Summer Program Recap
GYDE celebrated the end of the first Summer Architecture Program. We hosted the end-of-program reception and project presentation in August. Madeleine and Kate, both rising seniors at Jackson Hole Community School, presented a series of 30 sketches, photo collages, and a 6-foot-wide model of the town of Jackson.
The program was created for high school students interested in design to create items for their portfolios with guidance and collaboration with the GYDE team. The approach is modeled on the design studio environment. “The idea is, rising high school juniors and seniors experience a professional design studio environment where they have the resources to explore the arts, architecture, and design freely - because without a playground, one cannot play,” shared Keith Li, designer at GYDE and the coordinator for the Program.
What is a design studio? From Purpose Group, a London-based agency that specializes in developing office spaces for creatives, “Design studios are the creative sanctuaries where artistic minds collide, innovation blossoms, and the blueprint of ideas transforms into tangible creations. These unique spaces, brimming with creativity, are the birthplaces of architecture, fashion, graphic design, and other artistic endeavours.”
“When we design a project for clients, we are working with the clients’ unique vision, the regulatory design environment, and with each other to design something visually exceptional, contextual, and interesting,” noted Li.
Led by Keith, the Program participants would create a “town model” based on the interactive GIS zoning map of the town of Jackson. The model was assembled from over 100 pieces separated by various zones and overlays.
Participants completed three freehand sketches each day and spent at least an hour each day exploring the Town of Jackson. They took photos and used them to create sets of photo collages that reimagine the captured scenes, focusing on context. The original photos and the new collages are mounted side by side as sets of diptychs.
“We encourage Madeleine and Kate to engage in consistent design and visual exercises. These repetitive exercises, like sketching, material experiments, and reimagination through collage, help young designers develop their individual style and approach. They explore new ways of thinking about values and their surrounding context,” said Li.
“I really enjoyed working with the designers and architects. It was like we were creating together. They listened to the ideas I was trying to create and helped me shape and reshape what that idea looked like,” shared one of the participants.
“As a team, we live the design studio process every day, it was wonderful to step back and approach design with a beginner mindset to welcome young people considering a career in the design arts. We will definitely continue to offer a version of this program into the future,” shared Li.