Awesome Foundation - Projects

Pittsburgh, PA – The Puppet Photo Booth

2011-12-06T00:00:00Z

I propose a project so surprising, so fantastic, so magical, you will require a keepsake from the event to remember it forever. Its name: The Puppet Photo Booth. The Puppet Photo Booth will be a week long installation at Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh. Using plywood, found objects, and fabric I will construct a structure that appears to be an old-fashioned photo booth. Unbeknownst to passersby, a real live puppeteer (me) waits within to give any person who sits inside a seven-minute puppet show. When the participant enters, they are transported to another world – an under the sea themed live action puppet spectacle. And of course, during the course of this show, I will secretly snap a photo, fulfilling the booth’s promise to capture a moment forever. My name is Murphi Cook and I am a playwright and puppeteer in hot pursuit of my M.F.A in Dramatic Writing at CMU. But why should Murphi Cook in hot pursuit of an M.F.A be the person to make this Puppet Photo Booth happen? The answer is simple: the Puppet Photo Booth is a product of my three major interests manufactured into a compact, effective, artistic experience for any Pittsburgher. My art is one of atmospheric transformative creations. Currently, I am working on The Society For the Advancement of Miniature Curiosa, a Pop Up storefront installation that replicates the feeling of Victorian Cabinets of Curiosity. Visitors may view live shows, visit our toy theatre parlor or step inside a gallery space filled with rotating cabinets that house fantastic objects. When not transforming spaces, I am performing and writing plays for the stage and other unlikely locations. These plays have been workshopped and produced from Valdez, Alaska to New York City, and feature voiceless circus hustlers, lobotomies, lovers at the bottom of Lake Tahoe, ageless women inside lighthouses, and spam after the apocalypse. And finally, to top it all off, I am a certified Master Scuba Diver giving me the experience to serve as an authority on all things under the sea.

Pittsburgh, PA – Pop-up Co-op

2011-12-06T00:00:00Z

We are a team of incredibly awesome Pittsburgher’s that work hard every day, as individuals and professionals, to make Pittsburgh a better place. Our team includes, Grant Ervin: policy wonk and passionate neighborhood leader, Christina Robertson: marketing expert and baking entrepreneur and Talia Piazza: community builder and communications guru. Our project, the Pop-up Co-op is a revitalization strategy which will benefit a neighborhood, its residents and local entrepreneurs. Our project will repurpose an empty storefront into a locally run and organized co-op and incubator for small retail businesses. Those looking to open a small business are challenged by the start-up building expenses and find it difficult to succeed while working to keep the bills paid. Similarly, a challenge for neighborhood commercial districts is that while they may have market potential and an untapped customer base, matching product availability with customer demand is perceived as “risky”. The inability to solve this “chicken and egg” scenario for small businesses and commercial districts–of what comes first, the people or the businesses, has not had an answer...until now. Pop-up Co-op has come up with a solution! The empty storefront can comfortably house 4-5 local vendors as well as a small seating area for guests. Vendors will rent space at the site and sell their homemade and organic goods under one roof, sort of like an indoor farmers’ market. Each vendor will commit to operating the storefront and selling the other vendors’ products one-two days/week. This model will eliminate the need for each small business to purchase or rent a storefront and will relieve the burden of operating a shop 7 days a week and let the vendors share other operational and marketing costs. We have a property, located in Morningside, identified (with a cooperative owner) for use and interested vendors on board. We want to create a temporary co-op that will allow us to conduct a feasibility study as well as on the ground market-research while actually operating the business. During the 3-6 months the pop-up co-op is operating, our team will be gathering data and market information, and the vendors will be gaining experience in running a business as well as feedback from customers that can be used to create a better product. Based on this, we will create a business plan and strategy for the creation of a permanent community co-op that sells local goods to local people at a local price.

Ann Arbor, MI – Peddle Powered Vegetable Grow Rack

2011-12-04T00:00:00Z

I'm Nate Ayers, a permaculture researcher and educator in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Permaculture is a design system based on bio-mimicry, appropriate technology, and renewable energy. With permaculture, we can transition our neighborhoods and communities to sustainable food and energy production, without using fossil fuels. I am lucky, because I get to teach people solutions to many of our world's problems, and this makes people hopeful and inspired. In permaculture design, there is the concept of "stacking functions". This is based on observing how nature works, and that nature likes to use a lot of different plants and animals working together to create eco-system balance and resilience. Using those same principles, I have designed a food and energy production system that will solve a lot of the problems found in our communities, namely, access to healthy organic food, clean energy production, and the American obesity epidemic. My design, called the "pedal powered vegetable grow rack", is an example of closed loop, whole systems permaculture design. It works like this: 1. An individual pedals a stationary bike, which is hooked up to a small generator. The person gets valuable exercise, while at the same time, the generator produces valuable electricity. 2. That electricity is stored in a battery, and then used to power super efficient, LED grow lights. These lights are really great (they were developed by NASA). They allow vegetables like lettuce, kale, chard, herbs, peppers, tomatoes and spinach to be grown indoors, in a small space. 3. The Individual eats the vegetables, getting healthy vitamins and energy, which then allows them to return to step 1 the next day. This is a closed loop design system, where the output of one element, becomes the input of another (stacking functions). Here is a prototype that I developed: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=214862881920587&set=t.1378442260&type=1&theater The best part about having the money to properly make my design, is that I would get to use it while teaching permaculture to K-12 kids. This type of design would get kids really excited about science, making their own food and energy, and taking care of their health. It would also allow me to teach all kinds of people how to make their own vegetable grow racks, further increasing the locally produced food and energy supply. Thanks for considering my project, I hope you think its Awesome!

Grand Rapids, MI (Inactive) – GR Creative Youth Center

2011-11-30T00:00:00Z

My name is Lori Slager, and I am the sole owner of The Sparrows Coffee Tea & Newsstand, and a founding ArtPeers board member. I have a degree in Art Education from Calvin College, and have been an art teacher for Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities for the last eight years. My proposal for The Awesome Foundation is for the Creative Youth Center, which I have been working on for just over two years. Cecile Fehsenfeld (co-owner of Schuler Books) approached me about opening an after-school creative writing center in or near the Baxter neighborhood that would serve the area’s underprivileged youth between the ages of 6 and 18. I agreed to work with Cecile on the idea, and the Creative Youth Center project began. The goal of the CYC is to empower area youth with the growth mindsets and creative capacities necessary to become successful adults. Through one-on-one attention and project-based learning in an inspiring, non-school environment, we will work to help local children find, develop, and share their voices. We believe that making students published authors gives a tangible credibility to their accomplishments, which creates an empowered sense of self and an enthusiasm for developing their voices and unique communication skills. This will help them to become creative problem solvers and increase their chances of staying committed to education, in turn decreasing drop-out rates and improving positive participation in the classroom. To move that belief to action, we will publish yearly collections of student work to be sold at local bookstores and other retail outlets. The sense of accomplishment has already driven some really creative work from children in my workshops. For example, in two hours, a group of children can write a book together and have it illustrated and printed before walking out the door. The excitement over being “published” instantly helps grow their passion for writing - when they realize that their books are for sale in area bookstores, they truly see the value in their creative work. When we open, the CYC will host story writing field trips for classes each day and will also send tutors to classrooms to help teachers achieve their “dream projects”. The CYC will also offer after school tutoring, and offer ESL classes during the summer. However, at the outset of launching the center, we plan to focus on the book publishing experience as a flagship program and provide students with other similar creative writing projects.

Boston, MA – Lightening Fast Snow Slide

2011-11-30T00:00:00Z

Hi there. My name is Sadie Urban and I'm the events coordinator at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR), an 8,569 acre tract of land located between the villages of La Farge and Ontario in southwestern Wisconsin. Every January we hold an awesome winter festival with skating, sledding, skiing, archery, snow sculpture, ice cave hikes, chain saw carving, birds of prey presentation, face painting, horse-drawn bobsled rides, snowshoe exhibit & hike, dog sled race, weight pull, and mutt race, horse-drawn tours and snow cave. The local Lions Club hosts an annual chili and bread contest for the public. We also hold an auction of art produced in the Kickapoo Valley to raise money for our education program. What a great line-up, right? One thing I've always wanted to offer is a snow sculpture slide. We have a very small budget for Winter Festival and we like to keep it free to the public since we're located in one of the poorest areas in Wisconsin. The kids would really get a kick out of sliding down a sculpture in their lightening fast snowsuits. I hope you will seriously consider funding a lightening fast snow slide for the 2012 Kickapoo Valley Reserve Winter Festival on January 7th, which draws over 600 people (a lot for our rural community). Thanks for your time.

