{w} Wanderlust Design

Pushcart Classroom

2010-11-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Cavite City, Philippines

The hour and a half early morning drive from Manila to Cavite City initially gave me a false sense of change. While heading south on the coastal highway, the air is cleaner than the traditional smog that surrounds Manila and the weather is cooler and more bearable. There are large expanses of open highway that are a welcome reprieve from the congested streets of the big city.

But as we head closer to Cavite City, I am reacquainted with the dismal similarities that plague every city in this country, regardless of size. Piles of garbage on the streets and in the water, houses precariously built with salvaged wooden planks and sheet metal, and the endless numbers of children in the streets.

But things are different here.

Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) is a group of concerned young people with a mission of making a small yet significant difference in other people’s lives, particularly the small children in slum areas who have no access to education, basic hygiene and sometimes, even love from their families.

I was honoured to participate in their K4 Project: Kariton Klasrum, Klinik & Kantin (pushcart school, clinic and canteen); Dynamic Teen Company’s effort to bring the basics of education, love for learning, food for the hungry, and cure for the wounded. The day starts with 4 pushcarts loaded with donated teaching materials, school supplies, toys, food, and first aid supplies that are pushed through the city to the first site of the day, the Palengke (Market). The road to the Market is tricky and the pushcarts are manoeuvred through uneven streets crowded with cars, tricycles, people and you have to be as just aggressive as the rest of them otherwise you will be run over. But we push our way through and make it to the first site.

The pushcarts are parked in an open area across from the Market and we proceed to set up the learning stations for the different age groups. The street children are already waiting and eagerly run towards us with excitement. For many of these children, this is the only form of education they receive and many of them return week after week and look forward to each session. For this location, over 150 children participated.

After the learning session, food is distributed to all the children. They patiently wait their turn in line and graciously accept the food. We pack up the carts and make our way to the second site of the day, the Dumpsite. It is nearly 9:30am by this time and the city is now bustling and it's more difficult to push our way through as there are more cars, tricycles, and people in the streets. Not to mention that the sun is now making a very strong appearance and it's even hotter outside. The 20 minutes it took to push the carts to the next location felt like a lifetime in the heat.

The Dumpsite location is actually a cemetery that is located next to a dumpsite, where mountains of garbage are flanked by a combination of shanty homes and expensive gravesites along the coast. The set up for this location is slightly different in that the classrooms take place in the mausoleums and the spaces between gravesites. So the children sit on the tombs as the teacher teaches the lesson. On the outskirts of the cemetery. closer to the dumpsite, you can see entire families living in these spaces, hanging clothes from the gates and using the tombs as their dinner table.

There were over 100 kids at this location and eventhough they were only 20 minutes away from the Market site, they were very different students. Perhaps due to the peace and quiet of the cemetery location, these kids were more focused and participated more actively. The remaining two locations for the day consisted of more than 400 kids.

The invaluable service that the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) provides would not be possible without the thousands of volunteer youth, most of whom are highschool and college students, and their fearless leader, founder and CNN 2009 Hero of the Year, Efren G. Penaflorida, Jr. He has helped transform the pushcart from a symbol of poverty to a symbol of hope and education. He has used the $100,000 grant from CNN to build a learning centre in Cavite, shaped of course, like a pushcart, but construction has been delayed due to lack of funds and the group is still raising the remaining 3 million pesos required ($75,000CAD). Strangely enough, Efren was in Vancouver while I was in Cavite so I didn't get a chance to meet him! But his legacy and commitment to providing accessible education to children and reinforcing their rights is an inspiring one, wherever you are in the world.

“You are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”

Learn how you can help at http://dynamicteencompany.org

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

Carlos Celdran: If These Walls Could Talk

2010-11-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

Call me the anti-tourist. I have made it my life's mission to purposely blend into any international surrounding in a vain attempt not to be labelled a "tourist." Sometimes this works, and sometimes I fail miserably and stick out like a sore thumb.

And where can most tourists be found... in tour groups. However, through a recommendation from my new friend RJ Aquino, I ventured on a 3-hour walking tour of old Manila. Upon arriving in Manila, my first few days were filled with meetings and overcoming my jetlag so when the weekend arrived, I eagerly made my way to Intramuros early one Saturday morning. In Latin, intramuros means "within the walls" and during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.

