed residents and proposed designs showing how a one-block area could look if it became part of a creative district.

Students from the Performance for Community Engagement class interviewed business owners and translated their personal stories into performance art pieces that communicated the diversity, concerns and backgrounds of businesses owners.

A Growing Up Boulder project, including fourth graders from Flatirons Elementary, elderly residents and ENVD undergraduate students, evaluated how to make a commercial street near their school and senior residential facility more environmentally friendly, artistic, fun, safe and attractive for pedestrians.

Environmental Studies master’s students conducted technical studies of issues such as parking rules, a neighborhood EcoPass program and opportunities for a craft fair.

Students from a CU Engage Leadership class assessed the history of community engagement on The Hill.

Students from a GIS/Smart Cities class evaluated planning, design and environmental conditions on The Hill.

This project is funded in part through a CU Boulder Outreach Award.

Colorado MetroLab, a partnership between CU Boulder and Colorado city governments, organized a design workshop where CU Boulder environmental design (ENVD) students, neighborhood residents and elementary school students gave their ideas for revitalizing Boulder's University Hill area.

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Event highlights Hill public art project

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