Exhibitions: Final Week for Country, Life & Economics

The current Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center exhibition Country, Life & Economics will be on display through Saturday, September 3. If you haven't had a chance to visit yet, plan to come in this week, Monday through Thursday 9 AM to 3:30 PM and 7 to 10 PM, or on Saturday between 9 AM and 3:30 PM, and enjoy the installation views below!

Erik Newman Toronada Machine – Chicago Schwinn saddle, bicycle parts, oak, plywood, miscellaneous (2005)

Carla Bruni Cold Month Project – Salvaged Craftsman drill, lamp parts from stage lighting, form mold (2016)

Julia Paloma This is Part A or The Reappearance of Sentiment – Bronze (2016)

Brian Blankstein and Emily McCormick Twist Wrench – Fire poker handle, wrench (2016)

Jeffrey Visotsky Kangaroo Tongs – Kangaroo bone, wooden spoon, clay, bronze (2016)

Laura Miracle Alley Trellis – Found chairs, macaroni tin, mason jar, soil, pothos (2016)

Members who are interested in being a part of our next exhibit, check out the call for entries for Demo.

Education: New Instructors for Fall 2016

In addition to offering teen courses and expanding our open studio hours on Sundays, Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center is very please to add two new instructors for the fall term – Micki LeMieux and Pat Rankin will both join the Casting & Molding Department.

Micki LeMieux creates public outdoor sculpture and fine art. She received a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1991. She began working professional making specialty props and prototypes for TV, theater and commercial companies, including: The Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC, Levi Strauss, and Steppenwolf Theater. She has nationally exhibited her artwork in galleries and outdoor settings.

"I see myself as an observer.  I view the earth and the individual as one living organism.  I am in love with form, and we are all an extension of form.  I am a sculptor and object maker because it is in my DNA.  Creating connects me with nature and life."

Micki will be teaching Intro to Casting (CST110-06) on Wednesday mornings, as well as Casting for Teens: Ages 12-14 (CST610-06) on Monday afternoons and Casting for Teens: Ages 15-17 (CST710-06) on Wednesday afternoons. For more info about Micki's artwork, please visit mickilemieux.com.

Pat Rankin made his first series of bronze castings at 17; by the time he was turned 19 he was a part-time student and full-time apprentice at Richard Rush Studios, a museum exhibits creator with a world renowned reputation for innovation and quality workmanship. Pat attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1978-1982 taking three semesters in Foundry, and continued his work at Richard Rush for three more years.

"I became a maker of objects because of my ability to create whatever I wanted by applying past knowledge with new desires. I used wood, clay, glue whatever I had on hand to make things. All kinds of things, I love the materials, the smells of a studio and the feeling of bringing to life an idea."

Pat will be teaching Intro to Casting (CST110-06) on Saturday mornings. For more info about Pat's artwork, please visit patrankinartist.com.

For info on the rest of our returning instructors please click here – and for our full Fall Term course listing, visit ciadc.org/classes-fa16.

Education: Fall Enrollment is Open

This week, Fall enrollment opens for the term beginning September 12, 2016. Core classes will be offered in 6- and 12-week sections, there will be a smattering of single-session instruction modules, and we're pleased to announce two additions: CIADC will now be offering teen-focused courses on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and we've added an open studio access time slot for 12:30-3:30 PM on Sunday afternoons.

Check out the courses department by department below, and get ready for an active, creative Fall!

CASTING AND MOLDING

FABRICATED METALWORKING AND FORGING

INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

WOODWORKING

And for all members who are not planning to enroll in core classes this term, please be sure to attend the free STUC sessions to maintain access to open studio time!

Free Safety and Tool Use Certification on Saturday, September 10

Technology Department STUC (ITDSTUC-01) – 10:00 AM with Matt Runfola

Woodworking Department STUC (WDWSTUC-01) – 10:30 AM with Laura Miracle

Metalworking Department STUC (FMFSTUC-01) – 11:30 AM with Matt Runfola

Casting Department STUC (CSTSTUC-01) – 12:30 PM with Dominic Sansone

  

Call for Entries: Demo

Hands-on, first-person knowledge is fundamental to the spirit of our community at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center. The next exhibit project highlights the hands-on culture of CIADC, and we are encouraging all members to be a part of this project!

Demo will present creations designed to be touched, moved, manipulated, examined, and activated by CIADC visitors. We are seeking kinetic works and interactive pieces, with attention to tactile surfaces and construction methods that encourage participation from visitors. As with all exhibits at CIADC, we are seeking works that incorporate metal, wood, casting, and technological processes.

CIADC Members interested in taking part in this exhibit should send a description of your demo project with images or sketches to socialmedia@ciadc.org or speak to Nathan Smith, Sandra Stone, or Danielle Euer at the front desk!

To participate, please be in touch by Saturday, September 3

 

  • Works will be selected by Thursday, September 8
  • Drop-off will take place September 12 to September 17
  • Join us for the opening reception Saturday, October 15 from 4-6 PM
  • Demo will be on display from September 24 through December 17

Installed: Waterbird by Janet Austin

If you have not done so already, make time this summer to go check out the 15th Annual Chicago Sculpture Exhibit based in Lincoln Park and surrounding neighborhoods. This year, Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center community member Janet Austin is one of the forty-two artist displaying large-scale sculptural works in the exhibit. 

Inspired by the great blue heron, Waterbird is nine feet tall and six and a half feet wide, composed of powder coated steel. The work is located at 1858 North Mohawk Street, Chicago and will be on display, publicly accessible 24/7 through May 2017. 

In addition to Janet's sculpture, there are many other public creations throughout the neighborhood. Click on the map below for a guide to the 2016 Chicago Sculpture Exhibit, and then get out there to enjoy the sunshine and statuary!

Opening Reception: Country, Life & Economics

Join us this Saturday from 4-6 PM for the next Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center exhibition: Country, Life & Economics. Featuring creations by Brian Blankstein and Emily McCormick, Carla Bruni, Laura Miracle, Erik Newman, Julia Paloma, and Jeffrey Visotsky, the exhibit focuses on design efforts undertaken to breathe new life into old materials – giving the available means a fresh purpose for practical applications. 

The exhibition will highlight items crafted for domestic use, where previously there had simply been parts and the individual drive to make something work. Join us to celebrate the new creations coming from the CIADC workshops!

Detail of a sculpture by Laura Miracle

Education: 5-Week Summer Classes and Instruction Modules

Summer term at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center is in full swing, but there's still time to join a series of great 5-week core classes or single-session instruction modules. The second half of the term begins the week of July 25 through July 30 – sign up today and keep up with the latest in the CIADC workshops – CIADC is offering a 10% discount to all new students: use code SUMMER10 at checkout!