Boston, MA – Operation Dinoblasters

2011-11-30T00:00:00Z

Dear Awesome Foundation, For two years I have been a volunteer. I am an AmeriCorps member serving at DotWell in Dorchestah and I have a brilliant idea: Dinosaurs. I serve (not allowed to say work) with kids in a Boston Public School called the Joseph Lee Elementary. The students there are OBSESSED with dinosaurs. One student, Devon, tells me all there is to know, “Have you ever seen a plateosaurus? They grow up to 10 meters tall!!” By the way, did you know a pterodactyl is not considered a dinosaur? It’s in fact a pterosaur. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I am Colin Hunt, a 23 year old graduate of the University of Vermont, an Adirondack 46er (#5427) and a recent convert to veganism. I love to hike (hence the climbing the 46 highest peaks in New York) and am an adventureholic. Last year, I taught Tai Chi and yoga to senior citizens in Burlington, Vermont for my first year of service with AmeriCorps. Now, I am a transplant to Boston. Here, I am trying to make a difference by hooking up under-privileged families with much needed community resources. Originally, I am from Washington, D.C: a city full of dinosaurs. This is where Project Dinoblasters comes into play. As a well traveled, adventureholic, I have had the privilege to learn outside of my community. I want to bring that privilege, that right, to my kids in Dorchester. Many students are confined by resources, unable to even get out of Dorchester to see the museums of Boston. I am dreaming big and I want to bring these kids to my hometown. My dinoland. There, we would turn the kids into archeologists, initiating a city-wide 24 hour treasure hunt! A treasure hunt for what? Dinosaurs of course. Devon is the kind of kid with a perpetual goofy grin on his face. At the age of 7, he is already positive he will be professional paleontologist. I once made the ‘mistake’ of telling him that I had seen a Tyrannosaurus Rex at a museum in D.C. Since that day, Devon has been exuberantly interrogating me on every single dinosaur I have ever seen. To help make dreams like Devon’s come true, I would love to help inspire an overnight trip to the museums in Washington, District of Dinosaurs. Thanks for your consideration, Colin Hunt For your imagination and entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PPf3aaZmUw

Houston (Inactive) – Treat Em Right

2011-11-30T00:00:00Z

Six months ago, we moved our kennel to a large warehouse in Klein. While the space was large and open, it was empty and needed a lot of work! We have been able to do some construction, but are still in great need of completing the project due to money constraints. We house 30 of some 80 dogs in our program at this facility (the others have been placed in foster homes) and are eager to get the facility up to par with the dogs' needs. We have devised a plan as follows to complete the outdoor space as well as give the dogs some interior space to play.

Toronto – Ikea Hack Installation

2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

I'm a designed-minded writer who has recently been inspired by the Ikea hacking communities that I've discovered; there are a growing group of Ikea enthusiasts who make slight modifications to their out of the box furniture. I want to take this idea further and create a large piece from various Ikea components (chairs, tables, etc...). The project would focus on the notion of housing/shared space for the homeless. The completed project could take one of two routes, depending on the interest it receives. One, it could be installed in a public location; Nathan Phillips Square for example. The project might build from that initial location and others could be created and set up across the city (much like the spray-painted bikes). The second route would be to partner with Ikea and have them put the installation in of their Toronto stores. This idea fits in with Ikea's brand of finding interesting ways to inject itself into the public dialogue; for example, Ikea has just recently announced that it has plans to build an entire micro-city in East London. A piece, made from the company's furniture, that deals with space for the homeless would bolster the brand's social agenda and spark the imagination of customer's coming into the store. The building aspect of this project is something that I've wanted to do for some time but haven't had the opportunity to purchase furniture that wasn't going to be used for a functional purpose. For the PR component: I'm a Contributing Editor for TrendHunter and I have contacts at an array of design publications, both in the city and abroad; amongst which: PSFK, Springwise, CoolHunting, Vertical Review, Toronto Standard, The National Post, DesignBoom. I also have a strong grasp on effective social media practices and would generate interest in the project through various channels.

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – Haysboro School Dream Catcher Edible Garden

2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

I am the key facilitator of a group of incredibly talented and dedicated parents who shared my vision to create an edible garden for Haysboro School. Not only did they share it, they took the idea and turned it into something AWESOME. In the spring of 2012, my committee and a veritable army of volunteers will build the most unique edible garden in Calgary. It is our vision to blaze a trail for other schools to create one of a kind gardens of their own; to start an AWESOME revolution in education where it becomes as common place to dig in the dirt to learn as it is to sit at a desk and study subjects like science, math, and reading. We will create a beautiful outdoor classroom which will inspire the children to learn where food comes from, concepts of environmental sustainability, multicultural diversity in cuisine, social responsibility, and patience. A crucial requirement of the garden design for me had to be uniqueness. I really wanted more than a bunch of cookie cutter boxes filled with dirt. I had visions of a classroom of students sitting on benches underneath a beautiful pergola looking out onto their garden. This would be an integral component of the outdoor classroom design. But equally as important, I also wanted unusually shaped raised beds. I gave these criteria to a fellow parent within the committee with the request to design us something AWESOME. She came up with the Dream Catcher concept. Half would be the seating under the shade of a pergola, the other half created by 7 raised beds (one for each class) and a seating area for the teacher in the middle. The ground surrounding the beds will be a 38 foot diameter circle made from Holland paving stones in multiple shades to depict the inner mosaic of a dream catcher. The "feathers" will be beds designed by the students in shape and form as we expand the project into the second year. In the space of 8 weeks we have grown from a group of 7 to a list of more than 50 volunteers willing to build, and maintain our vision. This is an AWESOME number when you consider there are only 133 families with their children attending our school. We have sold the idea to the community stakeholders and will create a Green Thumb Grandparents mentoring group. These are senior citizens in the community who would love the opportunity to share their knowledge with the children. The teachers are equally as excited about this venture as they currently work to tie curriculum requirements into the garden.

Los Angeles, CA – Urban Roots Field of Dreams

2011-11-23T00:00:00Z

Hello Awesome Foundation! I'm a documentary filmmaker that could not just walk away from the issues featured in my latest film Urban Roots. Urban Roots call to action is to put farms in schools. Across the nation, schools cover large areas of land that are often covered in asphalt. This asphalt-covered land offers up a terrific opportunity to turn it into organic, food-producing land while also creating a valuable, outdoor classroom. Currently, school budgets nationwide do not provide for this activity, so we are taking the lead. Urban Roots has partnered with Sarah Didvar-Saadi and Gina Gambill of The Green Schoolhouse, a Los Angeles-based school garden consulting and design build company, to create a pilot program to build school farms. We are calling these farms, “Field of Dreams”. A Field of Dreams Farm is an outdoor classroom where High School students learn the sustainable practices of planting, composting and water con-servation to grow food with the highest organic nutritional value. Each school will experience the growth cycle of Seed to Harvest to Table. Students will take the message home that growing your own food is a simple and vital process. Also, schools will have the opportunity to parti-cipate in their communities by growing food for their local community’s food banks and homeless shelters. The Urban Roots/Field of Dreams pilot project starts in Los Angeles and soon after, Detroit. The five LAUSD High Schools in the pilot program have Environmental Academies within their curriculum. The following schools have been selected to receive funding for a Field of Dreams. Alexander Hamilton High School Global Studies Network Academy Van Nuys High School Academy of Health Careers, Nutrition, Culinary Arts Phineas Banning High School Global Environmental Science Academy Roosevelt High School Academy of Environmental and Social Policy James A. Garfield High School Green Architecture and Design Academy For more info: www.urbanrootsaction.com

San Francisco, CA – Little Opera

2011-11-22T00:00:00Z

I started Little Opera two months ago, with the goal of creating a professional children's opera company where everything is done by kids. I've worked as a teaching artist for San Francisco Opera for four years, and led over 40 classes through the creation of their own operas (I'm also a playwright by night). The class operas were so good, I wanted to find a way to take the idea further. So I start Little Opera. My funding plan relied on tuition at first, but then I got our first scholarship inquiry. Right below the checked box that says the family survives on food stamps, it read: X is the middle of five children. The arts seem to be the area where she belongs. It's where she can stand out from her siblings. This opportunity would really boost her self esteem and set her on a path that she will probably continue for life. That's when I changed my mind about what I wanted to do. I didn't just want to start Little Opera for privileged kids, I wanted to start Little Opera for kids like X-- the precocious, creative child who is probably not signed up for any after-school arts programming because the classes are either prohibitively expensive, or at a location their parents can't get them to on time. So I re-worked the budget, fronted all of my savings, and started Little Opera. We are now in our 4th week of classes, and have eight young artists (aged 6-9) who are currently writing their own opera about an unfriendly forest (read: werewolves, lost children, alligators, swamps, goblins, evil trees). Only one of our students is paying full tuition. They perform in March. Some more nitty gritty details about how it works: Over the course of seven months, our students work together twice a week to create, rehearse, and perform an original opera. They do everything themselves. Everything means they will: Write an original story Turn it into a libretto Compose music Choreograph dances and movement Design simple sets and costume pieces Build simple sets and costume pieces Peer-direct scenes throughout the rehearsal process Perform their original opera How will they do all of that? One step at a time (and with help from local professional working artists). In fact, half of our fall classes are specialized Master Classes that focus on things like: Stage Combat Set Design Dance/Choreography Masks/Puppetry Music Composition Singing Technique I know I'm biased, but I think it's pretty awesome. Check it out for yourself: www.youtube.com/user/LittleOpera

