New! Progress on Tilt-Down Fence
The team has been making good progress on the Tilt-Down Fence– developing a new type of “ladder”- one with more than just one function!
The Ladder begins to transform into a picnic bench and table to activate the park right around the corner of Geneva Avenue and Vinson Street in Dorchester when opened .
Checkout some of our progress work below.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates + progress!
Tilt-Down Fence
New Project Update 2015! Tilt-Down Fence; a public art installation project that serves the local immigrant population currently residing in Dorchester.
Tilt-Down Fence is a temporary urban stage set for Vietnamese water puppet shows and oral plays about immigrant experiences. The fence is a metaphor and has purpose. It’s a climbing structure [metaphor: the economic ladder] and a framework for adults to gather, support and network towards upward mobility. Being sited near the MBTA public bus stop, Tilt-Down Fence will also serve the community at large, the VietAID Au Co pre-schoolers, parents and the elderly population.
Tilt-Down Fence plays with the typology of a traditional fence that not only symbolically speaks about the borders and boundaries that the immigrant population has to break through but it’s also a structure of place-making for the community. Under the supervision of BR+A+CE co-founders Hansy Better Barraza and Anthony Piermarini, the team is led by architectural students Connie Wang from the Rhode Island School of Design and Shiqing Liu from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
The project is conceived, fabricated and fund-raised by BR+A+CE. We rely on crowd-funding to help us make the project a reality. Please make sure to visit our Donation page and “Like” our Facebook page to receive project updates.
In the past few weeks, BR+A+CE has organized meetings with Evelyn Darling and Nia Allen-Lee and their summer youth group to discuss ways in which we can serve the Dorchester immigrant community. We currently are also finalizing our design concepts to submit an application to the MBTA to get approvals to install the public art project in early October on MBTA owned land. We have come up with several proposals to activate this wonderful park currently across VietAID. Please see our process work below.
Background
Between 2000 to 2010, the Vietnamese population in Massachusetts increased by 26%, making Massachusetts the 7th largest state with 42,915 Vietnamese immigrants. The 2010 census showed that 4.8% of the total population in the United States is Asian, and the Vietnamese population was the 4th largest among the Asian population groups. From 1990 to 2000, the Dorchester foreign-born population grew from 23.5% to 32%. This is a community that has had and will continue to make an impact on the Dorchester area. Together with VietAID, BR+A+CE aims to not only bring quality public art to Fields Corner to serve the user group and larger community, but also design a public space or art installation that commemorates Boston’s rich history as a diverse hub of immigration and celebrates the present contributions of immigrants to the city.
Upon approval from the board on the topic of immigration, BR+A+CE is currently working with the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, also known as VietAID, this summer! Located in the vibrant neighborhood of Fields Corner in Dorchester, VietAID aims to build a strong Vietnamese-American community through providing comprehensive economic development programs and services to alleviate poverty and advance civic participation.
Our mission for the upcoming year is to positively impact the community’s sense of identity and belonging through the design of a place and space where the immediate Fields Corner community and the Vietnamese immigrants supported by Viet-AID can gather together and create conversation.
New Year, New Board
We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that after a long wait, BR+A+CE is back with a brand new board, and we’re beginning work on a new project for 2014!
Returning for another term on our board of trustees are BR+A+CE co-founders Hansy Better and Anthony Piermarini, advisor Antonia Better-Wirz, and former director of development (now clerk) John DiSalvo.
In addition to these board members reprising their roles, we are also joined by a new and diverse group of movers, shakers, and general do-gooders!
Our new Board of Trustees includes Kathryn Madden (Principal, Madden Planning Group), Brett Schneider (Senior Associate, Guy Nordenson and Associates/Assistant Professor of Architecture, RISD) Gretchen Schneider (Executive Director, Community Design Resource Center of Boston), and Kamran Zahedi (President, Urbanica, Inc.)
Our new Board of Advisors includes Griscel Diaz (Designer, Tappe Associates), Lynn Hsu (Architect, Sasaki Associates), and Andrew Wise (Designer, Elkus-Manfredi Architects).
To learn more about our more board members, please visit Who We Are and stay tuned for more on the upcoming Mosaic Project!
September 1 Unveiling
To all our friends, families, & supporters, Mattapan residents, MFFC members, Brookwood CSA members, Vigorous Youth, and everyone in the greater Boston community: BR+A+CE is proud to announce the completion of our first project, completed in collaboration with the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition and Brookwood Community Farm.
COME JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE OFFICIAL UNVEILING AND LAUNCH OF THE MATTAPAN MOBILE FARM STAND AT THE MATTAPAN FARMERS MARKET THIS SATURDAY MORNING AT 525 RIVER STREET, MATTAPAN, MA. SEPTEMBER 1, 11:30 AM.
We’re also thrilled to announce that the honorable Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston will be joining us for the unveiling ceremony. Mayor Menino’s office generously pledged to match all donations to the Mobile Farm Stand Project, helping to ensure that we can deliver healthy, fresh produce to those in need this Fall and beyond!
The Mobile Farm Stand Project has been an amazing journey filled with new friends, experiences, and lots of learning. We are grateful for the support we’ve received far and wide, and sincerely hope that everyone who has supported the project and cheered us on will join us for this awesome occasion!
Thanks to Herald reporter Tenley Woodman and Heaven Reda for an insightful, well written article in the Boston Herald Newspaper today.
We hope to see you there!
Please see the mobile farm stand schedule below for official stops and time slots. Download the MFFC flyer below and share with your friends!
Fabricated!
The Mattapan Mobile Farmstand was delivered to MFFC today. The Mobile Farm Stand is currently being stored at City Natives, a dynamic community green space in Mattapan just blocks from Blue Hill Avenue and the Mattapan Farmers Market. City Natives is a half-acre horticultural learning center and native plant nursery. Thank you to Jeremy Dick for partnering with MFFC to assist in storing the Farm Stand.
We had a great time working with Aaron Legg of Trimount Ironworks at the Humphrey Street Studios in Dorchester. http://
Tenley Woodman, of the Herald Reporter also stopped by to get the latest scoop. It was a pleasure to speak with her and her team. We look forward to her article early next week.
The Vigorous Youth Group will be trained early next week by Metro Pedal Power so that they can navigate safely the terrains of Mattapan. If you happen to be in Mattapan, stop by the Farmers Market Mattapan Square from 10am to 1pm, Church of the Holy Spirit Parking Lot located at 525 River St. The Mobile Farm Stand will be on displayed next Saturday, August 25th. The unveiling and official running will happen at 12:00pm on Saturday, September 1. We hope to see you there to celebrate this amazing project and to recognize all our partners, sponsors and the community who have supported this project.
To see progress images, visit our Facebook page and become a fan! http://www.facebook.com/BRACEboston