5-Week Core Classes

Casting

Intro to Sand Cast Metal (CST120-05)
Wednesday 9 AM - 12 PM with Quentin Shaw beginning July 27;
Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Dominic Sansone beginning July 30

Intro to Composite Fabrication (CST150-05) 

Monday 7-10 PM with Mark Carroll beginning August 1

Fabricated Metalworking & Forging

Intro to Metal Fabrication (FMF110-05)
Saturday 9 AM to 12 PM with Quentin Shaw beginning July 30

Integrated Technology & Design

Intro to Rhino: 3D CAD Modeling For Design (ITD110-05)
Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Nathan Aldredge beginning August 6

Intro to Electronics and Microcontrollers For The Built Object (ITD120-05)
Wednesday 7-10 PM with Alan Baker beginning July 27

Woodworking

Intro to Woodworking (WDW110-05)
Wednesday 7-10 PM with Erik Newman beginning July 27;
Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Laura Miracle beginning July 30

Instruction Modules

Casting

Flexible Mold Making (CST520-01)
Tuesday, July 26 with Dominic Sansone 7 PM

Cold Casting (CST530-01)
Tuesday, August 9 with Dominic Sansone 7 PM

Fabricated Metalworking & Forging

TIG Welding: Steel, Stainless Steel, and Bronze (FMF530-01)
Tuesday, July 26 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

TIG Welding: Aluminum (FMF540-01)
Tuesday, August 2 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

One of a Kind: Chandelier by Laura Miracle

Woodworking instructor and department manager Laura Miracle has donated this tremendous chandelier for sale through Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center. 100% of the proceeds from the sale will be put in the Operating Budget for new tools and Department upgrades.

Crafted from reclaimed vintage wood doors and wired with Edison-style LED filament bulbs in porcelain sockets, this is a fantastic example of the kinds of innovated work our interdisciplinary shops can produce. The door was locally sourced from ReBuilding Exchange, and the 6-watt bulbs produce the equivalent of a 40-watt incandescent bulbs.

The chandelier – valued at $1,000 – will be on sale at CIADC for $500. If you are interested in acquiring this unique creation, contact us via info@ciadc.org – by phone at (773) 961-8498 – or visit CIADC in person anytime the center is open!

Exhibitions: Blueprints Exhibit Compilation

Blueprints at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center will be on view through next Saturday, July 2, 2016. This project includes contributions from over 150 individuals – with plans and printouts from around the world. All submissions to the project are displayed in black and white printed from our office's LaserJet – we're happy to now share a full color PDF of all the 2D works from the exhibit: 

In addition to the voluminous 2D submissions, there are a variety of fully-realized 3D projects on display in the exhibit from CIADC members. 

Natalie Kling | Antler and steel

Natalie Kling | Antler and steel

Aushra Abouzeid | Bark, acorn, wax, silicone, resin

Aushra Abouzeid | Bark, acorn, wax, silicone, resin

Sarah Lu | Pine scrap, cardboard, hot glue (model)

Sarah Lu | Pine scrap, cardboard, hot glue (model)

Alan Baker, Bruce Church, Jessica Feith, Laura Miracle | Arduino uno, neopixel light ring, infrared range finders, wood, metal, wires

Alan Baker, Bruce Church, Jessica Feith, Laura Miracle | Arduino uno, neopixel light ring, infrared range finders, wood, metal, wires

Charles Vitous | Mechanical drawings

Charles Vitous | Mechanical drawings

Visit CIADC during gallery hours through July 2, or check out the Blueprints Exhibit Guide for a closer look at this project!

Shop Conversations: Laura Miracle

Laura Miracle: I might just say as an introduction, I’m a sculptor . . . I have an MFA in making things, and that context is useful.

Nathan Smith: Yes, indeed! What is your title here?

LM: I’m the woodworking department manager, and an instructor in the woodworking department [at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center].

NS: I would like to talk about that in a bit, but first, I’d like to talk about all the other things you are up to right now. . . .

LM: [Laughter]

NS: . . . if you’re up for talking about that.

LM: Yeah! I have a lot of irons in the fire. I just got a message from someone who’s interested in having me create some sewn bags – so that’s a whole other thing that I probably haven’t previously shared with you. . . . I have a few different dream business plans for functional art. I’m really interested in tool belts and tool organization, which of course connects to being the shop manager – that’s part of why I’m here, because I just love tools, and I love being organized.

NS: When I first started working here, I would just like . . . wander around the woodshop, just staring at stuff, I think because the order is aesthetically appealing and kind of – maybe a little bit strangely – of the things I was seeing here, I was like: this is the most visually pleasing, just how the tools were set up looks right.

LM: Well, that makes me really happy.

NS: The way I came up with the idea for the Blueprints exhibit was from basically wandering around the woodshop, your walls look like this exhibit. . . .

LM: Oh yeah! So, part of that has to do with that I really believe in giving things space, and that’s part of making it easy to get access to tools, right? So when you’re talking about the tools being arranged in such a way that first – I like to have hangers or supports for the tools that only fit that one particular tool so it makes it intuitive for returning them, and that has to do with the years of experience that I’ve had in community-built shop environments, where you have people who don’t necessarily know what things are called. It’s not enough to just put a piece of tape that says “slip-joint pliers,” because –

NS: I don’t know what that is. . . .

LM: – if you don’t know what slip-joint pliers are, then it doesn’t help. But if you can look at the shape of the tool and match it to the shape of the holder, then you have at least another clue as to where that thing should be stored.

NS: It’s kinda like those kids puzzles where the apple goes in the shape of an apple.

LM: Yeah! You’ve figured me out . . . in my artwork, I’ve done a lot of exploration of things that fit other things very exactly. I made a series of sculptures, and created boxes with lined fabric receptacles for those pieces – and those things fit just exactly in there, and I get a great amount of satisfaction from that – putting the apple piece into the apple spot. It’s really . . . it feels really good. It also fits into the [Door Chandelier] I made too. That was part of what that was about – trying to match the profile of that found door with the cutting on the bandsaw.  

NS: So, tools, tool belts, bags. . . .

LM: Two years ago, I took a leatherworking class at the Chicago School of Shoemaking and got myself set up with an industrial sewing machine. I have that set up, which I’m really excited to start maximizing – but, as you know, the struggle of keeping the bills paid and the incoming coming in is a very real struggle.

NS: Do you have a working studio?

LM: I have a dining room that – well, air quotes dining room – I have a studio in my kitchen. So that’s something that I’m still very interested in. And my idea, my plan is to have the tool belt and tool carrying systems be kind of a winter pursuit because, in the spring and summer I’m really working on being a garden designer.

