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Staging a competition

4arch

I'd like to stage a competition to generate ideas for the improvement of my city, especially its most poor and blighted areas. I don't have any money/items to award, I don't have a space to exhibit the entries, and I don't have the connections to actually make any of the ideas generated actually get built. My main purpose is to ignite discussion and even controversy among both the architectural community and the larger community. Am I crazy to think I can pull off something like this? Any advice?

 
Jul 20, 06 12:13 pm

why not organise a symposium?

Jul 20, 06 12:24 pm  · 
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i'm currently working on organizing two charettes and a design competition...

the competition will be an urban infill "attainable housing" project in concert with our second annual state emerging architect's conference...

the first charette will be looking at programmatic and site/urban design potential for the relocation of our local art museum... this charette will happen in the local AIA office space and we're hoping to get a grant to publish the results as a small pamphlet... we will also exhibit the results in the local AIA office...

the second charette will be looking at a blighted area of town... we're just starting the planning now, but i think that we're going to take the city's most recent zoning changes and redevelopment plan for the area and turn the incomprehensible words into visuals and then look at ways to change/improve the plans... we're hoping to have the date of the charette coincide with this year's edition of "gala corina" a large art festival that takes over a run down space, usually in a warehouse, and turns it into an arts exhibition for a week... (see below for the competition that was part of last years event)... thus there will be a built in exhibition and media coverage...

i also organized a competition last year that ran in concert with one of the largest arts "festivals" in the area... the entries were exhibited in the festival space... this competition centered around the idea of a "city of the arts", a marketing ploy being pushed by the mayor... we investigated ways that art/architecture can become closer to the average person's experience... the local AIA chapter donated $1000 to award as a prize, it was split $750 first place and $250 honorable mention... some of the projects and the concept behind the competition were published in local newspapers...

so yes, you can pull it off... all of the above things have been organized with the help of my colleagues in the local emerging architects group... you might see if one exists where you live... or try your local AIA chapter... you may be able to find a local gallery that will let you stage a short exhibition for free... you could also try tapping into the neighborhood association, chamber of commerce, or the city council person for the district...

feel free to email me with more specific questions...

Jul 20, 06 2:45 pm  · 
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