Spring Curriculum /
Performing Urban Knowledge
The intention of the Spring Curriculum is to enable youth researchers and design students to share the neighborhood narratives and tools they have developed and extend the conversation to include others.
The Curriculum begins with youth researchers and design students revisiting the neighborhood and narratives and tools they have produced over the past months. Through guided reflection, the teams brainstorm and develop a plan for their mobilization. Working together with curators and archivists from the cultural organization, the teams then implement these plans in the form of public exhibitions, events, and the Mixplace.org website.
The goal is to organize various forms of outreach and knowledge exchange that positively impact and engage neighborhoods and institutions in West Philadelphia and beyond. This process is supported by shared meals and conversations with a diverse floating faculty of community organizers, designers, researchers, and other professionals. At the end of this phase, there is a public exhibition, conferring of certificates by the cultural organization, and a celebration. This is followed by an informal convening, in which the studio and the steering committee reflect and modify the protocols and curriculum in preparation for the next year.
Overview
- Month 1/January: Introduction to Mixplace and the idea of Social Change
- Month 2/February: Ways of Sharing
- Month 3/March: Ways of Mobilizing Tools
- Month 4/April: Final Presentations