Raised beds

Raised beds

LM: I build raised beds for people, and I build garden enclosures, trellises, and garden stuff made out of wood. . . . I love working with cedar. That’s generally the material that I’m using. Time will tell what the lifespan of these constructions will be, but I’ve been at this for about two-three years, and so far of the things that I’ve made, they’ve all weathered to a really beautiful silvery-gray color, and there’s no real sign of any kind of decay or damage. That’s in terms of the objects, but I am working towards becoming a full-on gardener in the sense that there is a potential for what I call subscription, where someone has a set of raised beds, and they basically contract you for the growing season to kind of come out and manage the ongoing care of the garden, including succession planning – where it’s like, once this plant is done you pull that out and what are you going to put in next? Where you’re trying to plan double seasons overall, as well as knowing soil requirements, and light requirements, and all that.

Garden enclosure

Garden enclosure

NS: The first year we had a garden, we basically tried to get someone else to do it. . . .

LM: [Laughs]

NS: . . . because, you know, we’re especially bad at the succession part. We put stuff in, but that would be the only thing that would go there for the entire year, and it is just a fraction of it’s potential . . . Do you do a combination of edible and decorative, or?

LM: I’m actually entirely interested in growing food. It has to do with this thing for me that . . . you know, understanding where our food comes from is just really important and fascinating pursuit. I feel strongly that we should all be working to be more connected to the food we consume. So, that’s not quite a political thing for me, but almost there.

New raised beds

New raised beds

NS: It’s an environmental thing in the sense that it’s your immediate environment, and you would like to be more conscious of it?

LM: Right.

NS: We have a garden. And still, some of the people who have access to it – there’s a wild disconnect, wherein they won’t take stuff to eat out of it, unless it’s brought indoors to them. It’s like a combination of not knowing if things are ready, or something. . . .

LM: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying –

NS: It’s really strange.

LM: Yeah, definitely. Well, I’ll share this with you . . . I just started a garden just outside my new apartment, which was kind of a big decision for me, to put all that time and effort into that, because I’m a renter, and so this is what stopped me in the past from having a garden . . . I didn’t want to do it, but I’m at this place where it seemed really important for me to have my own growing space. So I planted spinach and mesclun greens and buttercrunch lettuce and carrots and beets – and then the squirrels ate all the seedlings. And it was so heartbreaking, but is was also really grossing me out, because that means – ahh, eww, ahh –

The enemy

The enemy

NS: That’s the disconnect . . .

LM: That’s what I’m saying.

NS: . . . that stuff’s in the world.

LM: I know, and like there aren’t squirrels on farms other places?

NS: Well . . . there might not be tons of squirrels in like, the middle of Iowa or whatever . . .

LM: That’s true.

NS: . . . maybe there are, I don’t know.

LM: There are animals though, for sure. And this idea that the food that you get from the supermarket has never been a part of nature – is obviously just silly.

NS: We rent too, and we didn’t set out to have a garden, but at Roman Susan we put together this exhibit where it was decided that rather than building pedestals – we priced it out – we found we could have Home Depot deliver two hundred cinder blocks to us and we could make them out of stacked cinder blocks. And then, of course, the exhibit was over and we had two hundred cinder blocks . . . and we were just like, what the hell are we going to do with these things?

LM: [Laughter]

NS: So, I convinced my landlord to let us have these cinder block beds. So, it’s the same thing – it’s kind of a wild amount of effort someone who is renting, but it’s really cool that they’re there, and there are all these guys that hang out in front of our house, because there are a lot of group homes everywhere around there, and they hang out at the bus bench in front of our house to smoke. Anyway, they are always telling me, Oh yeah! The mice – not mice. The rats come and visit your garden every night. And I’m just like, yeah, shrugs.

LM: Yeah, what are you going to do?

NS: The annoying thing is – they don’t like tomatoes, but they will bite one every night to make sure they still don’t like them.

LM: Yeah, it’s so maddening. Yeah, so that’s actually the project that I was working on today, the triangle I was making is going to be part of a series of supports for frames for my garden that will have either mesh, or – the idea I’m working under is that it’s going to be both to keep rodents out in the summer, but then also those panels can be switched out for plexiglass panels to make it into a cold frame in the spring. So the triangle is just to set over the bed and then the screens or the plexiglass fit in over.

NS: There’s a lot of other green stuff around our garden, yard, trees, et cetera. And so lots of rodents just get distracted, there’s plenty to go around. There are tons of rabbits, so we put marigolds around everything because they don’t like their scent, plus rabbits don’t like nightshades? So that’s good. But, well, rats and stuff – not to be deterred by the scent of anything.

Pest protection

Pest protection

LM: I did the cayenne pepper thing too. So after the initial destruction, I did an entire shaker of cayenne pepper over all the seedlings, and now they are coming back, and the squirrels have stayed away, but it just rained like crazy last night, I we’re going to have to go buy more cayenne. But that feels pretty good, because you just wash it off, and it’s fine. And I actually have marigolds around, too, although not in a solid border – maybe that’s the thing, it needs to be like. . . .

NS: Squirrels can fly.

LM: Yeah, squirrels can fly. So I’m covering with mesh, that’s really how I solve that.

NS: We have scarecrows, which endears us to our neighbors, I'm sure.

Cinder block garden beds plus scarecrow

Cinder block garden beds plus scarecrow

NS: So, you have other projects too, yes?

LM: Yeah. Yeah, but wait – there’s more! I am also an art director for an artistic collaborative performance group based out of Humboldt Park called Opera-Matic, which does free performances in the parks. I work with a team of artists to do these collaborative installations and participatory art events. It’s kind of hard to describe – but yeah, I do art direction for them.

Opera-Matic

Opera-Matic

NS: Because it is in public parks, do you feel you have a lot of interaction with people who would not be engaging with art otherwise?

LM: That is absolutely true, and in fact that’s the goal for Opera-Matic – to engage audiences that are not traditionally served by theatre. We get a fair amount of our funding from the park district, and we talk about how our goal is to see a balance of community residents with the artists. . . .

NS: People who are already interested.

LM: Yeah, it’s a little bit of a slippery . . . yeah, exactly. That’s the right way to say it – people who already have access to art culture.

NS: Is it set up to bring people back, to be recurring?

LM: We did just do that. We started out with a weekend in May – the weekend of Mother’s Day – and we just did our third annual performance there. And that’s a pretty good model, to do something on a fairly predictable schedule, year by year. So we’re going to look at repeating these two shows we’ve added to the calendar. One of them is going to be Simons Park around the start of the school year, and then there’s another one at Mozart Park around the middle of November, a little bit after Halloween. And again, trying to have that be at the same time every year, so people can look forward to it, and know that it’s going to happen.

NS: I’m not sure if I’m conflating this with something else, but do these involve, like, flag making and parades and such?