Chicago, IL – Poetry + QR Codes

2011-11-19T00:00:00Z

QR codes are boring as hell. Right now, they're glorified spam and mostly added to movie posters and billboards like an afterthought. I'd like to find some way to play with this technology, and have it resolve to something more meaningful than a coupon. My name is Felix Jung, and I love exploring the intersection of poems and technology. I have a MFA in Poetry, and have been a tech geek for the last ten years. Currently, I'm very interested in creating projects that allow for easy, group participation/collaboration. My project idea involves the creation of QR codes that randomly load up a YouTube video, featuring someone reading a favorite poem. On the viewing side - the QR code would resolve to a specific URL on the project website. Code on that page would then randomly select one of the many submitted videos, and display one at random. The hope is that, over time, more and more videos will be created/submitted. The goal would be that no two scans would yield the same poem. On the creation side - users would be encouraged to record a video of themselves reading a favorite poem, and to upload it to YouTube. From there, they would visit the project's website and submit their video (name, poem title, YouTube link). As submissions are approved, they appear on the project website and also become available in the larger pool, when someone scans a QR code. Ultimately, I want to create multiple QR codes for this project. One basic QR code would randomly select a poem from all poems submitted. Another QR code would only display sonnets, or poems with a given tag. Inspiration --------- Swez's QRadio project: http://sweza.com/2011/07/qradio-my-latest-qrt-project/ You Are Beautiful: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=%22you+are+beautiful%22+project&m=text http://avoision.com/2003/11/15/pics_from_the_evening.php

Kingston – Tympani Time

2011-11-17T00:00:00Z

Tympani Time is an initiative of Orchestra Kingston to procure four used typmani. In addition to being used for the non-profit orchestra, they could also be made available to other Kingston community groups as well, and will also feature in a new composition by conductor John Palmer, which will premiere in a celebratory public performance. It all started six years ago when a small chamber group that met every two weeks to read through classical works observed that Kingston needed a good community orchestra to open up more playing opportunities. Now, six years later, Orchestra Kingston has grown to a 40+ piece orchestra that provides local musicians with the opportunity to play Canadian and international orchestral repertoire. We also provide an accessible, affordable music experience for our community. Orchestra Kingston's goals include: - preparing three concerts per year with a mixture of Classical, Canadian, and shorter repertoire, currently playing at the Salvation Army Citadel. - providing opportunities to community groups and musicians to perform with an orchestra - supporting one another in our efforts to provide quality music to the community The tympani will be valuable assets to Orchestra Kingston as well as to the local musical community!

London (Inactive) – Circle Cycles

2011-11-16T00:00:00Z

Hello, am ildefonso Am currently trying to make my own business which can help our local community by taking volunteers and training them in bike maintenance. This can help lower repair costs and boost cycle usage in the uk while also giving the employment opportunities upto management level. My project is about getting youth's back into employment by getting them to learn about bike maintenance, repairs and customer services. Currently the local police station have been providing me with 10 free bikes. Also i have been getting bike maintenance training and management training for free through Cycletastic. Furthermore I have 8 level 3 bike Repair maintenance trainers ready to help start the project as they are being paid by Westminster. They will be willing to work for free and help train our youths in bike repairs as long as we can find a larger venue

Ottawa – Hello Ottawa

2011-11-15T00:00:00Z

Our grant this month goes to Anne Patterson of the popular blog Hello Ottawa! Hello Ottawa photographs and interviews Ottawans about their relationship with the city and their lives. It’s an exploration of the city and its people, and anyone can participate. Participants are photographed somewhere meaningful to or representative of their life in Ottawa, and the long-form, in-depth interviews follow on that theme. Past participants who have been profiled include a homeless youth (Corey), a local artist (Colin), a sex worker (Lindsay), an urban dancer (Sucre), and many more. Anne says: “I’ve always been fascinated by the way people experience place, and how where we live shapes our identities and lives. Hello Ottawa started in September 2010 as a way for me to explore and learn about Ottawa, and get to know the people who live here. The project is also a great way to help people in Ottawa learn about some of the amazing people who share the city, and who they might not otherwise meet or hear about.” Since starting Hello Ottawa a year ago, Anne has posted 23 profiles and interviewed more than 50 people; right now has a waiting list of about a dozen potential participants. She will put our money to use with transcription services as each profile take her 10-15 hours to complete. This will allow her to post more frequently to her blog and bring more of these fascinating stories to life! Good luck Anne!

Seattle, WA – OF / ONN

2011-11-08T00:00:00Z

I currently run an exhibition space out of my apartment called Vignettes. It exists as a gallery biweekly for one night only exhibitions. I have worked on a number of self funded collaborative pop up exhibitions and this will be the first grant I've ever applied for. In January 2012 I am looking to curate a light festival in the city of Seattle with artist Susan Robb. It would take place in a large warehouse- I am currently in discussion on what the exact location will be. There are a few options that would be free venues to house a number of art installations for three days. January 29th is considered one of the hardest days in the year for people who get seasonal affective disorder. In response to this I would like to hold a weekend of light installations by artists from Vancouver, Seattle and Portland to welcome the winter days and the lack of light. I hope to co-curate three days/nights of events/installations open to the public and all ages. Artists involved have yet to be decided upon- If you would like to know the list of artists I am considering this can be included at a later date. Please take a look at the creators page on www.vignettes.us in order to see the list of artists I have worked with already. Each artist would be asked to create site specific installations in response to what it is like to live in the pacific northwest in the winter. To create a warm, embracing festival to celebrate of all kinds of light. If it is a success it would become an annual festival.

Sydney – Guerilla Lego project

2011-11-08T00:00:00Z

We are Nick and Anna: quirky, creative and long time friends with a passion for awesome (awesome is a noun now). We both work at a Medical Research Institute, but there is only so much advancing the cause of human health that one can do without a creative outlet. So we want to start a guerrilla lego project, and we need the Awesome Foundation to help pull it off. This project is inspired by guerilla knitting projects in sydney and guerilla lego projects around the world. The Aim is to use lego to make the world a slightly more surreal, somewhat more hilarious, and certainly more awesome place. To reach this goal we would build temporary lego works in the public space that are influenced by the environment. For example using lego to fill in gaps in walls, creating lego recreations or covers of objects, or building lego scenes inspired by our surroundings. Some of these pieces would be left in place for the public to view and puzzle over, others may be taken down after photographing - the safety of the public of course will always be foremost in our minds. We would also document our exploits with an online photo journal, which we would make available to the pubic and advertise through social media.

Houston (Inactive) – Ride 'em Cowboy

2011-10-31T00:00:00Z

We need financial support to allow one of our group home residents to continue receiving therapeutic horseback riding services. Kelvin is a 29-year-old client of Avondale House whose life has been severely affected by autism. Unable to live at home with his family, he has lived at one of our group homes for almost 20 years. He experiences seizure disorders, has an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is profoundly autistic. On top of all that, Kelvin suffers from cerebral palsy; so much so, that he walks essentially “bent in half,” looking at the floor. To overcome his severe muscle and joint contracture, his doctors have recommended therapeutic horseback riding. For the last year, Kelvin has been riding horses at the Sienna Stables in Missouri City, operated by SIRE, a therapeutic equestrian center. Joelle Devlin, his instructor, comments, “It took Kelvin very little time to learn how to crest mount the horse, and then just a few weeks to learn basic horse commands. He was a little shaky at first and required constant adjustment on the saddle.” “Now, as he rides each week, I have seen Kelvin straighten inch-by-inch in the saddle. He is smiling and excited when he arrives at the stable, and has almost perfect alignment on the horse -- from ear to shoulder to hip to back-of-the heel.” Kelvin has not been miraculously cured -- he still has spinal curvature, but his horseback riding activities have helped his mobility and balance. “He seems so content on his horse,” says Patti Kelly, Avondale House’s Program Director. “He has a little better posture and does not stumble as often. He cannot verbally tell us, but he really seems to enjoy the sessions. Plus, it is so important to keep him active, so that Kelvin does not ever become wheelchair bound, a circumstance that might cause him to be placed in a different group home setting. He is happy to live here, and we want to keep him here at Avondale House.”

