COMMON SPACE was a series of programs that looked at rethinking urbanization, community infrastructure, local development, the role of activism, reactivating common spaces large and small, and the formal and informal.
When common spaces work well, they serve as a stage for our public lives – the settings where celebrations are held, where exchanges both social and economic take place, where friends run into each other, and where cultures mix.
COMMON SPACE had four components:
- Design Labs in five Alaskan cities during April 10-15, 2011, with a nationally-recognized artist working in each location.
- A Statewide Design Challenge, open to all Alaskans. Professionals, general public and kids cultivated ideas to improve common space in their own communities.
- A Symposium in Anchorage (April 8-9, 2011), which included presentations from the five Design Lab artists as well as the Statewide Design Challenge entrants. Break-out sessions were used to further discuss and explore ideas for the use of communal space.
- An exhibition at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art.
ADF was proud to partner with organizations and communities throughout Alaska to help ensure that these events were meaningful and significant for the participants and their communities.