The Carlos Celdran Tour of Intramuros is in a league of its own. I had done some initial research on this tour and many internet entries described Carlos as a Manila tour guide, cultural activist, performing artist, outspoken, and controversial. This was a combination of attributes that immediately peaked my interest.

The tour starts with a greeting from a short man dressed in Spanish colonial costume of an Illustrado and a large tophat. He speaks English clearly, and with a slight American twang (as a Canadian, I notice this distinct characteristic immediately). Carlos begins the tour with the explanation of house rules and we proceed to sing the Philippine National anthem. To my surprise, I remembered most of the words. All those years of singing the anthem every morning at school had really left its mark.

The next couple of hours were filled with intriguing and rich historic anecdotes about Manila's Malay Islamic heritage, the Spanish colonial period, and the Americanization of the Philippines as it continues today. The tragic recollection of the Battle of Manila was particularly powerful as Carlos vividly described the battle between the United States Forces and the Japanese Imperial Army that devastated the city and killed 120,000 civilians. His narratives are filled with music, props, images, and stand-up comedy. He unapologetically expresses his opinions on theocracy, current social issues, and the separation of the church and state over the reproductive health (RH) bill.

Carlos' passion for Manila is obvious and infectious. His insights made me further question my own personal upbringing as a child of both Manila and Canada and how these experiences have shaped me into the Filipino-Canadian that I am today. Whether you want to believe it or not, the history(ies) of your country(ies) affect your life in ways that may not have even been revealed yet. The events of our past need to be constantly revisited in order to understand where we are headed.

Carlos' work has also reached me through a story he had written for a book from Hands On Manila about volunteerism. I am also a volunteer with Hands On Manila and it was inspiring to read about Carlos' personal story as a volunteer with the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) and how this act of volunteerism would change the course of his life. All he has learned from volunteering with HCS has directly affected his work in the preservation and development of Philippine arts, culture, and built heritage by using the city as his stage and performance art as his medium.

As a designer, I feel that I have a responsibility to help citizens and clients alike create things of social value that are both beautiful and useful. I have a great respect for artists such as Carlos Celdran that use their medium to educate, entertain, and enlighten the masses. This tour is a must for foreigners, Filipinos, and those like me that are somewhere in between.

I look forward to attending his other tour, “Living la Vida Imelda,” that analyzes one of the most controversial periods in Philippine history as seen through the life and ambitions of the lady who defined it, Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Carlos Celdran Tours

*Simply Google "Carlos Celdran" to find out how else he's been changing the minds of Filipinos.

Click here for more photos from the tour.

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

Influencers

2010-11-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today's pop culture.

"Influencers" belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.

Website
Facebook

TOMS Shoes Blake Mycoskie

2010-11-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Blake Mycoskie, Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, made his first ever Canadian in-store appearance at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver. He charmed the crowd with a rousing air hockey tournament and signed autographs, shoes, and special TOMS hockey pucks for fans, in true Canadian fashion.

TOMS' simple promise to give a pair of new shoes to children in need around the world with every pair sold is revolutionizing the way consumers shop. As of September 2010, TOMS Shoes has given more than 1,000,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need around the world, thanks to its customers, whose purchases make it all happen. The One for One business model is redefining social entrepreneurship for a new generation.

TOMS Shoes

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

Recap: Frock Swap 5.0

2010-10-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

The ladies behind Once Loved Threads, Marjolyn Ustaris and Danielle Ow, were at it again with the Frock Swap during the Thanksgiving long weekend. A testament to sustainable shopping, thousands of pieces were reused, recycled, and loved once again by the hundreds of eager frock swappers that came though Box Studios in East Vancouver. Watch the video recap and stay updated with future events at Frockswap.ca

What you send to closet purgatory might be heaven-sent for someone else. Celebrate the art of sharing and bring your gently-worn items to The Frock Swap. Free clothes, refreshments, sustainable shopping and saying goodbye to your never-worn-agains. All unclaimed garments will be donated to a local charity.

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

Every Woman Has A Story

2010-10-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

Every story can create change.

