<p>Lots of news today :)</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: "Chris Ritzo" <<a href="mailto:chris.ritzo@gmail.com">chris.ritzo@gmail.com</a>><br>Date: Feb 19, 2011 7:48 PM<br>Subject: [IMC] UCIMC lobby getting a facelift<br>
To: "UC IMC" <<a href="mailto:imc@ucimc.org">imc@ucimc.org</a>>, "imc-members" <<a href="mailto:imc-members@ucimc.org">imc-members@ucimc.org</a>>, <<a href="mailto:imc-americorps@lists.chambana.net">imc-americorps@lists.chambana.net</a>><br>
<br type="attribution">Hello friends,<br>
<br>
If you've visited the IMC this weekend you'll notice some pretty major<br>
changes happening in the Broadway street entrance. I wanted to give<br>
you an update on what's happening, some history on this project that<br>
began over a year ago and the great partnership that's making it<br>
possible.<br>
<br>
We are fortunate to be working with four faculty members from the UI<br>
School of Architecture on a re-model of the front lobby area. This<br>
will include a new staffing desk, seating, plenty of storage, display<br>
and signage areas, a secure book drop for donations, a computer for<br>
staff to use and log volunteer information, and more. The first thing<br>
you'll notice is that a new coat of paint is going up this weekend.<br>
Sometime in March things will begin going into place and I'm really<br>
excited for this first collaboration with Stewart Hicks, Julie ??,<br>
Roger Hubeli ?? , and ?? to be finally moving forward. The staffing<br>
desk will be in the same location where you've seen Americorps staff<br>
and volunteers sitting during our open hours. Along the north wall<br>
near the C4A entrance there will be seating. The Books to Prisoners<br>
book drop will be integrated into the space. One unique feature of the<br>
remodel will be a continuous wall curving along the exterior walls of<br>
the WRFU studio, proceeding to the red door entrance to the IMC. This<br>
wall will contain integrated storage, corkboard & whiteboard spaces,<br>
speakers and signage, and will serve as a visual pointer to our<br>
entrance. It will not obstruct the WFRU studio window in any way.<br>
These are a few highlights of what's to come. If you're interested in<br>
seeing some updated designs for the front entrance lobby, come to the<br>
March Steering meeting.<br>
<br>
Let me share some of the history of this project with you.<br>
<br>
Back in March 2010, Stewart Hicks, one of 4-5 faculty members from the<br>
UI School of Architecture, emailed <a href="mailto:imc@ucimc.org">imc@ucimc.org</a> expressing interest<br>
in working with the IMC as a community partner. Their research is to<br>
design and complete building projects and then to write and publish<br>
about it. They had visited the space for an event, and sought us out<br>
as a potential community partner. Several of us in the community<br>
connections group, Beth Simpson, former Americorps member Meme Polk,<br>
current Americorps member and building supervisor Leon McGee and<br>
myself, kept the connection going, sought broader input, gathered<br>
people's ideas and helped build support for the partnership within the<br>
IMC. If you're interested in reading more about how this conversation<br>
got started, you can read the list archives here:<br>
<a href="http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/imc/2010-April/008908.html" target="_blank">http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/imc/2010-April/008908.html</a><br>
<br>
Stewart and his colleagues designed some great preliminary ideas for<br>
the first floor IMC space, including plans for the front hall lobby<br>
area that include a seating and staffing area. At the September 2010<br>
Steering meeting the staffing desk move and remodel was approved. Our<br>
partners from the Architecture school presented these initial ideas at<br>
both the Nov. 4th Steering meeting and at the Nov. 13th General<br>
Membership meeting. You can see some of those early ideas here:<br>
<a href="http://wiki.ucimc.org/pub/CommunityConnections/UIArchitectureFacultyDesignProjects/Architects-Presentation_small.pdf" target="_blank">http://wiki.ucimc.org/pub/CommunityConnections/UIArchitectureFacultyDesignProjects/Architects-Presentation_small.pdf</a><br>
<br>
I have served as the primary point of contact for this project on<br>
behalf of the Community Connections group, representing the IMC and<br>
bringing ideas and decisions back to the Steering group as we've move<br>
along. Last fall I wrote a letter of support for these faculty<br>
members, committing to the partnership as a community organization so<br>
they could apply for grant funding. In November 2010, they were<br>
awarded $15,000 from the University of Illinois' Office of Public<br>
Engagement grant program. This was very exciting and since then they<br>
have been seeking materials, making designs, and now we are in the<br>
first stages of remodeling the IMC lobby area.<br>
<br>
The main focus was to design and envision the space as we use it, not<br>
as dictated by the building itself. The idea is that we're really<br>
"taking ownership" of the space in ways that represent the IMC as a<br>
creative and radical organization, rather than just using what's here<br>
in this 1920's era industrial post office and allowing our energy and<br>
ideas to be diluted by it.<br>
<br>
Please share this information with your working group and other IMC<br>
members. I'd be happy to field any questions folks have about the<br>
project to remodel the IMC front entrance. Please feel free to respond<br>
on or off list.<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
Chris Ritzo<br>
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