The School of Architecture and Urban Planning’s BLC Field School is now a member of a consortium of three upper level art, architecture, dance and design studios that explore how multidisciplinary design practice can engage professionals, academics and local cultures and communities. 

Among the numerous participants are: Quorum Architects,  Wisconsin Humanities Council,  Washington Park Partners, UWM’s Office of Undergraduate Research, Milwaukee Public Library (Washington Park Branch), the Urban Ecology Center, Habitat for Humanity, neighborhood residents and business owners, and students. Sister studios include those from Architecture and Urban Planning (Assoc. Prof. Arijit Sen), Dance (Simone Ferro, instructor) and MIAD’s Public Art : Social Practice (Jill Sebastian, instructor).  

Students worked during the Spring and Summer 2014 semesters in Washington Park as part of “Picturing Milwaukee”, conducted by BLC. The specific objective of this project is to encourage community-based learning and collaboration, collect local histories of places of cultural relevance, gain skills that allow professionals to collect and analyze data, use the power of digital humanities to disseminate research data, and empower local communities by hearing/responding to those voices that are often not heard in urban and official discourses. “Picturing Milwaukee” is a participatory action-research project that explores history and heritage of local neighborhoods. This immersive learning experience provides students a unique opportunity to learn basic skills, ethics, theories and methods within their academic disciplines and then apply such learning in real-life situation.