Toronto – ChocoSol's Off-grid Chocolate Factory Mini-mobile

2011-10-30T00:00:00Z

Our Awesome Food project is to retrofit ChocoSol’s Subaru Sambar mini-truck with everything it needs to be an off-grid mobile chocolate factory and one-stop shop for education and demonstration of all things chocolate and renewable energy. We have pedal-powered machinery, solar panels, battery packs and a one-of-a-kind solar roaster, which, together with our retrofitted mini-truck will give us the ability to travel to any location and make chocolate on the spot with no emissions, educating passers-by about renewable energy, horizontal trade relationships and our community while connecting them with cacao in a way they’ve never experienced before. What makes our project awesome is that we are using pure photons to connect people to chocolate through a groundbreaking platform that is a step on the path towards a fully functional, self-contained, off-grid shipping container chocolate factory. We will set up around town and people will get to pedal a pedal powered grinder to turn the beans they just roasted with sunlight into chocolate and cool them in the evaporative cooler near at hand. In 30 minutes someone will be able to experience each step of the process that turns a cacao bean into a chocolate treat, all while learning about the producer communities in Mexico, the nutritive value of cacao as well as our blossoming community of actionists here in Toronto. We have a great team of technologists, builders and eager monkeys who have what it takes to turn this dream into a reality. ChocoSol is a learning community and a social enterprise. Chocolate has been the vehicle that fuels the commotion and contagion which accompanies our research into sustainable agro-ecological processes and we are taking it to the next level now with our 7th generation Solar Fire powered electric hybrid cacao and coffee bean roaster.

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – B.J.'s Gym Show - Honouring 40 Years of History

2011-10-27T00:00:00Z

We are a Calgary art collective who has acquired an awesome space in the historic Stampede Wrestling gym and are holding a showcase event to honour some of Calgary's finest artists and community of progressive vibrant culture who cares about and has shaped Calgary history. On November 25, 2011 some of the best of Calgary fine artists, musicians burlesque troupe and graffiti artists come together to celebrate 40 years of Calgary’s history at the legendary BJ's Gym in the new downtown Calgary east village . Our event will present a live band BARLEY HEP CATS, burlesque troupe KABUKI GUNS, DRUNKEN PAW graffiti collective(Janet, Lesley Mark) and the renowned OILMENS REVIEW fine art collective ( Frank Keller , Darcy Lisecki, Harold Pendergas , Sylvia Prochownik ) showing their new works. We will also honour the legacy of Stu Hart, the Hart Family and all the wrestlers who trained at BJ's Gym throughout the years.

Boston, MA – CRONICAS DE HEROES

2011-10-26T00:00:00Z

I am a researcher in urban issues with a master's degree in Architecture and Urbanism from MIT. I devote most of my research in border issues between Mexico and the United States, throughout my projects I challenge the notion of pair-cities as separate entities, instead I look at them through a unilateral lens where the conflict manifested in opposing relations between needs, values, interest, and concerns of the two different entities can become the tool for negotiation among multiple systems. Currently I am the lead of CRONICAS DE HEROES- an instance of the Center for Future Civic Media/Media Lab MIT. CRÓNICAS DE HÉROES is a campaign of positive thinking that aims to transform the perception of cities with high levels of social disorder and reignite civic pride and hope in those communities. It accomplishes these goals through campaigns using new and old media as well as grassroots activism. CRÓNICAS DE HÉROES encourages ordinary citizens to report acts of courage, kindness, respect, honesty and other positive contributions to society. Reports are shared and promoted through civic spaces and events, public art, and various media outlets. We have implemented this initiative in Juarez, MEXICO, http://juarez.heroreports.org/ as you can see on our website we have more than 1,000 positive stories which all are linked to a map showing courageous acts in different areas of the city.Additionally, in the webpage on the BLOG part you can see many of the activities that we have been doing in Juarez. Building on its recent success in that city, I have decided to replicate the model/project in several U.S.A.-México border regions. A week ago we launched our first bi-national platform in Tijuana/San Diego, http://tj-sd.cronicasdeheroes.mx/ our page in this instance is in English and Spanish. As a native of México who has lived for nine years in border cities in the United States, and who travels back and forth between these two countries regularly, I see the tremendous contradictions and complexities that exist within borderland regions. Through personal experience I have gained a deeper awareness of these issues such as how these particular regions and their populations attempt to adapt, not only to each other, but also within their own country.The present conflict in Mexican cities and the disparities between pair cities is a subject that cannot be ignored; CRONICAS DE HEROES works with these communities for constructive change for a better present.

Boston, MA – Animatronic Monster Suit

2011-10-26T00:00:00Z

Hi, I'm Matt, and I want to build a monster costume to support fundraising efforts for new playground equipment for the nursery school my 3 year old daughter and nephew attend. Every year, they have a Halloween Fair on the town common, and the nursery school has a bake sale to raise money. This year (and next), they need to raise quite a bit extra in order to replace the badly broken playground equipment. I'd like to support that effort by building a crowd-drawing kid-friendly monster. Basically, what I have in mind is a colorful fur-covered larger-than-life "friendly monster" costume with animatronic eyes mounted on/in an over-sized head that look wherever my head turns inside it. I'll just need to build a simple servo motor gimble system for the eyes, and control them with a head mounted accelerometer... possibly a Wii nunchuck. I have experience with latex prosthetic makeup, electronics, and costume building, and have in the past won several "best costume" awards and even had people stop me on the street on Halloween to have pictures taken with me. I'd like to have the big monster help draw a crowd to the fund raiser.

Chicago, IL – City of Big Shovels

2011-10-25T00:00:00Z

Those who know me know I'm a radical pedestrian and obsessed in particular with sidewalk snow removal (that's pedestrian as in feet, not everyday ;-). I sit on the Mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of the Active Transportation Alliance. With winters like we have in Chicago, snow removal on sidewalks is absolutely critical for year round walking especially for the elderly, people with disabilities, children, and those reliant on public transporation. Senior's call it Hip Replacement Season and those with diabilites are often homebound when the snow falls. There are laws on the books requiring landowners to shovel, but its rarely enforced. As a result, after a snow the City is usually a patchwork of clean sidewaks and and neglected ones. I've tirelessly spoken out on the issue with policy makers but there is feet dragging since they're worried that it'd be unpopular to crack down. So, while announcements of snow rules parking gets top billing every winter, there's hardly a pep about the basic requirmeent to shovel. What I dream of, what think would be awesome, is a sidewalk snow removal equivilant of the legendary "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign-- http://dontmesswithtexas.org/. I want to appeal to Chicagoan's sense of pride about our shoveling prowess. Yes it snows here. Thats why we live here. We love to shovel! We've very good at it. We' are The City of Big Shovels (apologies to Carl Sandburg). The idea is to launch a campaign called City of BIg Shovels that 1) reminds media about the law 2) encourages residents to shovel 3) Celebrates those who have big shovels by posting images of Chicago's burly shovelers 4) Shames our scofflaws by posting images of neglected sidewalks and businesses. I'd reward those who submit images by sending the a City of Big Shovels button for thier winter coat and a sticker for their big shovel.

Los Angeles, CA – Bicycle Helmet Cop

2011-10-23T00:00:00Z

My name is Greg. I've been riding bikes since as far back as I can remember. I had training wheels for about a day before I begged my father to take them off. A few shaky hours later, I was riding my bike all over the neighborhood. I rode through high school, to my classes in college and now to work every day. Biking is a passion. A way of life for me. So it worries me when I see all the bikers in LA riding without helmets. It's such a simple thing that can do so much good. Helmets save lives. It's as simple as that. Sure, helmets are not sexy. But neither is a concussion or worse. My project is called Bicycle Helmet Cop. It involves me dressing up in a uniform that looks official but not too much like LAPD too get me into trouble. I would stand on busy streets and stop bikers under the guise of giving them a ticket for riding without a helmet. Instead I would give them a free bicycle helmet and only ask in return that they encourage others they see to wear helmets. Maybe in a small way, that could make a difference.

Zürich (Inactive) – Take care of your hair

2011-10-22T00:00:00Z

Mein Name ist Anne Riewoldt, ich bin 27 Jahre jung und lebe in Zürich. Ich arbeite als Coiffeuse und lebe und liebe meine Beruf. Interessiert habe ich von Ihrem/EuremProjekt gelesen und habe beschlossen mich zu bewerben. Gern möchte ich ein Projekt starten , welches anderen Menschen Freude bereitet. Mein Projekt soll "Take care of your hair" heissen und alten Menschen , welche nicht mehr in der Lage sind , für längere Zeit das Haus zu verlassen,die Möglichkeit bieten sich die Haare machen zu lassen. Ob schneiden ,fönen oder nur eine Kopfwäsche. Manchmal sind es doch die kleinen Dinge im Leben, die einen glücklich machen. Um dieses Projekt zu finanzieren ,möchte ich an diesem Wettbewerb teilnehemen.

