The Ohio Feeder Ramp

Founded in 1993 by architect Stanley Tigerman and designer Eva Maddox, Archeworks is a nonprofit, post-graduate, multidisciplinary alternative design school with a focus on bettering the community by serving those in need. Convention Challenged delves into Archeworks’ then-12-year history through the stories of students, alumni, faculty, staff and beneficiaries of Archeworks’ community building and design initiatives. The year-long program has grown since its founding and, through part-time classes, gives students of all backgrounds the opportunity to receive a post-professional certificate in alternative design. In place of a traditional curriculum, students work in multidisciplinary teams with nonprofit partners to create design solutions for social needs. Social dilemmas – ranging from AIDS to homelessness – are posed to the students, who then test and implement their own design solutions, with faculty members on hand to both guide and participate in the process. Faculties are all leading members of Chicago’s design community and, through a multidisciplinary lens, facilitate student education and interest in being socially responsibly. Jeanne Gang’s essay is a retrospective of facilitation at Archeworks for two years.