LM: Yeah! Yeah, that’s Opera-Matic. Last year, when the 606 Bloomingdale Trail opened, we were commissioned to do the whole day-long series of workshops where we set up these sewing stations along the trail, and had people who were coming to see the trail for the first time sew a flag. So they made a flag, we gave them a bamboo pole, and we asked them to come back for the opening ceremony at dusk, and we had hundreds of people waving their handmade flags. We had choreographers teaching people how to do dances with the flags, how to do these different choreographed moves. It was really amazing, and really fun. That gets to the very interdisciplinary nature of things, where it’s like, okay – it’s about class, and sewing and dancing and movement and visual art – it’s all those things put together.

NS: It’s complicated, and that’s probably what makes it interesting. Flags in particular, thinking about making your own flag is very interesting to me.

LM: Likewise.

. . .

LM: For Opera-Matic, the drive to do the project for the 606 thing came out of two very particular sets of concerns. Whenever you do public art, you need to have something that’s visual that can be seen over the tops of the heads of crowds of people.

NS: So it’s pretty practical.

LM: Yeah. So it was very much like, okay, here’s your design challenge . . . you have to do something that people can see, of course. And then, we talked a lot about movement, and how compelling things flying in the wind can be. And a big part of Opera-Matic goal is that the crowds of people are the spectacle. So now you have the potential for a hundred people, a thousand people to all be waving flags. That becomes really visually compelling. There is this ongoing question in spectacle theatre about how to maximize the amount of money you put into something. If you’re going to spend like $5,000 to make one massive object – is that going to get you the same visual impact as creating 5,000 flags? So it’s just a different way of exploring visual impact basically.

NS: And so you have more going on too, obviously?

LM: Yes, I manage the woodworking department . . . and there are probably other things I’m forgetting. But that’s most of what I’ve been up to this spring.

NS: Did you teach in the Evanston Art Center?

LM: I did not. I didn’t get to know [Matt Runfola, CIADC founder] until after he had already identified this location [for the Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center].

NS: So, coming into the new space is very similar to any open design solution – you’re looking at this blank space and deciding how to best serve as a woodworking shop?

LM: Yeah, when I entered the picture we knew there would be a woodworking department on the second floor, and the goal was that it be a flexible and meet a variety of needs, but to have enough depth to it for people to be able to go into a process and latch onto that. So, with those parameters, in a lot of ways the design was more or less spelled out, because of course there’s going to be a table saw, a bandsaw, a jointer planer, a drill press . . . I don’t really think there was any question whether those were the pieces of equipment that would be the foundation for the shop. There’s all kinds of subtleties in those things.

NS: What is up there right now that you are the most enthused about – that people might not be aware of?

LM: Well, we just set up our steam bender, which is very exciting. And so we’re bending wood, heating it up to 220 degrees and the steam softens the wood and makes it easier to form. That’s a whole exciting world.

NS: Was the equipment a donation?

LM: No, we just honestly did internet research and built it. There’s a few different ways of building a steam box and they are all basically variations on a theme.

Steam bender

Steam bender

NS: I had no idea . . . yeah, I assume way too many things are prefabricated, but you guys built this.

LM: Yeah, we put it together is really the way to say it. It’s a tube and a steamer, a source for steam. One of the things that’s really exciting about that is we’ll be doing some collaborative thinking between the technology department and the woodshop. It’s possible to envision and design forms with CAD, but then to go into the woodshop and actually try to create those forms with a process that has it’s own limitations, it’s going to be a really interesting and productive pursuit.

. . .

NS: Do you have sculpture ideas, that are unrealized, or on the backburner?

LM: I do, of course.

NS: Are some on the backburner because they aren’t possible at this moment, or just because you haven’t gotten to them, or?

LM: Yeah, both.

NS: What would be an ideal – unlimited resources – what would you make as a sculptor?

LM: The truth is I’d be here – at a place where I could work between different materials with different approaches, because I think it is clear that I’m not someone who’s going to ever be focused on just one material or one line of thinking. The thing that I’m really interested in exploring in my own artwork is this idea of interaction. I’m not a sculptor that would create a thing that people need to stand back and look at. I’m very much about being able to interact and handle a thing, and to feel the weight of it, to feel the surface of it. . . .

Interactive sculpture

Interactive sculpture

LM: Along the same lines with what I talked about with the tools and having a particular support for a tool gives you an indication about what it’s there for – there’s something that’s very interesting about how form can drive your understanding of purpose. I’m really interested in book forms – pages and unfolding and folding. I’m really interested in things fitting inside of other things because I feel like those forms give you clues about what you’re supposed to do, and in this weird way kind of drives the action of the viewer or the person interacting with it, and that gets really interesting to me.

NS: You wouldn’t be making monuments, you would be making intimate things that people can directly engage.

LM: Exactly . . . That’s the thread that goes through all these things. I even have a hard time making it out sometimes, but design and interaction – form driving purpose is thread that connects the different worlds.

For more info about Laura's various projects, please visit lauramiracle.com.

Support CIADC: 2016 Makers Ball on Saturday, June 18

Dear CIADC Community:
 
The Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center’s annual fundraising event, the2016 Makers Ball, is just over 2 weeks away!  Join us on June 18th, from 7pm-11pm at our 6433 N. Ravenswood Ave. home and help celebrate what has been an incredible first year of programming!
 
The 2016 Makers Ball will be a celebration, most definitely. However, the event plays a much bigger role as a fundraiser to help fill the operations revenue shortcomings that are typical with a start-up organization. The Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that relies on charitable contributions to help fulfill our mission of providing education, working access, and community to 3D object makers working with materials and processes requiring specialized skill-sets, industrial workspace, and shop equipment. With classes and open studio access, we have helped nearly 550 people realize their creative projects in Casting and Molding, Metalworking, Technology, and Woodworking since we opened our doors May 11, 2015!

How can you help? 

  1. Purchase tickets to the 2016 Makers Ball to attend, as a gift, or even as a donation  
  2. Become a 2016 Makers Ball Sponsor / Donor at a level right for you or your business  
  3. Participate in “night-of” fundraising activities:
    • Donate a CIADC Department-specific tool or material on our Helping Hands board
    • Bid on Silent Auction items (Vacation home stay in Western Michigan, Cubs tickets, Runfola Studios Furniture, restaurant and wine basket gift certificates, CIADC Member-made candleholders, etc.)
    • Pull a number for the Wine Cork Pull
    • Purchase 50/50 raffle tickets  
  4. Spread the word:
  5. Volunteer by emailing danielle@ciadc.org with subject line “Volunteer”, and note when you can help. We will email you with details!
    • Friday 6/17 (heavy moving, plus sweeping) transform shops to party hall!
    • Saturday 6/18 setup/decorate CIADC for Makers Ball
    • Saturday 6/18 Makers Ball event activities
    • Saturday 6/18 post-event “light” cleanup
    • Sunday 6/19 (heavy moving) re-setup CIADC for industrial arts activities!