WITNESS Announces Campaign to End Gender-Based Violence

charity : water + TOMS

2010-10-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

It's back! The new water shoe designed by charity: water and TOMS will help fund water projects for areas in need. When you buy a pair, $5 goes towards wells in developing nations. And as always, for every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Click here for more details.

Book Review: Half the Sky

2010-08-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a thoughtful classmate, I was introduced to the magnificent book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

I could not put it down and read it for two days straight at every available moment that I had (on the subway, in the elevator, walking down the street, etc.). The book was perfectly paced through a series of stories about the perseverance of incredible women around the world despite their grotesquely horrific circumstances. The stories are graphic as well as compelling with issues ranging from microfinance, maternal health, education, child prostitution, honour killings, and the use of gang rape to induce terror among communities.

A definite recommendation for anyone who is human.

For more information on the movement and how to participate in a variety of worldwide organizations, visit Half the Sky.

Add caption

SVA: LOT-EK

2010-07-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I dreamed of being an architect. I was seventeen, wide-eyed and ready to take on the world. But alas, that was not the career path for me. However, I still maintain a great appreciation for the profession and a loving devotion to beautiful and innovative buildings.

We had the pleasure of visiting an architectural company today called LOT-EK in the meatpacking district that blurs the boundaries between art, architecture, entertainment, and information. They incorporate not only recycling, but upcyling, by displacing, transforming, and manipulating existing objects into materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

And they just make really cool stuff.

LOT-EK

Benjamin Zander - PopTech 2008

2010-07-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Just a pleasure to watch.

The only conductor to ever lead the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Zander is a prophet of human potential and an unrivaled champion of joie de vivre. Watch as he helps unlock the boundless potential of a 15 year old cellist and teaches the entire Pop!Tech audience what it means to live in a world of possibility.

PopTech

MoMA PS1

2010-07-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Dance party slash art exhibit? Best combination ever. Mix in some sand, beach balls, hammocks, a cool breeze and you've got one awesome Saturday.

Concert: Janelle Monáe & Guests

2010-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Friday July 23, 2010 Slightly Raining

1:37pm: Depart New York via Greyhound bus.
5:57pm: Arrive Hartford, CT (1 hour and 50 min. late).
6:10pm: Concert starts at Bushnell Park - Hartford's 375th: Still Wavy After All These Years.
6:15pm: Anna Mae and Brian consider missing the prepaid bus back to New York scheduled for 10:00pm in case Janelle Monáe starts late and opt for the 12:00am bus instead. The new plan includes Anna Mae crying on command just in case.
7:42pm: Host announces that a thunderstorm is coming in 15 minutes.
7:57pm: Thunderstorm arrives, Anna Mae and Brian take out umbrellas and are not happy campers.
8:01pm: It is pissing rain!!!
9:22pm: Rain stops, show goes on, we are still wet but our cameras are safe.
10:14pm: Janelle Monáe makes her entrance. Anna Mae's heart starts to pound and Brian starts screaming like a girl (on the inside).
11:37pm: Show ends, we're happy, and start the short walk to the bus depot.
11:48pm: Sit inside bus terminal, however confused that the sign says the bus is coming at 12:30am. But we figure that someone will make an announcement that the bus has arrived.

Saturday July 24, 2010

12:20am: No announcement is made, no bus waiting, the terminal is almost empty, so we decide to wait outside for the 12:30am bus instead.
12:30am: A bus does not arrive.
12:31am: We really start questioning if a bus is ever going to come.
12:35am: A woman going to NYC approaches us about the bus situation. She has it even worse off than us because she has a plane to catch at 6:00am which she is definitely not going to make. We become a trio waiting for the bus.
1:10am: No bus and the hunger pains are really starting to kick in. As well as delirium.
2:22am: Slipping in and out of consciousness.
3:13am: Are we really still here???
4:00am: The bus finally arrives and we are on our way back to NYC.
6:22am: Arrive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. NYC is wide awake with the city bustling.
6:30am: Anna Mae and Brian sleepwalk into the subway.
7:12am: Arrive at home and finally get to sleep.
12:36pm: Wake up. Did all of that really just happen?

Thank goodness I wasn't alone during all of this. Brian, new concert buddy for life.

For more photos, click here.

