Our M.Arch. summer studio's final review was today so we wanted to share a few shots from the review. The studio was taught by Architecture Lecturers Josh Freese (M.Arch.'09) and Larry Mitnick. The summer students will get a couple weeks to rest up before joining the rest of the incoming M.Arch. class for fall courses which begin on Tuesday, August 28th.
Philadelphia is home to one of the most prominent film festivals celebrating filmmakers of the African Diaspora. The BlackStar Film Festival returns to West Philadelphia for its seventh year starting today. The opening reception is tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. For more information, go here.
2018 PennDesign Staff Exhibition Poster designed by Joi McNeill
The annual PennDesign Staff Exhibition opened yesterday in Dean's Alley (first floor Meyerson Hall). We celebrated the opening with a reception featuring a live musical performance by Bree and the Reeds. Not only are our students and faculty talented artists, but so are our staff! So if you're on or near campus, please stop by and see the work of 16 of PennDesign's staff, which will be up until Thursday, August 9th.
There’s no better way to spend a summer night than sitting outside and watching a movie on the big screen. Every Friday at 8:30 pm, starting tomorrow night and lasting through August 24, bring your blanket or chair to Dilworth Park and catch a different movie each week. Special bonus: come an hour early for Pitchers in the Park. For details, go here.
Where should we go to watch the final game of the World Cup? So many options to choose from, air conditioning mandatory! But near campus, we’re back-and-forthing between New Deck and City Tap House. Click here for more options.
Here’s an interesting article from MetroLab about our Master of Urban Spatial Analytics (MUSA) program and how our students work with city officials to develop data science tools that their clients can use to determine how best to use their resources. Read about it here.
We are suffering through a very hot and humid few weeks here in Philadelphia. For those of you who are not familiar with east coast weather, summer means lots of rain (every day last week!) and occasional thunderstorms. If you don’t have central air, it’s a good idea to buy an air conditioning unit to put in your bedroom window. Fortunately, Meyerson Hall is VERY well air conditioned, which is a good incentive to come to PennDesign!
It’s been so quiet here in Meyerson Hall that we are thrilled to see the first wave of new students arrive for Architecture’s Digiblast and Landscape Architecture’s Summer Institute. The next wave comes in another two weeks and before we know it, fall semester will have begun!
The Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP), with ties to our own Professor Domenic Vitiello, was founded in 2007 to answer the question: How can more Philadelphians access fresh fruit? 10 years in, POP has planted 59 orchards, each one in partnership with a community group, school, church, or nonprofit. Read more about POP here or visit their website here.
PennDesign students have a close relationship with the North Philly Peace Park, the community garden located on a Philadelphia Housing Authority lot. With a high level of community involvement and innovative design work, the North Philly Peace Park is set to dispel the myths and stereotypes commonly associated with inner-city life. NPPP’s design team and architects recently unveiled designs for a proposed pavilion to host their efforts. PennDesign alumna Nyasha Felder is one of the architects behind NPPP, and is strongly influence by Afrofuturism. Read more about both NPPP and Afrofuturism here.
PennDesign is located in University City, which is filled with innovative and diverse dining options, from gastropubs to Ethiopian. We can’t wait for University City Dining Days to start on Thursday! UCDD is similar to Center City’s Restaurant Week, with fixed price meals. Go here for participating restaurants and their corresponding menus.
No one does the fourth of July like Philadelphia, the birthplace of our country! We started on Monday with free museum days and red,white, and blue happy hours and culminate tomorrow evening with fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Read more here.