The 2016 Makers Ball is the can’t miss event for June, featuring live music from the Amazing Heeby Jeebies, food from Sauce and Bread Kitchen, wine fromH2Vino, beer from Revolution Brewing and Half Acre Beer. I look forward to seeing you there!
 
Sincerely,
Matthew Runfola

Upcoming Exhibitions: Call for Entries

We're happy to extend a call for entries to all Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center members for the next group exhibit at CIADC – Country, Life & Economics. 

Creativity is process channeled and invigorated within circumstantial limitations. This exhibit will focus on personal design efforts undertaken to breath new life into old materials and castaway projects – giving the available means a fresh purpose for practical applications.

Together we’ll highlight items crafted for practical use, where previously there had simply been parts and the individual drive to make something work.

Members of Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center who are interested in taking part in this exhibit are encouraged to send descriptions and or images of your projects to socialmedia@ciadc.org, or speak to Nathan Smith and Danielle Euer at the front desk.

The exhibit will be on display at CIADC from July 23 through September 3, 2016. To participate, please be in touch by Saturday, June 18!

 

Blueprints – Opening Reception Saturday, May 21

The next exhibit at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center opens this Saturday.

Drawing by Charles Vitous

Drawing by Charles Vitous

Join us for Blueprints – opening from 4-6 PM – featuring works by  by Aushra Abouzeid, Omer Abramson, Megan Amal, Silvia Amancei and Bogdan Armanu, Gwyneth Anderson, Krista Anderson, Janet Austin, Alan Baker, Bruce Church with Jessica Feith and Laura Miracle, Katarina Balunova, Simon Belleau, George Berlin, Leana Beukema, Jessica Bingham, Mike Blissett, Tyler Bohm, Madeleine Virginia Brown, Michael D. Brown, Peter Burgess, Kelly Burns, Harald Busch, Nicola Buttari, Karen Y. Chan, Marvin Chan, Julietta Cheung, Laura Christman, Collabobo, Derek Conde, Alicia Craft, David Craft, David Curry, Vadim Dadiomov, Carolina Fernandez Del Dago, Stephanie Delgado of Golder Robotics, Leigh Anthony Dehaney, Abdoul-Ganiou Dermani, Gary Duehr, Walter Early, Taylor Ervin, Danielle Euer, Adam Farcus, Leah Floyd and Cristina Molina, Brent Fogt, Traci Fowler, Anton Fromm and Philip Modest Schambelan, Snow Yunxue Fu, Florian Gassmann, Alexander Gregory, Shahira Hammad, Nick Fury, Yhelena Hall, Kelsey Quinn Harrison, Erin Hayden, Sylvie Hayes-Wallace, Liam Herne, Mauricio Herrero, Ruth Hodgins, Cynthia Hsieh, Will Hurt, Sarra Jahedi, Kara Johnson, Mark Johnson, Vincent Johnson, Jonathan Kaiser, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Heidi Kao, Jared Kelley, Dave Kennedy, Joshua Kent, Juneer Kibria, Natalie Kling, Thomas Kong, Beata Kozlowska, Craig Kraft, Dorothy Krakauer and Diane Ponder, Zuzana Krizalkovicova, Gabrielle Kroese, Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson, Beatriz Ledesma, Léon XLVII, Laurie LeBreton, Sarah Lu, David MacDiarmid, Kera MacKenzie and Robert MacKenzie, Deepa Mahajan, Srinivas Mangipudi, Nathan Margoni, Alexander Martin, Matt Martin, Nathan Masse, Emily McCormick, Shannon McFerrin, Timothy McMullen, Vanja Mervič, Donald Morgan, Martha Morimoto, Greg Mowery, Emanuele Napolitano, Jamie Naqvi, Erik Newman, Liam O'Connor, Andre Pace, Julia Paloma, Will Pergl, Klaus Pinter, Tim Porter, Martin Pranga, Dylan Puddu, Jason Ramey, Alice Raymond, Mark Reamy, Maddie Reyna, Carly Ries, Cole Robertson, Matt Runfola, Dominic Sansone, Mihaela Savu, Emily Schulert, Eva Mae Sedjo, Luke Gerard Shemroske, Christopher Shoup, Madhuri Shukla, Larry Shure, Jean Smith, Nathan Smith and Kristin Abhalter, Sanaz Sohrabi, Elena Solomon, Rebecca Spangenthal, Nectarios Stamatopoulos, Marc Sullivan, Morgan Teel, Ruby Thorkelson, Penelope Thrasher, Dunja Trutin, Betsy Vandercook, James Villalpando, Charles Vitous, Angelina Voskopoulos, Daria Wawrzkiewicz, Julie Weber, Sara Willadsen, Chris Wille, Gary Wiseman, Giuseppe Zanoni, Nick Van Zanten, and others.

Antler and steel by Natalie Kling

Antler and steel by Natalie Kling

Blueprints will be on display through Saturday, July 2, 2016. Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center will be accepting submissions for Blueprints throughout the run of the exhibit — all submissions that follow the instructions below will be included in the exhibit:

  • Submit an image via email that depicts plans for a greater project.

For more information about Blueprints, please visit ciadc.org/community-current-exhibit; for further info about future CIADC exhibitions, please visit ciadc.org/community-upcoming-exhibits.

Summer Courses Now Open!

Summer is right around the corner – sign up today for Immersion Week, 5- and 10-week core classes, plus a range of single-session Instructor Modules!

All members who will not be enrolled in department core classes, please be sure to sign up for the quarterly Safety and Tool Use Certification in order to use open studio access this summer.

Summer Safety and Tool Use Certification
June 18, 2016

Casting STUC

    Metal Fabrication STUC

    Woodworking STUC

    Technology STUC

      5-Week Core Classes

      Casting

      Intro to Sand Cast Metal (CST120-05)
      Wednesday 9 AM - 12 PM with Quentin Shaw beginning June 22 and July 27;
      Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Dominic Sansone beginning June 25 and July 30

      Intro to Composite Fabrication (CST150-05) 

      Monday 7-10 PM with Mark Carroll beginning June 20 and August 1

      Fabricated Metalworking & Forging

      Intro to Metal Fabrication (FMF110-05)
      Saturday 9 AM to 12 PM with Quentin Shaw beginning June 25 and July 30

      Integrated Technology & Design

      Intro to Rhino: 3D CAD Modeling For Design (ITD110-05)
      Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Nathan Aldredge beginning May 14, June 25, and August 6

      Intro to Electronics and Microcontrollers For The Built Object (ITD120-05)
      Wednesday 7-10 PM with Alan Baker beginning June 22 and July 27

      Woodworking

      Intro to Woodworking (WDW110-05)
      Wednesday 7-10 PM with Erik Newman beginning June 22 and July 27;
      Saturday 9 AM - 12 PM with Laura Miracle beginning June 25 and July 30