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

SVA Impact!: Week 2

2010-07-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

As the initial wonder and excitement of my first days in New York slowly escapes me (but I still walk around starry-eyed), this past week has managed to knock the stars out of my eyes. I am here to work.

The term "intensive program" has really come to fruition. We've identified our two projects (personal and team), continue to pursue client meetings, attend field trips, sit in multiple lectures, and somehow find time for the "suggested" reading (3 recommended books a week!). I find myself at school nearly 10 hours of my day (not including the 1 hour commute each way) and by the time I get home I'm ready to collapse. Not to mention that I try to make it out to the Bronx every chance I get to research our project and to generally hang out since I really love the group of people out there doing good things.

But this is why I came here. I applied to be filled with information, listen to amazing guest lecturers, meet worldly like-minded individuals, and to be challenged in my own capabilities as a human being to make a difference in the world. I asked for it and I got it.

I did however manage to find time to watch Inception at Times Square. Amazing, but it made me think even more instead of help relax my mind! But I guess that's what weekends are for! Time to set aside "School Anna Mae" and bring out "Weekend Anna Mae!"

Concert: Raphael Saadiq & Aloe Blacc

2010-07-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Finally had some free time on the weekend so what's the first thing I do, go to a free concert in Central Park. Raphael Saadiq was performing so I HAD to go! He is always so good live! It was soooooo hot out but I was surrounded by fantastic music and made some new friends!

For more photos, click here.

© Anna Mae Abia Photography

SVA Impact!: BLK Projek

2010-07-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

On a particularly hot Friday afternoon, my team and I made the trek out to South Bronx to meet with Tanya Fields of the BLK Projek. Her organization seeks to address food justice, public & mental health issues as they specifically relate to under served women of colour through culturally relevant education, beautification of public spaces, urban gardening and community programming.

Having a similar upbringing with issues of immigration, under served women of colour, and community involvement, I felt a very strong connection to use my skills to help this organization.

After speaking to Tanya at length about the current situation in Hunts Point (a low-income neighborhood of mostly a hispanic and black population), we took a short walking tour of the neighbourhood and was introduced to the other organizations working in the community such as the Majora Carter Group, the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, the POINT, and Mothers on the Move (MOM).

We then crammed into Tanya's hot van and drove around the industrial area that is dominated by the New York City Terminal Market, Hunts Point Cooperative Market, New Fulton Fish Market, Spofford Juvenile Centre, and the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Centre, an 800-bed barge currently used as part of the New York City Department of Corrections. It is designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells.

We will be sure to return again to talk to the people in the neighbourhood to find out their most pressing issues and how we can help them sustain their community.

BLK Projek
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: charity : water

2010-07-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years.

We met with its founder, Scott Harrison, and learned how they help billions of people everyday. They start with one.

charity : water
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Class of 2010

2010-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Meet the motley crew of worldwide do-gooders.

All photography and post-processing done by me! Such a fun and creative photoshoot!

Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Milton Glaser

2010-07-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

The legendary Milton Glaser enlightened us with his extensive personal and professional experience with design and his view on what is a citizen's responsibility to culture. His work has spanned decades; reflecting the social reforms and issues of their time.

Milton Glaser was awarded the National Medal of Arts on February 25, 2010. The award was presented by President Obama in the East Room of The White House. Milton was the first designer to receive this honour.

Milton Glaser
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Democracy Now!

2010-07-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

We had the great privilege of watching a live broadcast of Democracy Now! and a tour of their beautiful space. So we met at 7:45am (this is 4:45am Vancouver time and I haven't adjusted yet so that's early!) and start our day with news about an anti-immigrant list targeting Latinos in Utah, how Arizona has become a laboratory not just for immigration policy, but a broad range of issues, global warming, and the melting Himalayan glaciers.

Democracy Now believes that for true democracy to work, people need easy access to independent, diverse sources of news and information. But the last two decades have seen unprecedented corporate media consolidation. The U.S. media was already fairly homogeneous in the early 1980s: some fifty media conglomerates dominated all media outlets, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, music, publishing and film. In the year 2000, just six corporations dominated the U.S. media.

In addition, corporate media outlets in the U.S. are legally responsible to their shareholders to maximize profits.

And U.S. "public" media outlets accept funding from major corporations, as well as from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has attempted in the past to exert political and editorial influence on public news producers.

