Big Dreams, Big Bridges
City Beat
"Area arts organizations, schools and
businesses join forces to build bridges -- literally"
By Jackie Glasser
Published: June 15, 2005
Click here for a link to this article.
What happens when Architecture by Children (ABC) joins forces with Art Machine? For adults, it's like a monster garage project. For kids, it's a chance to see a school project become larger than life.
Covington's Roeblingfest sponsored "Bridge Build", an event that unveiled four footbridges based on students' designs. ABC presented certificates of appreciation and participation to contractors and students involved in this special program in a ceremony June 12.
Each year ABC committee members choose a project to educate children about architecture. Zoe Hardy, graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and a project manager for American Institute of Architects (AIA), is the ABC chairperson. This year she teamed up with Jennifer Baldwin, executive director of Art Machine, to solicit local contractors, architectural firms and allied professional groups to help students see their ideas become reality.
"We wanted to build something large enough for people to be physically involved with it," Baldwin says.
The AIA sponsors ABC, an all-volunteer-run program. The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati offered a grant that paid for much of the program. Local architectural organizations also donated funding, enabling ABC to develop an outreach program that pairs volunteers within the architectural field to schools for an annual project.
This year ABC invited kindergarten through high school students to design a bridge. The program sent cross-curriculum teacher packets and volunteers to each participating school in Greater Cincinnati.
A citywide exhibition displayed the best bridges from each school for one week, culminating with the ABC Awards Reception April 23 at the Main Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County downtown. Here, ABC announced that four winners would receive an additional honor: Their work would become actual footbridges.
"Bridge of Friendship" by Madeline Scott, Andrea Bresser and Elizabeth DeJohn from Clermont Schools Gifted Program won "Most Creative Interpretation of the Theme" in the kindergarten through fourth-grade age group. "Big Bully Bridge" by Nate Arlinghaus from Holy Cross High School won the "Master Craftsman" award in the ninth- through 12th-grade age group. "New Century Bridge" by Andrew Schwartz and Dayne Friedhoff from Princeton High School won the "Future Architect" award in the ninth-through 12th-grade age group. And "Dark Side of the Moon" by Brian Feie from Our Lady of Visitation won the "Future Architect" award in the fifth- through eighth-grade age group.
Three local contractors chose to take these designs to the next level: Imperial Builders, Turner Construction and Messer Construction.
Imperial Builders owners Sherry and Norb Smith chose Arlinghaus' bridge for its "sleek design." Mark Becker of Becker Welding donated his time, talent and a site, while Hofbr#228uhaus in Newport donated materials for the stainless steel bridge.
Turner Construction's Bethany Rustic and John Cissel chose two bridges to sponsor. Rustic says that Cissel met with Schwartz and Friedhoff and with Scott, Bresser and DeJohn to discuss the construction process and "maintain the integrity of the design." Turner Construction solicited help from CHC Fabricating to help design "New Century Bridge."
Meanwhile, GBBN Architects drew up the plans for "Friendship Bridge," and the girls were invited to paint it themselves.
"To see the bridges actually happen, to see the look on the girls' faces, it was unparalleled," Rustic says.
Hardy, who has been involved with ABC since 1998, is enthusiastic about the "Bridge Build" project.
"Every year amazes me, amazes all of us," he says. "The variety of thought that goes into each project is incredible. With these kids, there are no boundaries, no boxes and no preconceptions. There were bridges in the competition that pivoted, bridges that were conceptual, like the 'Friendship Bridge,' and the kids just went for it. They didn't hear that voice inside their head that says, 'You can't do that.' "
Steve Beiting, a member of AIA, was the senior project executive at Messer who worked with Feie.
"We gave him a hardhat, goggles and a safety lesson," he says. "Brian was really into it."
"The best part of this was seeing the bridge come to life," Feie adds.
Baldwin sees a bright future for the "Bridge Build" program
"The work that AIA does with kids is fantastic," he says. "We want to give kids and their work the visibility and recognition they deserve through exhibitions in a formal gallery settings and outdoor spaces. How much more wow could you get ... to be a kid and have your design realized as an interactive structure? I am talking about translating ideas into reality, dreams into real possibilities. It doesn't get any better than that."
Photo By Eric Chapman
Andrew Schwartz holds his "New Century Bridge," his winning entry created with classmate Dayne Friedhoff for the "Bridge Build" contest. Four winners were able to create larger-scale footbridges based on their designs.