Just as public access television puts the means of communication in the hands of communities, CUP’s Public Access Design will put the power of design in the hands of New York City’s community organizers and advocates.
Public Access Design projects will be short, intensive collaborations of CUP, an artist or designer, and a community organization that is working to break down a complex policy or planning issue that affects their constituents. Each collaboration will result in a visual tool that meets an advocate’s organizing needs as they arise – getting information directly to communities where they are, and when they most need it.
Public Access Design builds on CUP’s work with programs like Making Policy Public and Envisioning Development Toolkits – projects that bring designers and advocates together to create engaging tools about urban policy and planning issues. These tools have been used by tens of thousands of individuals, from street vendors to city officials. They have contributed to the ability of thousands of residents to more effectively participate in the decision-making that impacts their lives.
Public Access Design will put more, and more types, of these tools for community change into the hands of New York City’s organizers and advocates. Through a streamlined application and jurying process, pre-selection of design partners, a focus on well-defined issues, and the introduction of an edited range of media formats, Public Access Design projects will take only four to five months from application to completion. The result will be that more communities have access to meaningful organizing tools, and more designers are able to make a real impact with their skills.
The inaugural Public Access Design jury will meet in July to select our first group of Design Fellows. The talented jury consists of leaders in the organizing, advocacy, and design fields:
· Jake Barton, Founder and Principal of Local Projects
· Vicki Been, Director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy
· Eddie Opara, Partner at Pentagram
· Damaris Reyes, Executive Director of Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)
We seek designers with an interest in applying their design skills to collaborative projects that use innovative design to effect social change. Artists and designers working in print design, animation, motion graphics, or interaction design are encouraged to apply. During the 2012-13 project cycle, CUP will offer four media formats for this program – each designed to work with an advocate’s organizing needs and to be easily completed within the three- to four-month project time frame. The formats being offered are:
· Pages – a four- to eight-page print publication
· Frames – a 30- to 60-second animation or motion graphic
· Pixels – an interactive, web-based digital graphic
· Folds – a pocket-size print graphic that unfolds to 11½” by 21”
CUP is committed to innovative design, and will be an advocate for creative approaches to the design challenges presented by each project.
The deadline for applications for artists and designers to apply to Public Access Design is Monday, July 2, 2012 at midnight. Designers can download application packages below.
Find out more and apply online at: welcometocup.org/PublicAccessDesign