Democracy Now! is funded entirely through contributions from listeners, viewers, and foundations. They do not accept advertisers, corporate underwriting, or government funding. This allows them to maintain our independence.

We had the honour of having award-winning journalist Anne Goodman speak to us at length about Democracy Now and their future goals and endeavors for their organization including the constant need for increased awareness to independent news media and viewership.

Democracy Now!
Impact! Design for Social Change

SVA Impact!: Team Project @ Pratt Gallery

2010-07-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

We all met at the beautiful Pratt Gallery to be introduced to the potential organizations that we will be working with for the next six weeks. Each student will participate in the development and execution of a socially-minded team project which is fully implemented with tangible results. This will take the program out of the realm of theoretical thinking and extend it into the real world.

This class gives students the skill set and opportunity to implement an actual social change project, the program will instill in them the confidence, self-motivated and collaborative spirit which is needed if they are to continue this type of work on a professional level.

Each group will identify, develop and execute a solution to a specific problem or need for a non-profit organization or underserved community.

The participating organizations have been pre-selected by desigNYC and the faculty of the Impact program. desigNYC was formed in 2009 by a group of leading designers and design advocates with a mission of improving life in New York City by helping connect the nonprofit and professional design communities.

Healthy Bodegas Initiative; Donya A. Williams, MPH
Many New Yorkers have access to some of the best food in the world, but many others go without any access to healthy food. We want to help bodegas in under served neighborhoods sell healthy local food in their communities. Bodegas are full of processed unhealthy foods and its hard to eat healthfully when that's your only option. We have the produce, but the infrastructure just isn't there to get it to the people who need it most.

We want to build a Healthy Bodegas network in Bushwick and Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. We will start with produce from our farm and then we plan to grow by including our neighbors' farms and their products into the model. We've partnered with a number of bodegas that are interested in selling local product and being involved in our project, but we need help to get our Healthy Bodegas Project going. We want to prove that something like this is possible.

IOBY (In Our Backyards); Brandon Whitney
ioby connects donors and volunteers to environmental projects in their neighborhoods to inspire new environmental knowledge and action in New York City.

ioby stands for “in our backyards” and the belief that environmental knowledge, innovation, action, and service begin and thrive in our backyards. This is grounded in two important commitments.

First, ioby offers an informed step out environmentalism's NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) history that pushed environmental hazards down the path of least resistance into low-income areas and communities of color. ioby builds an untapped funding source and by directing it to decentralized, community-based environmental projects, ioby supports communities with a larger share of environmental problems and fewer resources to confront them.

Second, ioby offers a reminder that the ‘environment’ is not just the Amazon rainforest or the Arctic glaciers, and that tangible environmental work is urgently needed right here on the streets and sidewalks of New York City. Even people who consider themselves environmentalists are sometimes disconnected from their local environment and unable to see the work going on around them. ioby.org creates a forum for people to rediscover, understand, and value their local environment, because we believe the places we live, work, and play each day should be the roots from which we understand the environment.

We think encouraging direct engagement with local environments is the best way to renew environmental action and knowledge and prepare society for the future, so ioby works hand in hand with New Yorkers to support hundreds of organizations that have their own ideas and solutions. ioby.org provides tools and resources that complement the creativity and generosity of civil society to achieve a cleaner, healthier environment and more just communities. ioby environmental partnerships may begin online, but we hope they continue and grow, face-to-face, neighbor-to-neighbor, person-to-place, in our backyards.

Democracy Now!; Miriam Barnard
Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!’s podcast is one of the most popular on the web.

Democracy Now!’s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S.corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts. In addition, Democracy Now! hosts real debates–debates between people who substantially disagree, such as between the White House or the Pentagon spokespeople on the one hand, and grassroots activists on the other.

Enterprise Community Partners; Victoria Shire
At Enterprise, we create opportunity for low- and moderate-income people through fit, affordable housing and diverse, thriving communities. Central to our mission is Enterprise's fundamental commitment to give people living in poverty an opportunity to move up and out. The award-winning Enterprise Green Communities initiative reflects our targeted focus on expanding the health, economic and environmental benefits of sustainable development.

