IMPACT! Design for Social Change, SVA
The 2013 Impact! Design for Social Change program—a summer residency at the School of Visual Arts in New York City—introduced our group of four international classmates to WHEDco, a nonprofit organization located in the South Bronx with whom we consulted for six weeks.
WHEDco has been working in the Bronx for over twenty years to make communities more equitable, beautiful and economically vibrant; however, a stretch of Southern Boulevard remains problematic as it is poorly lit, underutilized and perceived as unsafe.
The challenge: how might our group equip WHEDco to activate the streets in this neighborhood and bring unity to the cultural diversity of Southern Boulevard?
We found that part of the problem was a disconnect between what can be seen of a store from the outside and what it is actually like on the inside. By leveraging WHEDco's existing relationships and multifaceted programming, we set out to reacquaint locals with their own neighborhood and also with each other.
Enlivening the streets, we believe, is the first step of a larger effort to build confidence on Southern Boulevard and to facilitate its revitalization.
The cornerstone of our strategy, The Boulefont, is a boisterous family of typefaces drawn (quite literally at times) from the many voices of Southern Boulevard. It is our hope that this shared visual language strengthens individual connections within the community while deepening—and sustaining—its collective sense of place.
At the conclusion of the IMPACT! program, we presented to WHEDco a summary of our iterative strategy for change which included short-term plans, mid-range applications and long-term ideas. We also provided them a Starter Kit complete with digital and printed assets and laser-cut, acrylic stencils of both the signature "Welcome Mat" as well as individual Boulefont letters.
The stencils could be employed immediately by merchants or incorporated into youth workshops. Mid-range applications such as expanding the creative staging of storefronts could be achieved by "piggybacking" onto exisitng programming or by forming new partnerships with artists, institutions, merchants and property owners.
Once community participation and advocacy efforts gain momentum, long-term goals such as large-scale collaborations, site-specific art installations and infrastructural improvements can be fully realized.
The 2013 Impact! Design for Social Change program—a summer residency at the School of Visual Arts in New York City—introduced our group of four international classmates to WHEDco, a nonprofit organization located in the South Bronx with whom we consulted for six weeks.
WHEDco has been working in the Bronx for over twenty years to make communities more equitable, beautiful and economically vibrant; however, a stretch of Southern Boulevard remains problematic as it is poorly lit, underutilized and perceived as unsafe.
The challenge: how might our group equip WHEDco to activate the streets in this neighborhood and bring unity to the cultural diversity of Southern Boulevard?
We found that part of the problem was a disconnect between what can be seen of a store from the outside and what it is actually like on the inside. By leveraging WHEDco's existing relationships and multifaceted programming, we set out to reacquaint locals with their own neighborhood and also with each other.
Enlivening the streets, we believe, is the first step of a larger effort to build confidence on Southern Boulevard and to facilitate its revitalization.
The cornerstone of our strategy, The Boulefont, is a boisterous family of typefaces drawn (quite literally at times) from the many voices of Southern Boulevard. It is our hope that this shared visual language strengthens individual connections within the community while deepening—and sustaining—its collective sense of place.
At the conclusion of the IMPACT! program, we presented to WHEDco a summary of our iterative strategy for change which included short-term plans, mid-range applications and long-term ideas. We also provided them a Starter Kit complete with digital and printed assets and laser-cut, acrylic stencils of both the signature "Welcome Mat" as well as individual Boulefont letters.
The stencils could be employed immediately by merchants or incorporated into youth workshops. Mid-range applications such as expanding the creative staging of storefronts could be achieved by "piggybacking" onto exisitng programming or by forming new partnerships with artists, institutions, merchants and property owners.
Once community participation and advocacy efforts gain momentum, long-term goals such as large-scale collaborations, site-specific art installations and infrastructural improvements can be fully realized.
we were inspired by the competing sights, sounds and personalities of Southern Boulevard
there are many ways, united by The Boulefont, in which to make the streets more hospitable—above, "Welcome Mats" and signage
mockups: above—potential transformation along the tracks; below—a reclaimed lot party at the NW corner of Southern / Freeman
