Veils of Ignorance: A Collection of Works 2004-2018

Burt Pinnock’s Veils of Ignorance: A Collection of Works 2004-2018 is on display this month at the Storefront for Community Design downtown at 205 E Broad Street, Richmond, VA.

On the one hand: Philosopher John Rawls purports that to develop a truly equitable social contract, we must imagine ourselves behind a veil of ignorance. We know nothing of ourselves, our natural abilities or position in society or sex or race or nationality. We only know that people are simply rational, free and moral. Now create a society.

On the other hand: In 1922, the monument of Booker T. Washington Lifting the Veil was dedicated in Tuskegee, Alabama, with an inscription that reads, “He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.”

These projects from architect Burt Pinnock evoke the sentiment of the dropped veil while simultaneously exploring the possibilities that arise when that veil is ultimately lifted. Collectively, they strive, as Booker T. Washington did, to educate and reveal truths about our history and who we are in an effort to get us to John Rawls’ vision of designing a more equitable society. 

On the one hand…
But on the other.

Burt Pinnock, b. 1964, Tuskegee, Alabama
Burt Pinnock is an architect in Richmond whose work evokes the sentiment of the dropped veil while simultaneously exploring the possibilities that arise when that veil is ultimately lifted. Collectively, they strive, as Booker T. Washington did, to educate and reveal truths about our history and who we are in an effort to get us to John Rawl’s vision of designing a more equitable society.

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OPENING First Friday

November 2
from 6:30 to 8:30
205 E. Broad Street

Storefront for Community Design + MoB Studio

Golden Hammer Awards this Thursday, November 1!

Historic Richmond and Storefront for Community Design are excited to partner again to host the 2018 Golden Hammer Awards honoring architectural preservation and neighborhood revitalization in the greater Richmond area.

Join us THIS THURSDAY from 6pm to 8pm at Monumental Church (1224 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia) as we recognize professionals working in neighborhood revitalization, blight reduction, and historic preservation in the Richmond region!

With over 30 nominations submitted, specialty cocktails by Belle Isle Moonshine you wont want to miss this event! Purchase your tickets today!

Free parking: Virginia Department of Transportation Parking Lot located at 1401 E. Broad Street

6PIC Center Director, Jackie Washington, Named Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader

Storefront for Community Design is excited to announce that Jacqulyn “Jackie” Washington, center director of the Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC), and community engagement liaison for Storefront for Community Design has been selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Leadership program.  This program is designed to equip leaders across the country - in every sector and field - to collaborate, break down silos, and use their influence to make communities healthier and more equitable.

The Culture of Health Leadership Program fosters cross-sector collaboration and enables participants to remain in their homes and occupations while directly applying everything they learn to improving health policy and practice in their communities and organizations.  The three-year program provides participants with an annual stipend of up to $20,000.
As a member of the program’s newest cohort, Jackie will focus on community trauma and community healing for communities of color drawing on her social work background and her experiences working with young people at 6PIC. Jackie envisions a culture of health that unpacks the effects of contemporary and historical racism in the ways our communities have been shaped through planning and policy decisions.  This culture of health equips the next generation with the knowledge, skill, income, and time to participate in candid, resident-powered, place-based solutions that halt cycles of displacement and promote self-sustained healing.  Jackie will also benefit from a high caliber curricula, coaching from national leaders, collaboration with other cutting-edge thinkers from across the country,  and growing her ability to build healthier more resilient communities here in Richmond.  

“The Storefront for Community Design’s Board of Directors and continue to be inspired by the community-led work Jackie has embodied since joining the team in 2016,” said Storefront executive director, Ryan Rinn. “We’re even more excited to see the impact this opportunity will allow her to make in the City of Richmond. Over the next three years, Jackie will help shape the national conversation about our culture of health and build on Richmond’s 2017 Culture of Health Prize from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.”

Current Design Sessions seeking volunteers!

The fall season is one of the most robust times for our Design Session program. We are currently seeking volunteers for 4 projects in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design.

Here is a taste of each of the current projects:

A park project, which transforms unused public land in Richmond city into a park that encourages unity in the community, needs a landscape architect as a consultant.

A social enterprise hub and food court concept need interior and architectural conceptual help with the renovations of their warehouse space.

A historic school building seeks help (and muscle) with transforming its ruin into a community park and stage.

A neighborhood community arts center is looking for innovative and low-cost ideas for transforming their existing space into an art gallery for neighborhood artists, youth, and residents.

If you are interested in any of these projects, please email adele@storefrontrichmond.org for more information!

Golden Hammer Awards 2018

Historic Richmond + Storefront for Community Design will co-host the Golden Hammer
Awards for the second year on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at the historic Monumental Church. Call for submissions will close September 15.

Historic Richmond Executive Director Cyane Crump said, “As Richmond-area nonprofits with interests in historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization, we are delighted to co-present the awards to recognize professionals working in neighborhood revitalization, blight reduction and historic preservation in the Richmond region.” Projects completed after January 1, 2017 located in the greater Richmond area (City of Richmond, Counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico) will be considered for the categories of: Best Restoration, Best Adaptive Reuse, Best New Construction, Best Placemaking and a new category Best Residential focusing on single-family projects.