San Francisco, CA – Ourshelves Lending Library

2011-10-18T00:00:00Z

My name is Kristina Kearns, and I just opened a lending library in the back of Viracocha on 21st and Valencia St. Ourshelves offers a curated selection of international writings, new releases and classics, many of which are not readily available in the public library and which are, for some, unaffordable to buy outright. Curators include myself, a handful of longtime editors and booksellers here in the city, and local authors eager to share our favorite works with fellow bibliophiles. For $10 per month, Ourshelves members take out one book and exchange as often as he or she likes. They can also request titles I don't already have, as I purchase 20-40 new titles per month based on member suggestion and request. Sliding scale options are available - some members leave a book of their own in order to borrow, and other members pay $20 per month to take out up to three books at a time. I came to the idea of a lending library after spending eight months helping run an international bookshop in Greece. There I learned both the administrative aspects of maintaining a business/artistic space, and the intimacy of putting one of your favorite books into someone else's hands. I learned that the relationship between readers and printed books is stronger than our media contends, and that people's access to good literature greatly decreases in times of economic recession. Government's tend to cut off funding to public library's and buying books - even used ones - can be out of some people's budget while they try to find work. I returned to the States a year ago and worked five jobs at a time, for eight months, in order to raise the funds to start this project. Open just six weeks, we now have 53 members and received positive coverage in Bay Citizen, Bold Italic, litseen.com, as well as in upcoming articles in the Guardian, SFWeekly and theRumpus.net. Michael Chabon granted us access to his personal library to start our stock. The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library let us do a 1:1 trade for 250 books. The public library donated 5 copies of the new One City One Book pick, and McSweeney's - a publishing company I assisted for a year with their oral history human rights nonprofit - has kindly offered Ourshelves copies of their books. Ourshelves recognizes San Francisco as one of the most literary cities in the world, and we hope to foster a physical space for writers and readers to meet, create, and explore the changes in today's publishing world.

Chicago, IL – Open Source Scanning Tunneling Microscope

2011-10-15T00:00:00Z

My project: Let's say you're an average Joe evil genius trying to make a sentient nanoswarm in your underground lair. How do you see the little guys to prove you've succeeded ...or troubleshoot in the unlikely case of failure? Traditionally, you'd need a $30,000 microscope to accomplish that task. Let's say you don't have that kind of cash on hand (your take-over-the-world plots haven't been terribly lucrative since the start of the Great Recession), what's an evil genius to do? You could make an inexpensive scanning-tunneling microscope from scratch, but the projects out there for you to follow are out of date, analog-only, spread out across many theses and papers, and/or poorly documented. Frustrations abound. Enter the Chemhacker Open Source Scanning/Tunneling Microscope (STM) project: a project whose goals are to produce an easy to assemble digital scanning-tunneling microscope, with well documented software and hardware designs, for a complete cost of about $1000. Me: Mad scientist who knows how to complete large/weird/technical projects. A portfolio of large/weird/technical projects I've completed: simpleswitchlabs.com MS Chemical Engineering, U.C. Berkeley Founding member, 2009 board member, 2010 president of Pumping Station: One, Chicago's Hackerspace extraordinaire. How I'll pull it off: Using tools and expertise available at Pumping Station: One, I'll assemble the microscope prototype, troubleshoot my design, and prove that this is a realistic goal.

Ottawa – Top Secret Project

2011-10-13T00:00:00Z

We are pleased to announce that our October Awesome Grant goes to Terri Ann Daniels! Her project, which she has asked us to keep secret for the time being, will help educate and empower young women to make informed decisions regarding their bodies. She is currently drumming up volunteers and other support to get the site up and running. Best of luck Terri!

Sydney – Compos(ur)e

2011-10-11T00:00:00Z

My name is Peter Wildman and I have been inspired by an experience of being aware of my presence. After being introduced to mindfulness meditation techniques last September I quickly realised how in a fast paced, modern world, we are encouraged to perspire to aspire to be better people. This self reflective and project driven approach is rarely coupled with time to sit with the product of the moment - our presence in this body, mind, heart, soul and environment that is here and now. We can find ourselves reacting to our world because we need to survive. We need to know what every opportunity or threat is present so we can divert or capitalise as we traverse with a spacial velocity set upon the future and sometimes caught up in the past. My project is one that will place our obsession with time travel as close to the present moment that is possible. I am currently studying interactive art at COFA (College of Fine Art) in Paddington. My interest is centred around our mobile phones and how we can reframe the way we interact with them. There is a potential space that can be created when calls to our attention are listened to as calls to mindful awareness. We create space for composure, through being mindfully aware of our presence in each moment, rather than being cramped by reactionary behaviour. Compos(ur)e is a mobile phone application that enables a social network of people to create technological bells of mindfulness for one another. This interconnection is materialised as a network of installations and kinetic sculptural spaces that are composed through these mobile interactions. I have developed a prototype of the application, where you breathe into the phone's microphone and ring a bell for yourself. I am now in need to develop the social network element and also develop it so it is compatible for a wide range of 'smart' phone users. Also the first of the installations will be presented at this years COFA Honours show. The installation will be a proof of concept, a prototype showing the interaction that will possibly take place in the network. This is a link to a concept video that shows what the installation that represents the network usage will look like. http://vimeo.com/28605430 Thanks for the opportunity to put my project out there as a potentially awesome endeavour. Cheers, Peter Wildman

Seattle, WA – Stories of Seattle

2011-10-11T00:00:00Z

To be brief, I want to revive the oral story tradition and at the same time feed the homeless and hungry in Seattle. Interested? Okay. Basically, I want to get a sandwich board that says 'TELL ME A STORY AND I'LL GIVE YOU A SANDWICH' and sit out with a cooler full of BLTs and PB&Js and collect stories from the hungry, the homeless, and the needy. It is my personal belief that everyone has a story that should be shared and preserved for, if nothing else, posterity's sake. Then, I'd upload them to the site and to a podcast; and then, when I get enough stories, it is my intention to self-bind them and make a book to sell, all proceeds going directly to the making of sandwiches and homeless programs in Seattle. It is not my intention nor goal to profit off of this. I would not be making any money that I would be spending on me; it would all be going right back to the community. After all, they're not my stories. They're everyone's. I've been trying to drum up interest at the school I attend (Cornish College of the Arts), and lots of people would love to jump on into the movement by helping me collect the stories and make sandwiches. And, if it inspired others around the country to do the same, what harm could come of that? A bit about me: I'm a novice author/playwright and partially professional theatre designer, with a background in charity and helping others. Also, I love stories, all kinds of stories.

New York City, NY – Urban Free Farm - Producing free food in Brooklyn

2011-10-10T00:00:00Z

Bushwick City Farms is a network of open spaces run by neighborhood volunteers that provide free food, clothing and educational programs for the community. We believe in the importance of community self-sufficiency, food justice, responsible food production, and land rehabilitation. This is especially important in our neighborhood due to a lack of access to affordable, fresh, organic food; for this reason all the food we produce is free to the community. We plan to transform a vacant 10,000 sq ft lot into a urban community farm that will serve as both a much needed public green space and as a model of responsible food production. We will build raised vegetable beds to grow organic veggies, a chicken coop to house a free-range flock and a recreational area where kids can play. We will also host weekly free educational workshops at the farm on topics such as composting, farming, food education, ect. We have constructed two gardens previously in Bushwick, Brooklyn; we have lots of volunteers and sources for recycled free wood for farm construction. Now, we just need some funds for clean soil and building supplies.This project will provide crucial resources to an underprivileged urban community while also promoting environmentally sound farming practices and community empowerment. For more info check out our website - http://bushwickcityfarm.wordpress.com/ and our facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002422390841&sk=info

Berlin (Inactive) – FigureRunning

2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

Everybody loves playing outside. FigureRunning is a new sport that encourages you to get creative, go outside and discover new places while running and getting fit. The competition is not about your running speed or distance, it’s all about drawing. Become a master in the art of FigureRunning. Do it when and wherever you want and be sure to share your art with your friends. The world is our canvas and you are the pencil! FigureRunning iPhone app We want to make FigureRunning big, very big, Olympics 2016 big. Sometimes the technology seems to be a hurdle when motivating people to start running art. The growth of our movement is hampered by the complexity. To make the sport accessible to a wider audience, we have recently launched a mobile application. The iPhone app is based on GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, enabling your mobile phone to track your position. While you are running a line is drawn on your screen. The app is designed using game principles and mechanics to make the actual running more fun. We like to say that we are developing the Photoshop for running. And when your art is finished easy sharing with your networks is facilitated. How I got this far After running figures for a year I found 2 very inspiring people (@leolovestwtr & @jankroon) who, just like me, were willing to invest time into building great stuff. We didn't have a budget and didn't have time really, but we pulled it off and released our first iPhone app August 27 2011. So far we have had a very exciting journey of designing, developing and promoting a new sport that motivates people to work out in a new way, by using affordable sensorbased technology. Receiving great pieces of running art from people around the world, being featured in a broad spectrum of media and getting motivating endorsements from initiatives like PSFK and Quantified Self Labs. http://figurerunning.com/blog/press/

Houston (Inactive) – Sleep Out Saturday

2011-09-30T00:00:00Z

Noah's Kitchen's Sleep Out event was the winner Of September's grant. The Sleep Out is one night where Noah's Kitchen asks Houstonians to give up the luxury of home for one night and sleep outside. The event kick's off the National Homelessness Awareness week, and their main goal is to raise awareness first-hand as well as to gather additional funding for their mission to help the homeless. They hoped to hold this year’s event at City Hall, but due to a “no camping” ordinance on city property or parks, they will be at the courtyard of Caroline Collective again this year. You can stay tuned and find out more about the event on their website www.noahskitchen.org

Toronto – Guerrilla fish taco stand

2011-09-29T00:00:00Z

I make great fish tacos - seriously great. Beer battered cod, hand made tortillas, crisp finely shredded cabbage and a habanero white sauce that will make you cry. Simply awesome. And street food in Toronto sucks. We are not children, we don't need to eat hot dogs or have STANDARDIZED food stands. Please. So, I'm going guerrilla. I propose to put a fish taco stand on a bike trailer and ride around to the parks and gathering places of the city, bringing awesome fish tacos to the people. Sure, it's risky. I could get caught. I'll probably get a fine. But fuck it. Food unites. It brings people together. And disobedience ignites. And besides I'm in love with the idea.

