Abstract
ArcPrep is a one semester college-level course guided by university faculty that introduces Detroit Public School students to architecture, urbanism, and design-related fields. The program aims to empower the next generation of Detroit leaders by offering rigorous design education in a studio environment, directly engaging students with inspiring artists and creative practitioners, and offering pathways to postsecondary education in professions related to the built environment. Since 2015, more than 300 Detroit Public School students have completed the program. By exposing students to complex scenarios in the city, connecting them to motivational professionals, and encouraging them to tackle the urban challenges that matter most, we’ve seen our young designers excel. Building on the energy and expertise of locally-rooted cultural organizations, students are encouraged to leverage the distinctive affordance of the city, to investigate the productive intersection of contemporary cultural production and design, to explore design’s capacity to engage diverse constituencies, and to consider how design can contribute to a more socially equitable world. The program aims to guide students through the college application process and promote continued education in varying disciplines. ArcPrep has collaborated with Kresge artists, designing pavilions in response to artists’ practices, explored arts-based strategies for equitable regeneration at the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in Detroit’s North End, created exuberant proposals for socially inclusive interventions at the Detroit Institute of Art, and reimagined the Detroit Public Library as a place for the community.
Presenters
Young Tack OhMichigan Mellon Design Fellow, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Michigan, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Detroit, Post-Secondary Education, Highschool, Community, Architecture, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
