Architecture & Recovery: The Guardians Institute in New Orleans
with Kate Stohr, Architecture for Humanity and Jens Holm, Rockwell Group
Moderated by Martin C. Pedersen of Metropolis Magazine
with special guest Herreast Harison, Guardians Institute, New Orleans Thursday, April 17, 2008, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
From Brad Pitt’s star-studded “Make it Right” campaign to quieter relief efforts, architecture and design are emerging from the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s disastrous aftermath as an opportunity for innovation, optimism and concrete solutions. The non-profit organization Architecture for Humanity was founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to humanitarian problems. Co-founder Kate Stohr will present her organization’s work and that of architects and designers who have found inspiration and creativity in their responses to humanitarian and natural disasters. She will be joined by Jens Holm of Rockwell Group, who is currently creating plans for The Guardians Institute, a cultural and educational organization built as a community resource in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans. The organization was founded by Herreast Harrison to preserve and teach the culture and craft of the Mardi Gras Indians. Ms. Harrison will be presenting her beaded costumes and answer questions about the Guardians Insitiute. The design and construction of the Guardians Institute is a joint project of Architecture for Humanity and the Rockwell Group.
About Kate Stohr
Kate Stohr is co-founder and program director of Architecture for Humanity. As a freelance journalist, her work has appeared in a number of national publications including The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, The Christian Science Monitor, Dwell, Architectural Record and Time Digital. Her documentary production credits include: Biography (A&E); History Detectives (PBS), Escape from Death Row (A&E), and Night Court (MSNBC). With Cameron Sinclair she is the editor of Design Like You Give A Damn.
http://ww.architectureforhumanity.org/ About Jens Holm and the Rockwell Group Jens Holm is an Associate at Rockwell Group and has been with the office since 2004. Prior to joining the team at Rockwell Group, he worked with Rem Koolhaas in the Netherlands & New York for OMA / AMO. Holm’s recent work includes the Coney Island master plan, exhibition design of the American Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Cirque Casino in Montreal and Pacific City Resort in Huntington Beach, California. He received his Master of Architecture at the Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark in 2000.
Founded more than 20 years ago by David Rockwell, Rockwell Group is an award-winning, cross-disciplinary, 220-person architecture and design practice based in New York. The firm specializes in hospitality, culture, theater, film and product design. David Rockwell’s monograph, Pleasure: The Architecture and Design of Rockwell Group, was published by Universe, a division of Rizzoli Books, in 2002. Spectacle, with Bruce Mau, was published by Phaidon Press in October 2006.
http://www.rockwellgroup.com About Guardians Institute and Herreast Harrison
The Guardians Institute’s prime directives are to uphold the distinct cultural traditions of New Orleans, promote literacy and encourage physical well-being. These goals are met through conducting educational workshops for K-12 students in New Orleans to teach them the traditional art of beading and crafting Mardi Gras Indian suits; offering lessons in drumming, song construction and traditional dance, and conducting book club meetings. The Institute was founded by Herreast Harrison and her children in loving memory of their father, Donald Harrison, Sr., the celebrated chief of the Mardi Gras Indian group, Guardians of the Flame. For the past 20 years the family has been actively involved in keeping Mardi Gras Indian culture alive and exposing neighborhood children to all facets of this tradition through education and demonstration.
http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/639