“With over 45 submissions last year, we are excited to see which projects in the area will be nominated,” said Ryan Rinn, Executive Director of Storefront for Community Design. “Teamwork and partnerships have always been critical to preservation and placemaking in Richmond and we look forward to another year of high quality submissions.”

We are open for submissions and the portal will close September 15, 2018 at midnight. Applications for the 2018 Golden Hammer Awards can be submitted through Historic Richmond's website.

100 for $100

As one of the proud "parent" organizations of the Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC), Storefront for Community Design is celebrating 6PIC's 1-year birthday by working to secure many more years of youth empowerment and community ownership in Highland Park.

Join our 100x100 Challenge this June to raise funds for 6PIC's operating costs ( think: power, water, Internet + the amazing people that keep it running seamlessly every day). 

It's easy: be one of the 100 people to give $100 to Storefront, so we can keep the 6PIC goodness flowing for years to come. 

www.6picrva.org/donate
or donate directly through our Facebook Page or Storefront's donation page

Engage the Foundation seeking Interior Designer!

Engage the Foundation is launching a the Young Business Builders program at a new space called Workshop this summer at 420 West Broad Street. The space will be a programmable creative space and boutique available to youth entrepreneurs. Workshop will house an income stream that will fund the Young Business Builders Program to innovate more socially responsible youth driven business.

While they already have some pledged assistance from contractors, they need an interior designer to help them outfit their space. The space will house a storefront, meeting space, screen-printing set up, and a photography studio in the back. Their soft opening is scheduled for July 3rd with a formal opening in August. 

Some construction is already underway in the front of the space

Since its’ inception in 2011, Engage, The Foundation (Engage) has focused on connecting communities, schools and universities to resources designed to improve individual stability and family structure. Through the Young Business Builders Program, they equip youth and families with the tools needed to turn passions into profit through training certifications, education and mentorship. Community members, participating college students and recent graduates have become linked with a diverse network of professionals who work with them on achieving their career aspirations in a socially responsible manner.

Monument Avenue: General Demotion/General Devotion

Updated July 3, 2018:

Storefront is proud to be recognized for the Monument Avenue: General Demotion/General Devotion Design Competition in the Monument Avenue Commission's Report to Mayor Stoney about the re-contextualization of the statues on Monument Avenue. You can find a copy of the report here. 

And, check out the story about Richmond, the Confederate Monuments on Monument Avenue, and the Commission's reccommendation on NPR's Weekend Edition from July 8th.

Recent national events provide an opportunity to re-examine the role of Confederate statuary in the public realm. Monument Avenue: General Demotion/General Devotion is an international design ideas competition, aiming to contribute to this important dialogue by inviting architects, planners, designers, artists, and individuals to reimagine the entire 5.4 mile length of Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, one of America’s grandest boulevards. Local Richmond organizations including The Storefront for Community Design + the mObstudiO at VCUarts will administer the international competition, a concurrent local high school competition, and community workshops and conversations. Monument Avenue provides a unique opportunity to enrich the conversation about race, memory, the urban landscape and public art. Competition registration is now open and remains open until September 15, 2018 with submissions due on December 1, 2018. The Valentine (https://thevalentine.org/), a history museum in Richmond, will host an exhibition of entries opening on February 14, 2019.

For more information, contact or visit:
monument@storefrontrichmond.org
www.monumentavenuegdgd.com

You can register for the competition at www.monumentavenuegdgd.com/national/submit

Please share this announcement widely with students, colleagues, firms, studios, community organizations, and anyone else who might be interested.

6PIC turns 1!

6PIC's one year anniversary is June 6th! Come say Happy Birthday!
Join us on Wednesday, June 6th 5:30-8:00 for food, dancing, door prizes and 6PIC updates!

Can't meet us? There are still ways to support 6PIC and youth empowerment in Highland Park. Storefront for Community Design is celebrating 6PIC’s 1-year birthday by working to secure many more years of youth empowerment and community ownership in Highland Park.  
 
Join our 100x100 Challenge this June to raise funds for 6PIC’s operating costs (think: power, water, Internet + the amazing people that keep it running seamlessly every day).

It’s easy: be one of 100 people to give $100* to Storefront, so we can keep the 6PIC goodness flowing for years to come.
 
www.6picrva.org/donate/


*Any amount is much appreciated—we just like round numbers.  

6PIC Spring!

The Six Points Innovation Center's Spring programming has begun. Programming this semester includes Empowerment Hour, Green Team with GroundworkRVA, Lyrics and Beats, ArtStories, Multimedia Street Art, Blackademic in Residence, Design classes, Jobs for Life classes, and Higher Education Preparation and Assistance classes. There will also be various workshops and topics classes for teens in Highland Park who want to engage in arts, environment, advocacy, education & history. Six Points is also proud to launch the program, City Builders, which empowers youth to activism and understanding racism in city policy.

Learn more about 6PIC here and check out the spring calendar here.