        10-Week Core Classes

        Casting

        Beginning/Continuing Casting (CST210-10)

        Wednesday 7-10 PM with Dominic Sansone begins June 22

        Fabricated Metalworking & Forging

        Beginning/Continuing Metal Fabrication (FMF210-10)
        Monday 7-10 PM with Sarah Holden begins June 20;
        Tuesday 9 AM - 12 PM with Matt Runfola begins June 21;
        Wednesday 7-10 PM with Sarah Holden beings June 22

        Continuing Metal Fabrication (FMF310-10)
        Wednesday 9 AM - 12 PM with Matt Runfola begins June 22

        Woodworking

        Beginning/Continuing Woodworking (WDW210-10)
        Monday 7-10 PM with Laura Miracle begins June 20;
        Tuesday 9 AM - 12 PM with Erik Newman begins June 21

        Instruction Modules

        Casting

        Plaster Mold Making (CST510-01)
        Tuesday, July 12 with Dominic Sansone 7 PM

        Flexible Mold Making (CST520-01)
        Tuesday, July 26 with Dominic Sansone 7 PM

        Cold Casting (CST530-01)
        Tuesday, August 9 with Dominic Sansone 7 PM

        Fabricated Metalworking & Forging

        The Oxy/Acetylene Torch: Welding and Brazing Steel (FMF510-01)
        Tuesday, June 28 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

        MIG Welding Steel (FMF520-01)
        Tuesday, July 5 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

        Heat Cutting: Plasma Arc Cutter and Oxy/Acetylene Torch (FMF550-01)
        Tuesday, July 12 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

        TIG Welding: Steel, Stainless Steel, and Bronze (FMF530-01)
        Tuesday, July 26 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

        TIG Welding: Aluminum (FMF540-01)
        Tuesday, August 2 with Matt Runfola 7 PM

        Woodworking

        Wood Finishing Techniques (WDW530-01)
        Tuesday, May 24 with Laura Miracle 7 PM

        Upcoming Events

        CIADC will be hosting a variety of new events in the next few months – here's a preview of a few Industrial Arts & Design happenings to keep on your radar.

        Lake FX Summit at Chicago Cultural Center

        Starting on Friday, May 13 CIADC will be one of the participants in the sprawling second year of Lake FX – check out the full schedule listings online, and stop by the CIADC table to say hello and help spread the word to the rest of the city!

        Blueprints Opening Reception at CIADC

        On Saturday, May 21 from 4-6 PM we will host the opening of the next exhibition at Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center. Blueprints will feature 3D projects from each department at CIADC, including works by Aushra Abouzeid, Natalie Kling, Natalie Kling, Sarah Lu, and Bruce Church with Jessica Feith and Laura Miracle, alongside 2D designs by over one hundred artists from Chicago and across the world. (Currently, there are entrants from five continents in the project!)

        CIADC will be accepting submissions for Blueprints throughout the run of the exhibit, ending July 2, 2016. To participate, fill out the project form at ciadc.org/blueprints-submissions and send image(s) via email to socialmedia@ciadc.org.   

        Chicago Sculpture International at Chicago Cultural Center

        At 1 PM on Saturday, May 21 CIADC member Jill King will be leading of a 90 minute presentation with Karen Gubitz as a part of the CSI series Women Sculptors of Chicago, Not for Men Only!

        Makerbot Makeathon at CIADC

        Starting at 10 AM on Saturday, June 11 CIADC will be the Chicago host for Makerbot's nationwide Makeathon. Makerbot is inviting all educators, designers, makers, and anyone experienced in 3D printing to collaborate with in the process. At each Makeathon, those gathered will tackle challenges over the course of two days by iterating on ideas, developing STEAM content, and having fun along the way. Take part to help elevate 3D printing in the classroom: Sign up for the 2016 Chicago Makerbot Makeathon at CIADC!

        Immersion Week at CIADC

        Starting Monday, June 13 CIADC will offer our first five-day continuous education Immersion Week. Designed for those who are not able to commit to a typical 10-week class and/or for those who want the continuity of the Monday – Friday, 6 hours per day schedule. Be immersed and grow leaps and bounds with your creative object making!

        Makers Ball at CIADC

        Summer Classes at CIADC

        Final View: Instructor Showcase

        The latest Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center exhibition Instructor Showcase will come to a close this week on Saturday, April 30. If you haven't had a chance to get a close look, plan to come in this week, Monday through Thursday 9 AM to 3:30 PM and 7 to 10 PM, or on Saturday between 9 AM and 3:30 PM. 

        Above is a top-down installation view of la vita e bella by Matt Runfola – forged and fabricated steel, stainless steel, patina. Join Matt for an intensive education during CIADC's upcoming Immersion Week in Metal Fabrication. 

        Here's a split-second of Nathan Aldredge's color-shifting sculpture, made with micro-controller, 3D printer, CNC router, et cetera. Nathan's next class at CIADC begins Saturday, May 14: Intro to Rhino: 3D CAD Modeling For Design.  

        Luminous in the northwest corner of the gallery is Laura Miracle's Door Chandelier. In addition to Laura's next 5-week woodworking course, she will be leading two single session instruction modules: Model Making for Furniture and Objects on Tuesday, May 10 + Wood Finishing Techniques on Tuesday, May 24. 

        Composite scaling installation detail from Fiberwave by Mark Carroll. Join Mark in Intro to Composite Fabrication, beginning Monday, May 2.

        Solid bronze Drop Garden, by Nikki Renee Anderson.

        Detail of Exposing Trophy by Sarah Holden – mild steel and nylon stockings!

        Suspiciously well-balanced Shaker Tower by Erik Newman – constructed with cherry, walnut, oak, aluminum, and plastic army men. Join Erik for his second five-week session of Intro to Woodworking on Wednesday, May 4.

        Behold: Your tears evoke a taste as memorable as honey by Dominic Sansone – sand-cast aluminum and walnut. Learn the secrets of the trade with Dominic in Intro to Sand Cast Metal starting Saturday, May 7.

        Reflection and distortions surround Genie Vessel by Quentin Shaw. Join Quentin in Intro to Metalworking on Saturday mornings beginning May 7.

        Here are some of the evolving 3D printed components of Alan Baker's work-in-progress 3D Scanner. Join Alan for the next spring session of Intro to Electronics and Microcontrollers For The Built Object, starting next Wednesday, May 4.

        Next up in the gallery is Blueprints, opening reception on Saturday, May 21 from 4-6 PM!

         

        Shop Conversations: Dan O'Brien

        Nathan Smith: You have [a metalworking] business, right?

        Dan O'Brien: I do – Outlier Metal Arts.

