2013-14 Creative Activity Research Grants

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts has announced the recipients of its 2013 Faculty Creative Activity Research Grants.

Three grants have been awarded to support a variety of faculty projects, ranging from the implementation of eco-urbanism strategies in Old North St. Louis to mapping the Missouri River Basin to studying with a master bike frame builder in conjunction with the development of a public artwork.

Established in 2007, the Creative Activity Research Grants program aims to encourage faculty to pursue innovative new projects or to advance ongoing creative activity and research.

The following recipients were chosen by a jury of tenured and tenure-track faculty:

Catalina Freixas and Pablo Moyano, senior lecturers. The grant supports enhanced study of the Old North St. Louis neighborhood, including the collection of data relevant to the application, implementation, and analysis of the after-effects of eco-urbanism strategies on the community. Using designs produced by architecture students for Moyano’s fall 2012 course Surface it, with pieces, the two faculty will design and construct molds for concrete pavers, which will then be used to build a plaza and sidewalk. Their goal is to improve the quality of life for residents by providing communal spaces for neighborhood activities, and by encouraging further implementation of beneficial eco-urbanism strategies.

Kees Lokman, assistant professor. The grant supports research that will map the existing cultural, environmental, and economic forces shaping the Missouri River Basin. Recent key events—including the Missouri River flood of 2011 and record droughts in 2012—have underscored the growing need for stakeholders and policy makers to reevaluate how water is used and managed in the basin. Lokman’s research will feature visualizations that layer photographs, maps, drawings, and infographics in order to reveal the interrelationships among ecology/economy, food, waste, energy, and mobility networks. Research findings will be presented as part of a traveling exhibition, with a goal of helping decision makers, residents, and designers imagine and develop sustainable futures for the Missouri River Watershed.

Lindsey Stouffer, senior lecturer. The grant supports the realization of a sculpture Stouffer has been invited to make for the Madison County Trail (MCT) bike path during a residency at Six Mile Sculpture works this summer. In preparation, she will study with master bike frame builder Koichi Yamaguchi, learning specialized techniques in metal arts that will facilitate the public artwork, as well as informing her studio practice and her teaching of courses in sculpture, furniture design, and Cycles (a Sam Fox School Commons course). The opening celebration for the sculpture is slated for September 2013.