Montreal, QC (Inactive) – Alley Kids!

2011-09-22T00:00:00Z

We live in Mile End and have a potentially awesome alley (with practically no vehicle traffic) behind our building, shared by dozens of neighbours with children, who would like to transform the uninspiring, dirty space into a green, safe and awesome space for our kids to play, interact with nature, and for adult neighbours to enjoy, collaborate and positively relate to each other. This transformation will take the form of a neighbourhood clean-up, followed by child-inspired mural painting party and a seed and perennial planting party as well. Each of these parties will include music, potluck and opportunities for neighbours to share their talents, skills and stories. I will photograph/videotape the process and create a facebook group that helps everyone interact and share their photos, ideas and experiences with each other, and to help with future event planning as well . [Got this by email afterwards - Patrick] http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cour-verte-Nouvelle-Querbes/145690458811407

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – Reel World Youth Documentaries (Vids for Kids)

2011-09-22T00:00:00Z

The best education for kids is the kind that engages them with real world challenges and encourages them to have the audacity to do something about it. Vids for Kids is a semester long course that teaches kids how to use documentary filmmaking as a tool for investigating and learning about the stories in their neighbourhoods, their communities, their city, and beyond. Film topics can range from exploring how their immigrant parents overcame adversity to discovering local community leaders... anything to help kids cultivate an eye for what is awesome Calgary! At the end of the course, kids will be sharing their film (and hence their learning) with friends, family and the broader Calgary community through a locally organized film festival. To support this project, we would like to use the money from Awesome Foundation to build eight to ten video kits that can be used and reused each semester by different schools. Each kit would contain video, sound, and light equipment to be assigned to video teams within the class. The first pilot run of Vids for Kids will start this September with a grade eight class from the Alice Jamieson Girls' Academy (a public junior high). The course will be jointly taught by videographer Chris Hsiung and teacher Kathryn McKenzie. Chris will provide his technical knowledge and experience on telling stories with video (such as storyboarding, shot framing, interviewing techniques). Meanwhile, Kate will integrate formal curriculum by fostering critical thinking and empowering girls to use technology. After the test run, the Vids for Kids project will be taken to other schools in Calgary where partnerships can be formed with other imaginative teachers who see the potential of using video to cultivate learning. Follow the progress of this portion of the Worldviews Project here.

San Francisco, CA – Inner Sunset Street Fair 2011

2011-09-20T00:00:00Z

Recently, a big apple fell on the heads of a bunch of us neighbors in SF's Inner Sunset neighborhood and we experienced an epiphany: It's time to radically redefine people's experience of community. With all the Facebooks, Twitters, and smartphones in the world, we looked outside and saw that everybody is still sitting lonely in their houses. We got together, brainstormed intensely, and formulated a new vision. To kick it off, we've decided to have a big event, the Inner Sunset Street Fair, happening Sunday October 16th 2011. We're calling it a street fair, but it's more a giant block party mixed with Burning Man. Our agenda: Instead of being the usual “buy more stuff” schlockfest (eg. Haight Street Fair), we're building community – make people excited to live here, get them comfortable opening up to their neighbors, and reclaim the streets as gathering spaces. How are we going to do it? By lots of fun, eclectic features created by local people – a little like Burning Man but purely focused on community-building. Some of our favorite ideas include:- + Name Tag-Making Booth (using shrinky-dinks) + Choose Your Ceremony chapel - Choice of wedding (2 or more anythings can marry), funeral (celebrate your life while still alive), and award (receive/give whatever award you want) + Box Mountain – Dozens and dozens of boxes for kids to stack, arrange, make forts, wear, etc. + Baby Disco – Unite parents through groovy 4 year olds + Chris C's Tea Party Living Room – Reclaiming “tea party” for its original use There's a lot more happening besides the above. Rock bands with 10 year olds, every local community organization we know of, outdoor dining, neighborhood-specific historical presentations, squishy human brains from our local medical university, and so much more. We hope this event will catalyze a profound change in the Inner Sunset to a place where neighbors on every block know one another, where children can play in the streets, and where life is much richer than the Work and Consume life that's all too common today. People are already buzzing about this event - and we've not told them that we're a little short on funds to make it happen. Awesome Foundation... can you help us make this dream come true?!

Chicago, IL – Possibility Potlucks & "What if" Stores

2011-09-17T00:00:00Z

Every day I walk by empty storefronts and I imagine. I can't help it. Unused space, like a blank canvas, invites wonder. But unlike the single dimension of a canvas, space prompts community, interaction. But, that pesky "For Lease" sign and its anonymous phone number reminds you that, though you walk by something everyday…it isn't yours. You can’t enter till it’s “Open for Business.” You have to wait till it's cooked, finished, ready… Yet, as a community, we are curious about unused spaces, ready for them to open to us. We want empty storefronts to be filled with a new nook, a place to peruse, a space to share again. When I walk by these empty places, I moved to do two things: 1. Ask, "What if…" 2. Throw a dinner party. (I have this reaction to most stimuli.) I think these are best done together. And, with neighbors. –PROPOSAL– I propose a series of community potlucks and "What if…" art installations in empty storefronts to prompt shared dialogue about what these places might be next. These possibility potlucks & installations would spur neighborly interaction, and potentially, local business. (How many aspiring business owners are in our neighborhood that would take the leap if they knew people wanted it?!) Where? I live at the intersection of Ravenswood and Lincoln Square, in the bubbling up (but awkward) northern Damen corridor. It is best to start with the places you know and the people you'd like to know better. There are multiple storefronts on Damen waiting to be filled, but three stick out in particular between the Damen Brown Line Stop (4700N) and Lawrence (4800N). This idea has been brewing for a while, but after talking with several business owners nearby, I know we are ripe for something wonderful (and whimsical) in my ‘hood. Most recently, a conversation with the Orange Beautiful (letterpress/graphics) owners made me realize we have the collaborators, we just need a catalyst. The Awesome grant could be that catalyst. –ABOUT ME– I work best at intersections. I bring people together. I believe in the power of place. Quick facts. I... –Work at a sustainable design/urban planning firm–Perkins+Will–making better places for communities to learn –Studied social/urban policy at Northwestern –Take pictures of my feet wherever I travel –Work with the Healthy Schools Campaign, Jane Goodall Institute, 826Chicago, Starting Bloc, and a network of collaborators in the design and non-profit worlds –Tweet. Find me at: melaniekahl & perkinswill_edu

Ottawa – OTTAWA, a survey

2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

This month’s Awesome grant goes to Tony Fouhse, an Ottawa-based photographer who has shot a variety of projects including one of his most recent finished in 2010 which docmented the lives of a small society of cocaine addicts in a series of portraits. In his words: “The late fall and winter of 2010/11 I helped Stephanie, a heroin addict, to get into rehab and documented the process. She has been heroin free for 5 months now. I have a lot of experience getting out into the world, finding subject matter and bringing it to people’s attention. Making contact and gaining access is rarely a problem. The people I’m interested in photographing seem to recognize that my intentions are honourable.” His newest project is titled "OTTAWA, a survey." With this work he intends to continue his exploration of Ottawa, but, as the title suggests, this work will be much broader in scope and much more inclusive in nature. “My intention with this project is to bring to light various, often overlooked, aspects of my city. I intend to shoot portraits, architectural views and interiors.” Tony will be shooting this project using a 4×5 camera and film. This tool yields phenomenal negatives (which he scans and then prints). As well, the camera slows down the whole process and makes certain demands of the subjects which, in turn, elicits certain responses.

Boston, MA – Tobin School Mural

2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

There was a whole lot of Awesome in the submissions bag for the Boston chapter’s September 2011 Fellowship. One in particular stood out. Internationally known mural artist, Caleb Neelon, applied for spray paint and sandwich money to underwrite the transformation of a large wall for the Tobin School in Mission Hill. For those who love art and our fair city, Neelon’s TEDx Boston presentation (‘Courting the Creative Class’) is a must watch. Want to know more? Here’s a blurb from the application: I'll have some artists coming in from out of town and it'll be a great time. Right now I don't have any idea what we'll be painting, but that's the way I like it, and the school principal is fine with that. I know it'll be really colorful. The wall is boring crummy brick and needs some love. This will be the 2nd project Neelon has done for the elementary school. Weather permitting, painting will begin this weekend as a lead in to his upcoming talk at the MFA (Sunday, September 25th @ 2pm) and recently released book, The History of American Graffiti. Follow the link to Amazon. The reviews are pretty freakin’ awesome.

