As a designer, artist, cyclist, and social entrepreneur, Keith is informed by interfacing with latent resources, landscape, and language. He received a master’s of architecture in ecological design at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a bachelor’s of architecture from the University of Miami. ln 2010, he launched beintween, a social and spatial organization improv(is)ing leftover spaces in the City of Milwaukee. Since 2016, he has returned to his hometown of Cleveland, OH, where he builds hand-fashioned goods and furnishings for public projects with local collaborators under the moniker, RSELVES, whose motto is excess >>> access.
Noteworthy accomplishments include a successfully funded Kickstarter for matireal, the imagination and realization of a linear park called the artery, the public installation of swings under many a midwest viaduct, and the organization of a design/build coopetition. Keith continues to pursue his life’s work to define a practice known as sp/acement, whereby his experimental public works and guerilla activism in interstitial urban contexts seek to become retainers for existing communities rather than tokens to displace them.
RSELVES, Cleveland, OH, US, Founder + co-director
Project and Resource Management, Project Development, Design and Implementation of Neighborhood-based Initiatives, Proposal Writing, Budget Management, User Experience Research, Data Collection, Urban Mapping, Demographic Analysis, Grant Writing, Creative Writing, Furniture Building, Upcycling, Graphic Design, Team Building
redhouse studio architecture, Cleveland, OH, US, Project Manager
Architectural Design, Landscape Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Documentation, Project Management, Project Coordination, Client Relations, Grant Writing, Office Management, Lab Development, Construction Administration, Proposal Writing, Recruiting, Training, Marketing and Brand Development
Rebuilder's Exchange, Cleveland, OH, US, Architect-in-Residence + Volunteer
Design Consultation, Documentation, Inventorying, Warehousing, Sales, Social Media, Furniture Building.
St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, Cleveland, OH, US, Project Director
Project and Design Direction of the Research, Design, and Community Development of a .4 acre site utilizing locally sourced scrap tires as a geo-textile to build a permeable plaza; responsible for managing budget, a project team of 3-5 individuals, as well as grant-writing of $1,000,000 toward the research and development of this innovative solution and small business development.
beintween, Milwaukee, WI, US, Founder + Director
Grant-writing, project and resource management, development, design and implementation of neighborhood based initiatives leveraging local + national foundation networks including: $845K Kresge Foundation, 2014; $13K from Greater Milwaukee Foundation, 2014; $13K from Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation, 2014; $350K from ArtPlace America, 2013; $2K from Art $upport; $25K from Community Development Block Grant, 2012; $11K from Kickstarter, 2012.
Greater Milwaukee Committee, Milwaukee, WI, US, Lead Designer and Planning Consultant
Lead Artist and Designer (and founder) of the ARTery, a 9 acres ⅔ mile rails-to-trails project in Milwaukee; developed public design process focused on community driven solution and performance park; project manager for design and construction of $500,000 worth of park amenities with locally available materials and labor as part of multi-million dollar economic development. Marketing, fund, and resource allocation and national research for future initiatives.
Waste Cap Resource Solutions, Milwaukee, WI, US, Deconstruction Specialist + Volunteer
Deconstruction + salvage of foreclosed Milwaukee properties, as well as inventorying, warehousing, and sales for Waste Cap's retail operation; also acted as project manager of crews working with Milwaukee Community Service Corps.
Bikeith, Chicago, IL, US, Owner + Curator
Rebuilt + Restored over 150 bicycles with Mark Welch for local commuters in Midwest; Resourced and Researched Bicycles + Parts; Photography, Website Development, Blogging, Brand Development, and Gallery Curation
Rinka Chung Architecture Inc, Milwaukee, WI, US, Architect I
Masterplan Development, Code Research, Drafting, Rendering, Construction Documents
Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA), Milwaukee, WI, US, Intern/LEED Continuing Education Specialist + Volunteer
Managed Membership Platform, Code Research, Organized SE2 Awards, Taught Continuing Education Credits in LEED + Green Building, Graphic Design
Slick + Design, Chicago, IL, US, Designer
Lead Designer + Construction Administration on high-end hospitality build-outs and furnishings.
Booth Hansen, Chicago, IL, US, Architect II
Project Assistant to Manager and Designer on mid-rise student residences + mixed-use block development.
William M. Karr & Associates, St Thomas, USVI, Project Architect
Project Manager and Schematic Designer for personal estates + low-rise condominium developments throughout the Caribbean.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, US, MArch, Architecture (Ecological Design Track)
University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, US, BArch, Architecture (Minor in Psychology)
Young Professional Bubbler, Award
Nominated and selected as recipient of the 2013 Young Professional Bubbler Award for outstanding work in the community as well as your alliance to and love of Milwaukee. This award recognizes a few key traits: leadership, passion, innovation, drive and love the city.
Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI), Nomination
3 projects designed and implemented by beintween (Swing Park, the ARTery, and ICAN 2 LABS) were all nominated in a single year as finalists for the 2015 Mandi Awards, which are known locally as the “Oscars of Community Development.”
the ARTery, Grant
Grant writer, lead designer, and project manager of $2,000,000 of grants received for public interest work:
- (2)$735,000 grants from the Kresge Foundation for projects in Milwaukee and Cleveland
- $350,000 grant from Art Place
- $100,000 grant by the Ohio EPA for Beneficial Scrap Tire Reuse
- $25,000 grant by City of Milwaukee Community Development Block Fund
- $13,000 grant by the City of Milwaukee Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation
- $13,000 grant from Mary Nohl Grant by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
- $2,000 grant from Art Support.
20 of the Most Creative Milwaukeeans, Nomination
Milwaukee Magazine selected 20 Milwaukeeans who are using their ingenuity to advance this city in ways someone like Solomon Juneau would have never imagined. An urban walking trail [the ARTery] dotted with art made from recycled materials...these are realities for contemporary Milwaukeeans, and it’s all thanks to these supremely inventive minds.
Marcus Prize student of Diébédo Francis Kéré, Honorable Mention
Distinguished by Dean for the realization of master's thesis work at UWM commencement with Diébédo Francis Kéré, an award-winning architect based in Berlin, Germany and recipient of the Marcus Prize for Architecture. Recognized for successfully funding thesis work through Kickstarter, which led to the development of the ARTery, a 2/3 mile linear park in Milwaukee integrating neighborhoods through a new approach to public space design.
Burnham Prize Competition, Honorable Mention
Awarded Honorable Mention for Burnham Prize Design Competition hosted by Chicago Architecture Club in collaboration with Bauen Studio for our submission, "Redox: Island/Inland," to redesign the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Haiti-Habitat Competition, Award
Honored as a Finalist in Haiti-Habitat Design competition for submission called "free:hab" for temporary shelter and disaster relief housing in the wake of 2010 Earthquake; also flown to New York City by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee to participate in a design charrette.
