Chicago Study Tour

This last fall I took the opportunity to go on a interdisciplinary study tour to Chicago, Illinois. It last 5 full days not including the travel and gave us the opportunity to study buildings as groups and present to one another at the actual site. On our first full day we started off leaving our downtown hotel, the Red Roof Inn, and walked to Trump tower to discuss the first days buildings. We then proceeded to learn from each student about there buildings. Some of the ones I found most interesting that day were the Harold Washington Library and City Target. I loved the owls as a sign of knowledge on top of the library and the intricate patterning on the exterior of the Target.

After that "Loop" we took a train to visit the Illinois Institute of Technology. The next day we had the opportunity to learn from different discipline teachers, so I started my day with the Landscape Architect teacher. She led us on a walk through Chicago looking at the undeveloped areas. We got to walk along the beach and then moved further towards the Lincoln Park Zoo. On the way we saw this interesting arch that had all the students intrigued (top right). After lunch the Interior Designers went with their teacher to explore the Merchandise Mart, visiting Herman Miller, Design Tex(bottom left) and Dream Home, as well as the Green Spot.

 At the end of that day the faculty had an evening cruise along the river and out onto the lake planned, so experiencing that with my friends and colleagues was really fun.

The next day we started at the Farnsworth house, learning the stories of their flooding and how it came about. Then in the afternoon we had our last student group present around Millennium Park. My group had researched the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (bottom left), so I had the opportunity to teacher fellow people about that structures story. But I also loved hearing about Crown Fountain (bottom right) and how it shoots water out at people in certain segments of its programming.

 The last full "school" day we were taken on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wrights Home and Studio (left). Then just after lunch we took our group picture in front of the infamous Bean or "Cloud Gate" and ended the day exploring the Art Institute of Chicago which had some amazing pieces of art I later learned in the semester in my Modern Art-19th century course.

 The final day in Chicago was a free day for the students and I wandered through the Shedd Aquarium with a friend. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we came back with new friends in multiple different disciplines.

Paris Study Tour

In the Summer of 2012, I had the opportunity to partake in a ten day study tour to Paris, France. Our group of Interior Designers led by two faculty were able to visit many of the famous buildings and interiors we soon learned about in classes. Our hotel was situated downtown so we easily strolled along the streets looking at shops and eating the french cuisine. On one of our first days we took the short metro trip to visit the Eiffel Tower(left) for the first time that week and also visited the magnificent Arc de Triomphe (right). These structures seem small in images but when climbing the Arc you realize just how tall they are from being so out of breath once you reach the top, looking out at all the streets sprawling from this central point.

 Next we spent an entire day at Notre Dame, walking the grounds and explore the enormous cathedral. Throughout the trip we had the opportunity to sketch several of the buildings and this sketch was one of my favorite to work with. We spent a maximum of 30 minutes sketching each building and this was a quick one at 10 minutes.

We spent half a day exploring the Louvre in all its enormity. First we were led to what the teachers believed were the "big three" pieces to see, the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa and Winged Victory. Then we could explore the rest of the museum as we saw fit. That evening a group of us decided to go back and experience the Eiffel Tower at night and saw its light up show as we were headed back to catch the last metro train to our hotel with an ice cream crepe in hand.

Another day was spent visiting Villa Savoye and the Musee de Orsay. Again we had the opportunity to sketch around Villa Savoye and I sat up on the top floor sketching part of the building. I was surprised at how the walls were dirty when we arrived. In all the images you see these pristine white walls and it did not seem the same in person but it still was amazing to see such a famous structure.

 Then there was the day we visited Montmartre, seeing Sacre Couer and having portraits drawn by the artists nearby. My friends and I later returned for one's birthday to visit the Moulin Rouge, which was quite the experience in itself.

One of the last days we visited the palace at Versailles. I was enthralled by everything I saw and if the palace wasn't enough, walking the grounds took your breath away. However, they also had some contemporary sculptures displayed throughout the palace that weren't too appetizing. Some were interesting and create a unique dynamic with the space but then there were objects like the large pink feather helicopter that I feel just did not mesh well and wasn't very attractive to be honest.

I am sure I have left out some things we saw but the trip was so filled with wonderful experiences and places that it is difficult to think of everything upon returning. Now a year later I think about visiting the star outside of Notre Dame once more, ensuring another trip back. And maybe I will on my next semester to Italy!

Olympic Sculpture Garden Sketch Crawl

When touring at the sculpture garden I was able to look over the shoulder of some of the other urban sketchers. It was quite astounding to see them work and what they could do with their media. Just watching Ching sketch gave me hope to get better at sketching. I sketched a different angle than him of "The Eagle" but he found this perfect view that framed the space needle and I later wished I had tried that viewpoint. In my sketch I found I had thought the sculpture was proportioned correctly until I tried to fill in the buildings in the background. I would also like to improve my portrayal of shrubbery and trees. I am very happy with how the color of the sculpture turned out, but I should work into the shading a bit more. Even though I know a few things I would like to fix in future sketching, I am happy with how overall these two sketches turned out.

Gensler Job Shadow

During the study tour I had a chance to go to Gensler for a job shadow and found it an insightful experience into a more commercial aspect of design. At the start of the day I spoke with Bruce, who is their main sustainability person and was able to learn about how the building they are located in is sustainable. I then  learned about a few different projects they were working on and was able to sit in on material and lighting meetings. During lunch I was able to sit down with a Senior Associate, Susana, and discuss what skills firms are looking for in a designer. She told me that computer skills are important but hand drafting skills are a constant necessity in design. To be able to communicate ideas quickly is extremely important in the business. I was also able to show my online portfolio and explain some of the previous projects I have completed. Susana told me that in the preliminary vetting an online portfolio is what they look at mainly, but once it comes to one-on-one meetings physical items to showcase are important too. In the end it was a wonderful time spent in their firm, seeing what kinds of things they do day-to-day. After my time there I find I am very interested in working there once I graduate.

Showrooms and the House of the Immediate Future

While out on tour visiting different showrooms, I learned the difference between their products and ones you could buy at department stores, in terms of quality and price. At the Knoll showroom it was a rushed visit but after seeing the space we had the chance to do one sketch. I chose this view from a seated area to the office cubicles behind it. The dividers allowed for privacy but you could also communicate well with some seated in the space. I wish I had more time to have completed this sketch and been able work into it with more depth, but am pleased with how it turned out given the short period of time.

At the Habitat for Humanity "House of the Immediate Future" there was a guided tour through the downstairs of the home. I learned about the different components and had my first introduction to the idea of a wet core, housing everything water/wet related. I wish I could have seen the upstairs and how the wet core was laid out up there but found it very interesting to see the layout in such a small home. I found that the wall kitchen was an easy way to reduce space and open up the "living room". Before and after the tour I was able to create the sketch above. I was using a new watercolor kit and was having difficulty being able to clean out the brush between colors but I found I achieved the correct colors for the front facade of the home. I wish I had worked in some more shading in the end but some of that comes through with the watercolor.