BLK Projek; Tanya Fields
The BLK ProjeK seeks to address food justice, public & mental health issues as they specifically relate to under served women of color through culturally relevant education, beautification of public spaces, urban gardening and community programming. By creating easily accessible resources and enriching the lives of women who are routinely overlooked and overburdened yet serve an important and critical role in the larger fabric of society, we will strengthen overall mental and public health, as well as elevate the collective self esteem of the larger communities they live in.

Impact! Design for Social Change

Recap: IDUG Vancouver with Adobe's Colin Fleming

2010-07-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

On July 6, Seattle native Colin Fleming of Adobe graced the Vancouver InDesign User Group with a very informative presentation showing us some tips and tricks in InDesign CS5 plus bonus features of other Adobe products!!!

Colin is an Application Engineer at Adobe Systems Incorporated. He has taught advanced classes on applications and production techniques for print and Web design since 1999. His specialties include InDesign production workflows and custom training for Adobe customers who are moving to InDesign and Creative Suite workflows. Colin is an Adobe Certified Instructor in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, GoLive, and Acrobat, and an Adobe Creative Suite Master Instructor. He was also hired by Adobe to help create and review many of the actual Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) exams. Colin has been a member of the Seattle InDesign User Group since its original meeting in 2000 and was the chapter representative from 2002-2004.

IDUG Vancouver
IDUG Vancouver Facebook Page

SVA Impact!: Design for Social Change - Day 1

2010-07-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

The first day was finally upon us and I don't think it really hit me yet as to the type of groundbreaking program I've been accepted into. No other institution in North America has organized an intensive summer program focusing solely on the conception and execution of real-life projects for social change and I'm extremely excited to be part of it's inaugural launch. I have classmates from all over the United States, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Bosnia, and Australia; all ranging from design, architecture, and business disciplines. And I'm the only Canadian!

The first day was filled with free swag, housekeeping rules, and icebreakers, but of course being in New York it was all done with style, right down to the catering! I look forward to "living" at SVA and openly welcome the brand new and exciting things I will be learning from the amazing line-up of guest lecturers and picking the brains of my insightful classmates, all of whom have a genuine desire to make a change in the world.

This is going to be the best summer yet... the most expensive, but the best nonetheless!

Impact! Design for Social Change

Impact: Design for Social Change

2010-07-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

I am extremely excited and humbled to have been accepted into the School of Visual Arts summer intensive graduate design program Impact: Design for Social Change! I can't believe I'm going to NYC for the summer! The line up of instructors and guest lecturers is amazing!

Impact: Design for Social Change is an advanced program that will run on two parallel tracks; the first will educate students on how to conceive and execute their own projects for social change with a focus on funding projects that are not client-based. At the end of the intensive each student will have a fully developed concept. Along with a personal project, students will participate in the development and full execution of a team project that addresses a pressing need within a predetermined community. On this track, students will roll up their sleeves to take the program out of the realm of theoretical thinking and extend it into the real world.

www.sva.edu/impact

Mark Randall Worldstudio
Steven Heller Heller Books
Chad Boettcher Goodzuma Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Martin Kace Empax
Bob McKinnon Yellowbrickroad
Michelle Mullineaux ESI Design designNYC
Andréa Pellegrino Worldstudio
David Gibson Two Twelve Associates
Milton Glaser Milton Glaser, Inc.
Scott Harrison charity: water
Natalia Ilyin EmersonHarris
Lara McCormick Laramc.com
Jason Rzepka
Edwin Schlossberg ESI Design
Katrin Verclas Mobile Active

Recap: FOB Comedy Showcase

2010-07-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

A hilarious evening featuring sketch comedy from talented Vancouver artists:

VCD
VJ Delos Reyes
Chris Casillan
David Dimapilis

Recap: Swap-O-Rama-Rama

2010-07-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Highlights from Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a clothing and craft supply swap held at the Museum of Vancouver.

The 1Billion Hungry Project

2010-06-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Agency: McCann Erickson - Rome

Creative Director: Marco Carnevale, Alessandro Sciortino

Copywriter Alessandro Sciortino

Art Director: Francesco Basile

Executive Producer: Fabio Cimino
Production company: FilmMaster Rome
Executive Producer: Fabrizio Razza
Director: Adriano Falconi
DOP: Patrick Fraser
Music: Studio Suoni
Sign the petition: www.1billionhungry.org

Ampersand Campaign

2010-06-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

My all-time favourite ligature via Four Fifths Design.