        NS: Do you see a divide between your background . . . going from making something for yourself or for aesthetic reasons, to being a business?

        DO: So I am relatively new to the art world. I was a business man, and I was a teacher, and all kinds of other things for a long time. So when I started working, doing metalwork, I first imagined I would just do it as a hobby, but then I was between jobs anyway, and with my wife’s encouraging support – and encouragement from other people in the art field as well – I decided to do it full time, and do it as a business. That led to me wanting to figure out what would sell, and what you can make money selling in the metal art field.

        I know something of the art world, and I knew that it would be very hard to make it as a fine artist, because I don’t have the training, and I don’t have the life-long experience and connections, and I’m just too old for that. [Laughter] I didn’t feel like starting afresh in that type of field, where it would take a long time to get a foot in the door. And also, I wanted my work to be more accessible and exposed.

        I’ve always been a very artistic person, and I’ve always incorporated into my own daily life, so that led naturally to my wanting to create artistic functional objects, and that also is married well with the idea of creating a business. So that was really how I came about creating Outlier Metal Arts, and spending much more time, and getting much more involved with the art center here, and leading to trying to do it as an actual business.

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        Wrought Iron Wall Sculpture with Orthoceras Fossil

        NS: Did you have a history of making things previous to metalworking?

        DO: Yeah, I’ve always been mechanically inclined. When I was an undergraduate in writing, I was a computer technician for a while and I did a lot of hardware maintenance and things like that. I toyed around with mechanics and robotics when I was a kid, and even throughout my career as an English teacher – in fields that weren’t mechanically inclined – I’ve always been very interested in and done a lot of car repair, and I’ve owned a home, so I’ve done a lot of home improvements – both repairs and improvement and modifications and things on that end. A lot of that background comes from my family. My dad taught me a lot of home improvement stuff, so I've always been very hands on.

        NS: What projects are you working on now? Commission, or otherwise. . . .

        DO: I recently completed commission with the owner of Chicago Glass Collective, Leslie Speicher, and that went very well. I was doing aluminum backing for one of her glass sculptures. Now, I am working on fleshing out my inventory for Outlier. I’ve sold pieces, and my inventory is getting low.

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        Wall Sculpture in Rusted Wrought Iron and Hand-Knitted Merino Wool

        NS: How long was the period between when you started metal and when you started thinking and being encouraged to make that your full time gig?

        DO: Yeah – it wasn’t long! Actually, I took a class from Matt Runfola up at the Evanston Art Center, and it was probably towards the end of the first 10-week class.

        NS: Wow, that’s quick, yeah. . . .

        DO: My first project there was making a wrought iron bed frame for my wife. When I was finishing that up, she said: You know, you love doing this, and you’re good at it, and other people seem to think you’re good at it. . . .

        NS: And you had just started, too?

        DO: Yeah, I had just started. I did actually study sculpture a little in Junior College, when I was first out of high school, and enjoyed it a lot, but I definitely don’t think I would have encouraged myself even at that point to go into it as a job. I enjoyed it, and I did some cool stuff, but I didn’t have the mechanical experience to do the stuff I’m doing now, and just kind of did it all on the side. So, I did have a little experience with sculpture.

        NS: What was your favorite commission you have worked on?

        DO: The one I did recently for Chicago Glass Collective was definitely the most challenging, but also I learned the most from it – it was aluminum, which I was not familiar with, and it also included creating backing to hold flat glass sculptures, and then the backing had to be set away from the wall, and then the glass had to be set away from the backing by an inch. So I had to figure out a way to suspend her glass sculpture – which was nerve-wracking . . .

        NS: Sure, yeah. [Laughs]

        DO: . . . away from the thing in a way that was feasible, but also be put together, and for that I had to learn a lot about the mechanics of creating brackets that were moveable, and TIG welding aluminum, and a lot of experimentation with finishing. So I learned a lot from that process, and she just installed it last week, and it looks great in the client’s space in their home. That was one of the most satisfying pieces I’ve done. That was probably my favorite.

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        Wrought Iron Candleholder

        NS: Once you started working with metal . . . I’m guessing, maybe, when you’re out in the world and seeing things constructed, you’re sort of already puzzling out how they work . . .

        DO: Um-huh.

        NS: Did it change at all when you started working with metal in particular?

        DO: Yeah. I learned some things. I knew a fair bit about – just sort of doing mechanical work before – I knew a fair bit about metal and engineering and things like that, not having studied engineering, just kind of learning from a layman’s perspective – building things, you know? But, once I started working in metal, I got some experience with it, I learned a lot more about properties of metal and how it contributes to how something is constructed, and the details of the methods and processes that have to go into creating something. Also the order of operations when you’re building something, what’s feasible with welding versus what’s feasible with mechanical connections, and things like that, how to build things that are hollow that don’t look hollow. So my eye has changed a lot in how I see metal structures, all metal structures, and in particular sculpture, and I have a greater appreciation for what it takes.

        NS: When you started as a business . . . could you anticipate commissions you would want in the future from this point? Like if something came your way that would sort of be an idealized project. . . ?

        DO: I would love to be able to do architectural sculptural work – ornamental railings and things like that and to do something that’s in a very open space, in a public building or a park, that would be awesome. I would like it to be a significant piece that’s in a place that’s going to be around a long time, you know? Also, I have a dream of working – of building playgrounds.

        NS: Oh, wow. That’s very interesting. . . .

        DO: I’m a big fan of the City Museum in St. Louis.

        City Museum

        City Museum

        NS: Yeah, yeah! It’s awesome.

        DO: Fantastic place. And so I would love to be able to create something along the lines of – my dream would be to work at the City Museum. And to build. . . .

        NS: You’d be hacking up new stuff! Rooms people haven’t dreamed up yet?

        DO: Yeah! Other than doing that I’d love to be able to create sculptural backyard playground pieces, or for public parks. That would be something I would really be excited about.

        NS: Of the limited scope of things I thought about sculpturally, playgrounds certainly aren’t in there.

        DO: Yeah, I’d love to see art integrated into children’s lives. I have two kids of my own, and I used to spend a lot of time at playgrounds.

        NS: Sure.

        DO: I was a stay-at-home dad for six years with my daughter.

        NS: So you’re staring at these things anyway. . . .

        DO: Yeah, I’m staring at these things all the time, going: This could be so much cooler, you know? And it’s just so limited what they do with them. But it’s a lot better than when we were kids. It’s not just straight slides where you burn your butt on the thing. They are a lot cooler these days, but it would be great to see more done with them.

        NS: You helped set stuff up here?

        DO: I helped set up everything . . . helping build tables and things like that. And yeah, I’m pretty solidly in metal. I do a lot of shop upgrades, I do a lot of work streamlining things, and upgrading our equipment, and trying to make things easier and safer. We have some tools down there that I think people are unsure really how to use, so we really want to try and make those more accessible, for new students in particular.

