Will a Vacant Stare Inspire? AFH/Chicago's Activate!; Chicago Women in Architecture's Scholarship deadline

When you look at a vacant lot, do you see beyond the emptiness?  Architecture For Humanity/Chicago is posing that challenge in its Activate! Temporary Public Space Design Competition.

The American city is rooted in its neighborhoods, public spaces, and infrastructure.  Transforming the interstitial open spaces that characterize our cities can be a fundamental catalyst for community connectivity and socialization . . . Through small acts we can repurpose public space to be more universally accessible, inclusive, age friendly, and a builder of community.

The guidelines are pretty simple: "design one or more objects that activate a vacant site, is universally accessible, and fosters multi-generational community interactions."  Submit in PDF form two 11 x 17 boards including a plan/section/elevation and design detail.  The budget is $1,000, so put back that travertine.  The deadline is March 15th.  Check out the full details here.

On another note, aspiring designers have only until January 31st to submit for Chicago Women in Architecture's Student Scholarship 2013-14.  

Each  year [CWA] awards a scholarship to a female sutdent in the last year of studies, with an outstanding Design Studio Project.  The $2,000 Scholarship is awarded at the CWA Scholarship Brunch, where her author presents the winning entry.

Appliccants must be female architecture students scheduled to graduate in the 2013/2014 Academic Year (December 2013 or May 2014) with a M. Arch or a five year B. Arch Degree from a NAAB Accredited Architectural Program in the State of Illinois.  There is no limit of student submissions per school.

More information here. Registration form here.

Fore! PARK(ing) Day 2012 turns Milwaukee Avenue into a Golf Course Friday

click images for larger view

Although, since it's miniature golf, maybe it should be:  Fore! . . .

If you're around North Milwaukee Avenue early Friday morning, September 21, you may see Architecture for Humanity/Chicago's Katherine Darnstadt playing parking chairs, getting dibs on nine metered parking spaces that will be transformed for the day into the holes of a miniature golf course.  Nine parking spots from Kimball to Central Park, each in front of a vacant storefront, will be transformed into a 9-hole course, each of the nine holes individually designed by a local artist or creative business.

Speaking of Number 9, there are also Nine "gates" to the male human body.  Nine choruses of angels, and Nine noble virtues.  Nine animals make up the Chinese dragon.  Nine false doors in the building permit office.  Nine small steps in the Parade of Shoes.  Nine check-out lanes to choose from at my local Jewel, and everyone ahead of me has a very large cart filled with  81 very small items.  But I digress. 

The event is part of PARK(ing) Day 2012, "an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks." The ultimate objective of Mini-Golf on Milwaukee is to help "create a vibrate arts corridor over time in an area that is experiencing serial vacancy." You can see some pics of the course being pre-assembled here.