Designer: Scott Marc Berry

This campaign is designed to encourage the use of the ampersand over the three character word ‘and’. The campaign is titled ‘Why use and when you can use &.’ This was applied to a variety of products that were handed out as promotion for the form of the ampersand and it’s many forms within typography.

Custom Bike Saddles by Kara Ginther

2010-06-19T23:24:00.001-07:00

Take a look at these beautiful leather bike saddles designed by Kara Ginther. If I could afford it I'd get one for my bike! Tweed herringbone!

A copper-riveted brown Brooks Swift saddle which has been handcarved with a tweed herringbone pattern by American leatherworker Kara Ginther into a Tweed pattern. Made to order for the Tweed Run London.

Swap-O-Rama-Rama at MOV

2010-06-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to checking out Swap-O-Rama-Rama at the Museum of Vancouver. I'm excited to pack up some used clothes and get my swap on!

Date: Saturday, June 26th, 2010
Time: 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver (map)
Admission: $6.00 at the door or $5.00 in advance via Paypal plus a bag of clean clothes and / or a bag of craft supplies to swap. (leave with all the clothes and supplies that you can carry!)

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing and craft supply swap in which a community explores reuse and creativity through the recycling of used clothing.

The core of the swap is the gigantic pile of free clothing and craft supplies sorted into categories such as pants, skirts, shirts, fabric, notions, etc. These piles are the collective total of each guest’s contribution of any size bag of unwanted clothes, so start cleaning your closets! Take as little or as much as you like! All remainders will go to local charities.

A series of DIY stations will be on-hand to unleash your creativity through the recycling of used clothing including screen printing by Blim and sewing stations by Plush On Main.

Join in the communal process of reuse and celebrate our collective creativity!

What to bring to Swap-O-Rama-Rama?
Clean, gently-used clothes and accessories: jackets, pants, shirts, skirts, shoes, gloves, belts, accessories, jewelry, sunglasses, bags, wallets and hats. Children and men’s clothing are welcome.

Craft supplies: Fabric, notions, trim, yarn, left over pieces from that project that you never made, etc.

What not to bring to Swap-O-Rama-Rama
Books, make up, home décor, furniture, lingerie / underwear, dirty clothing or anything that you cannot wear or craft with.

For more information, contact swap@gotcraft.com or visit www.gotcraft.com/swap

And while I'm there I'll finally get to check out the Fox, Fluevog & Friends exhibit exploring the creations of John Fluevog, Peter Fox and Ken Rice. Featuring 150 shoes dating from 1968 to 2000, this fashion retrospective explores the story behind their footwear companies, from their early days making the scene in 1970s Gastown to acclaim and powerful brand loyalty on an international scale.

www.museumofvancouver.ca

Fashion Illustrations by Amelie Hegardt

2010-06-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

I love love love these gorgeous fashion illustrations from Stockholm-based illustrator Amelie Hegardt. The splashes of vibrant water colours are perfect.

Value Village: The Ultimate Find

2010-06-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

As a frequent shopper at Value Village for over 20 years, I have come across some real treasures. This one makes it into my VV Hall of Fame.

Behold my new sewing case.

Find: A vintage 1960s travel vanity case in pristine condition. Beige with white stitching.
Cost: $3.67
Bonus: Sewing notions also found at Value Village totaling $3.65.

This new sewing case could not have been found at a better time.

Recap: Salamat @ Fortune Sound Club

2010-06-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Salamat: A Filipino Independence Day Showcase organized by Sammie Jo of Sammie Jo Productions and hosted by the V.C.D. 100% of the proceeds went to Enspire Foundation's Bulacan Community Project to continue the construction of homes in Norzagaray Bulacan, Philippines. The homes are an integral part of a larger community project aimed to help in the relocation of slum-dwellers from the impoverished area of Bagong Silang in Navotas City.

Performances included Dianna David, Boombox Saints, SVS Style Dance Crew and much more. Watch a new video of SVS Style Dance Crew filmed and edited by me.

© AMA Photography