        NS: If you’re going to recommend one underused tool down there to people, what would it be?

        DO: The ironworker!

        NS: Okay. Which one is that?

        DO: The one that has the two large bars on top.

        NS: Yeah, okay.

        DO: You can use it both as a punch, and to cut bar stock and flat stock. The great thing about the ironworker is that it does both those things – it does what a drill press does, and it does what a chop saw does for bar stock, cleanly and safely, and quietly.

        NS: Yeah, I’m into quiet work!

        DO: So, it’s a great way for cutting bar stock. The only problem with ours is that it is very difficult to measure the way it’s set up now, so I’m building a mechanism for it, to be able to easily measure pieces.

        NS: Nice.

        DO: Yeah, it’s a great tool, once people learn to use it!

        Blueprints: Constructing the Walls of a Reinforced Concrete Factory on a Horizontal Platform

        As we begin preparing materials for the next Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center exhibition Blueprints, CIADC office manager Danielle Euer has done some research on the origins of our building at Ravenswood and Schreiber:

        "A reinforced concrete three-story and basement factory building 40 ft. high is now being constructed in Rogers Park, Ill., by laying out the walls on a horizontal platform resting on steel jacks, which raise the completed walls to a vertical position after the concrete has set. The building, which is 34 x 82 ft. in plan, is the first of a series of structures to be built by the Uno Manufacturing Company, which proposes to manufacture various toilet preparations that make a fireproof building desirable. To further this end, United States steel sash, tin-clad doors, concrete floors and partitions are used." 

        This description comes from the opening paragraph on page 352 of  Volume 64, Number 13 of Engineering Record, printed in September 1911.

        The building was constructed in 1910 by the Monolithic Concrete Construction Company, and Danielle informs us that "toilet preparations" as mentioned above was an early 20th century phrase used for what we would now call perfume. And or: "burnishing soaps, liquid and scouring soaps, silver and brass polishes, furniture polish, writing inks and disinfectants of all kinds," as per Hotel World of December 13, 1919. At any rate, we have cosmetic concerns to thank for the fireproof structure that is the 6433 North Ravenswood of today. 

        Further, the Record goes on to describe and depict the construction of the building in thorough detail. For example: "A unit floor system is to be used in which the lower 2 3/8 in. of the 6-in. floor is cast in 3 x 15-ft. slabs in the stock yard, one on top of the other with building paper between each slab." 

        One can see the evidence of the building paper on the ceilings throughout 6433 Ravenswood, as above. In the Universal Portland Cement Company Monthly Bulletin of February 1912, Monolith's flat-wall system for constructing the building is further discussed:

        "The end walls were first erected and following this, the third wall, weighing about 250 tons, was raised, meeting the overlapping pilasters so perfectly that a slight amount of grout completed a perfect joint."

        "The second view shows the platform almost completed for the last wall. Raising was accomplished by means of a five horse-power steam engine, shown at the right, through eleven jacks at about ten-foot centers, beneath the platform, and took but eight hours. It came to the exact final position within a small fraction of an inch."

        Clearly, planning goes a long way. Check out the full details from Engineering Record and the Universal Bulletin for the whole story, and send us your own preparations and plans for the Blueprints exhibition, opening Saturday, May 21 at Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center.

        As a parting note, below is a nice confluence of subjects at the end of the Engineering Record article, with the construction costs of the building at 6433 listed directly above the cost of using an Electrically Operated Blue Print Machine in St. Louis, circa 1910:

         

         

         

         

        Field Trip: Crab Tree Farms

        Join CIADC on Saturday, April 23 for a private outing at the historic Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff!

        Crab Tree Farm originated as part of a 370-acre dairy farm, owned by the eminent Illinois federal district judge and railroad president Henry W. Blodgett in the mid-nineteenth century. (1) Crab Tree Farm currently displays several collections in settings that have been created to reflect the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts movement.

        The Arts and Crafts movement, inspired in England by the writings of John Ruskin and the work of the designer William Morris in the late nineteenth century, developed in reaction to the loss of artisanry and pride in one’s labor brought about by the Industrial Revolution. (2)

        A working farm, Crab Tree Farm also supports and facilitates contemporary craftsmanship – half of the central barn is a fully equipped workshop for woodworkers, ceramic artists, metalworkers, and sculptors who receive short- and long-term residencies. (3)

        Our tour will include a viewing of the renowned Arts and Crafts furnishings collection and an insiders look at the Farm's contemporary artist-in-residence wood, ceramics, and metal workshops. Cost is $20 per person, and includes a box lunch and drink. 

        Please register by April 16, online by clicking here!

        Public Works: Jetty by Barry Tinsley

        A thousand feet from the entrance to the Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center, a large-scale work of public art is installed in front of 24th District Police Station at 6464 North Clark Street.

        Jetty by Barry Tinsley is 48 feet long, 12 feet wide, and up to 15 feet high, made of COR-TEN steel. The work was commissioned, designed, and installed for the location as the first public work under the Chicago Percent-for-Art Ordinance in 1980. In 1978, Tinsley had installed a work of similar scale and material in Glencoe, entitled Break Water.

        During the same year that Break Water was installed in the northern suburbs, the City Council in Chicago adopted the Percent-for-Art into the municipal code, after a concerted advocacy effort by the Chicago Artists' Coalition. (1) The Percent-for-Art Ordinance stipulates that 1.33% of the costs for building or renovating municipal buildings be budgeted for public artworks that will be housed on site. A key provision of the ordinance stipulates that at least half of the works must be commissioned from Chicago artists.

        Tinsley's work was installed in January 1980, followed by four other works in the same year: an untitled steel sculpture by Amir Nour at 2255 East 103rd Street; Rescue by Jill Parker at 4001 West West End Avenue; Riverview by Jerry Peart at 2452 West Belmont Avenue; and Reaching Children/Touching People, a mural by William Walker at 975 East 132nd Street. (2)

        Following the relatively pastoral setting of Break Water, Tinsley's Jetty is crouched within the confines of what the artist refers to as "the tight confines of the urban jungle of Chicago." The work, despite it's substantial size and footprint, is nearly camouflaged by the close brown-red brink walls of the police station, a color scheme the weathering metal complements closely. The sculpture juts and recedes, angling between extremes imposing and invisible. Traveling east on Schreiber Avenue or south on Clark Street, one has to turn their head 90° (or more) to catch sight of it, but if you approach heading west on Schreiber or north on Clark – especially on foot – it's massive and striking.

        The Public Art Collection of Chicago has more 700 works of art installed in 150+ municipal facilities across the city. (3) Take a walk down the block east of CIADC sometime this spring and check out the first work of Percent-for-Art and let us know what your favorite public works are in the comments below!