In this summer graduate studio, the students were given the initial assignment of creating a new orchard for Southern Illinois on a 40 acre piece of privately owned land north of Cobden. They were also given some potential sub-programs of a farmer’s market, a food bank, migrant field worker housing, and an educational facility focused on food waste. After completing a series of group research investigations that spanned the first few weeks of studio, the group was told to let their research lead them to a reinterpretation of the initial assignment. For a few, the “orchard” remained a functional orchard. For others, the tradititional orchard program was paired with another complementary program such as an educational outreach facility. And for some, the project changed dramatically to something like a vermicomposting plant or a campus extension focused on farming technology. In all, the studio produced an exciting and widely varying set of programs and projects for the site. Below are links to some of the work produced in the studio.
CJS 