Sydney – Physique Aerobics

2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis’s immaculate display in 1985’s aerobics flick ‘Perfect’, Physique intends to capture what they knew back then – mirrors, sweat & spandex accompanied by an appropriately cheesy soundtrack. There will be awards for the best dressed, hot pink workout mats and tasty low-carb drinks to cool off afterwards. If you’re not too embarrassed at the idea of getting physical, then the organisers welcome you to sign up. It’s open to anyone, “but particularly those who like to let loose on the weekend and are keen to get active early in the week, are aware that summer is right round the corner but are turned off or daunted by gyms & zumba. The classes will be cheeky but make you sweat. No-one gets shoved out the door at the end of the class, you actually stick around & have a chat & a laugh.”

Toronto – Carbon Capture Jewelry

2011-08-30T00:00:00Z

My Ph.D. research revolves around designing carbon-capture materials to combat global warming (see my website for more details and links to publications). Serendipitously, these materials are very pretty to look at (small green crystals). I think there's an opportunity here to significantly raise awareness about both global warming and also technologies that can fight it (but need research money!) by making jewelry out of carbon-capture crystals. The jewelry would be 'functional' in that it would actively suck carbon dioxide out of there while being worn (until a saturation point is reached). I chose the Toronto chapter because that is my home town and there is a talented jewelry designer there, Niki Kavakonis, who has offered to partner with me.

Washington, DC – Indiana Jones and the Alley of Doom

2011-08-27T00:00:00Z

Imagine this: You're walking down a fairly inconspicuous street -- maybe 14th, maybe somewhere in Georgetown -- somewhere where you're probably not paying much attention to the environment around you. Up ahead you notice a fellow (or lady) wearing not just the iconic Indiana Jones hat, but full-on Indiana Jones dress. Faux-Indie is standing behind a little kiosk next to an "Alley of Doom" - or at least that's what the sign above the alley says. Before you can process this Mr. Jones, something amazing happens: a second (!) Indiana comes tearing out of the alley, vaulting away from a giant bolder which stops neatly at the place where the alley and sidewalk meet. WTF, you may ask. This is a snapshot of "Indiana Jones and the Alley of Doom" - a pop-up experience hopefully taking place in an alley near you (if you live in DC...at least for now, but I'm getting ahead of myself). The Alley of Doom is a game that anyone can play: Walk up to Kiosk Indie, hook him (or her) up with your email address, and you'll be given the chance to recreate (and star in!) the infamous scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indie steals the statue and eventually runs from a GIANT boulder. (We skip some scenes from the real film, but will stick as close to the basic plot as the Indy would like.) Players can choose to relive the entire steal/boulder scenario, or just jump straight to the heart-pumping boulder run. Either way, strategically positioned cameras will capture the action in HD so that, at the end of the day, I or someone of my team can cut up the footage into a personalized adventure, which will then be emailed to the players and published on the web. Who am I and why can I do this? (1) I am not afraid of snakes. (2) I'm a multimedia producer and new media "professional" (currently employed by the Sunlight Foundation, formerly employed by NPR) who has a history of participating in urban games, holds an obsession with the public commons, and believed for far longer than necessary that I was from Middle Earth. I run a website (http://theartaround.us) devoted to crowdsourcing knowledge of (and increasing attention to) public art that I run in partnership with the city of DC and just plain want to create more (crazy/informative/random/wonderful) free experiences to highlight (and expand!) the weirdness and creativity of the District's residents.

Washington, DC – Arts Mentoring: Spring 2012

2011-08-27T00:00:00Z

Amazingly enough, this project has already begun conception and its early planning stages. It is right and refreshing that the Awesome Grant would make itself available at this exact time. My name is Katrieia Snipes and I use art and psychology to make the world a better place--specifically in the lives of the young people in my community. The project I am piloting, "Arts Mentoring: Spring 2012" is an 8-week, daily after-school program designed to inspire young people to believe in themselves. Its design warrants expression and learning through observation, instruction, and real relationships. The first week is when the 30 projected young artists and I, along with my assistant, establish an accepting sense of community, as I have practiced creating in over ten years of direct supervision of children and teens in arts and crafts camps, mentoring and supporting teens affiliated with the local religious organization, and perfecting my approach to serving people in customer service positions. During this week also, the artists will produce a pre-program drawing to compare with work at the end of the Arts Mentoring Program. Every Monday of each week is check-in day. The "emotional temperature" of the room is assessed, and role-play is expressed and discussed. During the week lessons are executed; mental and artistic lessons, including how to value one's talent as an artist without wishing for others' skills. This allows artists to appreciate the treasure inside of them, which unlocks one of the "creativity blocks". Another important key the young artists will learn is to value their mistakes. In terms of skill, drawing and composition will take place the first few weeks, from drawing lines and shapes to fabric and plants. Then color theory and painting will be infused. Fridays will be the "Free Art" day, in which the young artists are free to be creative, and a "Mini-Art History Lesson" is given in an informal format. During the final week of the program, artists will produce a painting of their choice, to present to the school and compare to their original drawing. One final piece that will be included is an anonymous list of encouragements for each young artist: each artist will write one good thing about each peer that they will keep. The projected result of the program is confidence in art and in life.

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – Free Classic Movie (YYC Mobile Movie)

2011-08-25T00:00:00Z

Cities around the country and world have versions of Guerrila Drive In. I propose appropriating this novel idea and adapting it towards Calgaryian sensibilities. Instead of this being a drive in experience it will be a communal collective viewing of a great black and white movie Casablanca. To further improve upon the viewing experience food trucks will be approached to provide healthy and unique snack options (city has already provided hookups for the food trucks in the east village). The movie will be projected onto the side of the Simmons Mattress Factory building. Seating will be located on the new riverwalk. Bathrooms are already provided as is water. East Village Experience and Calgary Municipal Lands Corp will be asked to sponsor the event via electricity for projection and sound. Will explore getting this event licensed. Promotion of this classic movie viewing experience will be via word of mouth foremost. Twitter, local radio and old time movie posters will be used as well for promotion. Expect to seat under 500 persons. This benefits all Calgarians who attend and those that dont but wish we had more events like this. This event is awesome as it is free, a classic movie, good food/drink and brings people to the east village as well as together. Follow the progress of this project on Twitter (@yycmobilemovie).

Boston, MA – Urban Deterioration Obliteration (U-DO)

2011-08-24T00:00:00Z

I'm Paul Howe. I'm a sculptor. I'm from New York. I've been around the sun twenty four times. See my website for all of the awesome things I've made. paulhowe.info I'm a graduate student now at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I study sculpture here. I can't make sculpture anymore. I can no longer make a case for it. I can't justify working alone in my studio, making pretty objects, discussing socioeconomic problems and criticizing everything all the time, while I'm safe in my little bubble of colleagues and professors and books. I feel like a gomer. I need to get out into the world, and instead of criticizing it and bitching about the problems I see, It's high time I just did something about them using the skills I have. I'm going to walk around my town, Greensboro, NC, every day. I'll have with me a notebook, a camera, and a tape measure, and I'm going to document all of the broken, deteriorating, or badly designed public infrastructure I come across (there is a lot of it...). I'll then, with my vast resources of skills, tools, equipment, materials, and awesomeness that I've hoarded over the years, design, create, and then implement solutions for these things. I'm going to fix my city, make it a little nicer, one small project at a time, for at least the next year, every day. I'm talking about making things shine, making things a little easier, giving things we've built the dignity they deserve, and I'm talking about doing it for free, using recycled or reclaimed materials whenever possible, and, having fun doing it. Good old American thrift, with sparkling quality and character. I'm sick of merely noticing and complaining about how poorly maintained and broken everything is. I'm taking matters into my own hands - directly. I wish to act as an effective, concerned, creative, citizen. I have a fully equipped metal fabrication shop and wood shop at my disposal. I have my own private studio at my disposal for record keeping and planning and storage. I have a small fortune's worth of my own tools and equipment for actual work in the field, I have a flatbed pickup truck that I fully own and maintain, and I have huge piles of steel, wood, bricks, cement, hardware, and paint, among other things. I'm also handsome and charming.

Ottawa – Fashion on Display

2011-08-15T00:00:00Z

Our August grant goes to Malorie Bertrand and Maureen Dickson of Fashion on Display, a version of the Amazing Race if Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld were competing with eccentric artists and shop-a-holics. It’s a two week event that will merge sustainable fashion, art, design and community engagement to bring attention to the ecological and social issues in the fashion industry. The store window displays of some of Ottawa’s best thrift, consignment, vintage and eco-boutiques will be dressed up to visually inform consumers of the fashion industry’s impacts and the benefits of supporting sustainable clothing and accessories. They will be enlisting ten shops and pairing them up with local artists to create eye-catching window displays that represent a challenge or solution related to sustainable fashion. Each display team will have a month to create and execute a concept. The more visually attractive and informative the displays, the better. Artists will be encouraged to source reclaimed materials to create the installations. Shoppers will be equipped with a map of participating store locations and will visit each store to view the displays. The window displays will act as a catalyst for an informative dialogue between consumers and the fashion community, and promotion for the store and art installations. At the end of the tour, participants’ names are put into a draw for incredible prizes, sponsored by local sustainable businesses, during a swanky wrap-up bash. Over the course of the two weeks, stores will offer local and organic treats, music, discounts and unique activities to shoppers. They will be partnering with the Modern Urban Guide to create a custom map of the participating stores. Shoppers can pick up their guide at any participating location a week prior to the beginning of the tour. They will have two weeks to visit each store, admire the display, speak to store owners and artists, and learn about the presented issue. On the last day, they’ll throw a wrap-up party, showcasing photographs of the displays, feature sustainable fashion pieces and host workshops on how to remake clothing. This event promises to be a huge success because it is unique and fuses Ottawa’s businesses, artists and consumers. If you know of any artists or shops who would be interested in being a part of Fashion on Display let us know!

Sydney – World's smallest patch synthesizer

2011-08-09T00:00:00Z

Hi, my name is Aras and I'm an Artist-Engineer! My main area of engineering is electronics and micro computer systems, and I love make sculptures and small hand sized objects. I love teaching people about how to build electronic instruments and I have produced several workshops for the Electrofringe festival in Newcastle. I'm also actively involved in Dorkbot Sydney where I have presented various projects since it has been running. I'm currently designing and building the world's smallest (and cheapest!) patch synthesizer. This is one of those audio synths where you can plug in lots of cables between different parts and there are loads of knobs that make crazy sounds! Here is an example of what they look like: http://www.synthmuseum.com/ppg/ppg30001.jpg The idea is to make a patch synthesizer that is capable, small, cheap and easily available for people to experiment with and make some great sounds. As with all my designs, I release the circuit diagrams and documents explaining how they work and how to build them. Here is my progress so far: http://i.imgur.com/t5Cda.png This is a snapshot of the printed circuit board. You can see the knobs, the patch bay and the 1 octave piano keyboard. This will be about the same area as two business cards! Some links about me: Electrofringe in Newcastle: http://bock.com.au/electrofringe/?p=111 http://www.flickr.com/photos/electrofringe/4156884894/ Dorkbot/Electrofringe: http://dorkbotsyd.boztek.net/?p=96 http://dorkbotsyd.boztek.net/?p=106 http://dorkbotsyd.boztek.net/?p=67 Engineering robots for Australian artists: http://marynowsky.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/the-hosts/

Calgary, AB (Inactive) – Illuminating Calgary's Landscapes

2011-07-28T00:00:00Z

Calgary’s urban parks attract plenty of people to both wild and manicured spaces during the day. However, when evening arrives, some of these locations may be overlooked due to their dense and dark nature. Imagine changing these spaces by creating welcoming and magical landscapes in these environments at night. Our goal is to invite Calgarians to illuminate these forgotten locations using several hundred LED lights to create a collaborative and temporary light installation. Imagine going for an evening stroll, and noticing some activity in an area that is usually dark and unvisited in the night hours. You notice this area is filled with lights: some flashing, some in mason jars, and others appearing to hang in midair. As you approach, you see an inviting sign: “Good Evening! Grab an LED, a battery and help us build fireflies”. You’re invited to join in on the action. We will facilitate this experience by providing visitors with a simple starting point: space to create and materials (LED lights, button cell batteries, mason jars, wire, string, etc). In this redefined space, people can create, watch the installation’s progress, or simply relax and hang out. We will welcome folks into this space for a few hours, after which we will start to take down this light installation and leave no trace behind of our evening adventure. Some videos from the project: Illuminating Calgary's Landscapes Kick-off: Installation 1 - Firefly Adventure Club: Installation 2 - PLAY!:

Zürich (Inactive) – Beach Box Heimberg

2011-07-22T00:00:00Z

Hallo miteinander! Ich bin Lehrerin an der Oberstufenschule in 3627 Heimberg. Mit meiner Gestaltungsklasse arbeite ich momentan an einem Fotoprojekt, welches Heimberg aus Sicht der Jugendlichen zeigt. Mit Hilfe von Miniaturfiguren stellen die Schüler erfundene und reale Szenen aus ihrem Schulalltag und der Freizeit an den Originalschauplätzen nach und halten das ganze mit ihren Digicams (Makrofotografie) fest. Momentan sind wir voller Eifer dabei und viele Fotos sind bereits entstanden. Die Sammlung der besten Bilder wollen wir in einer Ausstellung zeigen (Poster), am liebsten auch als Buch, oder Prospekt veröffentlichen. Der Sinn hinter der Aktion ist es, Heimberg mal aus der Sicht der Jugendlichen zu dokumentieren, zu zeigen, was sie interessiert, was sie bewegt (von morbid bis humorvoll), wo ihre Lieblingsplätze sind und den "Erwachsenen" zu zeigen dass die Teens viel mehr produzieren können, als nur Abfall auf dem Spielplatz ;)! (Ganz nebenbei werden natürlich auch die gestalterischen Fähigkeiten der Kids gefördert, ihre Kreativität angeregt, ihre Augen geschult, ihr Teamwork gefördert, der Umgang mit Gestaltungsprogrammen geübt usw...).

Chicago, IL – Neighborhood Little Free Library

2011-07-21T00:00:00Z

Self: A creature of others' support and inspiration. Lots of impressive titles :) but my favorite is National Garden Crusader (I'm a terrible gardener but avid promoter of community gardening and connecting people through common interests) Founding board member of Envest Microfinance Coop, Youth Communication, Dane Co. Buy Local, TimeBank and a few other groups. Chair of Sarvodaya USA www.sarvodayausa.org More important, this project: Little Free Library--a friendly way to promote a sense of community, support reading for children, literacy for adults and libraries around the world. We started out calling them Habitats for the Humanities and Houses of Stories, but Little Libraries is the name that stuck. In short, the idea is for people to share good books through free exchanges that they help create for their front yards, bike and walking paths, bus stops,gardens,parks, coffee shops and community center. Each Little Library is just that, a small (maybe 2'x 2'x2') structure full of books. Some are built by an Amish carpenter, many are built by Do It Yourselfers and others like vocational students, woodworkers and carpenters who just want to be part of the "pay it forward" approach. Some LFLs look like log cabins or one-room schoolhouses on a post. Others look like models of classic Greek revival libraries. We're hoping to see structures that look like either the Taj Mahal or Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Maybe they will be like dog houses or art pieces that contain books--about 20-30 books each. They operate with a "take a book, leave a book" system. Nobody can steal the books because they are free, provided by kids and adults from their own collections, often with notes telling why they donated the books. Authors and illustrators are offering free copies, too. Book collections seem to turn over two or three times a month. People love the idea of contributing books as much as borrowing them. Each Library can have its own theme. Imagine one all about dogs, for example--novels (White Fang, or my fave, Harry the Dirty Dog), poetry, "how-to" books; you name it. Or a Library all about peace and justice, or women's history, or knitting, or village life around the world, or... Every registered LFL will be on a Google map with GPS coordinates and will have a photo and story on a Facebook page. Our goal is to "endow" at least 2,510 of these (more than Andrew Carnegie! Awesome!) and we're on our way with the first 23 already.

Boston, MA – On the Go - National Outhouse Museum

2011-07-19T00:00:00Z

I recently acquired one and a half historic, Cape Cod outhouses, saving then from demolition - one only has two walls. I’m expecting two more this year. This collection will be the core of the new museum, On the Go - The National Outhouse Museum. I propose to refurbish them, put them on wheels for easy transport, and create the Traveling Outhouse Galleries. They would be adaptable for exhibitions, performances and installations, and programmed site-sensitively for: parades, bazaars, shopping centers, and historic and contemporary galleries and museums. Septic tanks, sewers, tunnels and the underground have always fascinated me: creating a Septic Theater in the Ground in my backyard septic tank; recording a CD in the Boston’s Big Dig before it opened; and proposing an Historic Septic District in Provincetown. These sandwiched between projects in Argentina (using surgical masks to counter the hysteria about SARS, etc), Columbia (GLOBAL YAWNING for a small planet - a new day is yawning, video project), Rhode Island (mummifying a 1965 Chevy Impala in an abandoned mousoleum in North Burial Ground), and North Truro, MA (The Beige Motel - a sand-encrusted, iconic, 1955 roadside attraction [since demolished]). On the Go - National Outhouse Museum, like many of my projects, will be collaborative - working with artists, artisans, volunteers, community and cultural organizations and municipal authorities. Composting is a time-honored process that returns nutrients to the soil, conserving precious water, whereas municipal sewer systems require huge capital outlays, lots of water and costly treatment plants. Composting our own waste reminds us of our connection to the earth and the need to treat it with respect. NOTE: The URL line did not work, here’s my website: www.jaycritchley.com