Key Project Activities
1. Form Community Working Groups
The project team—partner representatives, Fellows, and Design Trust staff—will identify key community representatives to participate in working group sessions and community forums. Participant recruitment will build off existing momentum of community-based organizations and other institutions that reflect the cultural diversity of the area.
2. Develop Design Education Framework and Concept Lessons
The project team will develop a participatory Design Education Framework, as well as specific Concept Lessons addressing the key components of FMCP’s redesign. The team will curate a lineup of guest educators to participate in facilitating the curriculum for the Community Working Groups.
3. Conduct Working Group Sessions and Community Forums
The project team will conduct biweekly working group sessions from November through March and three Community Forums in November 2014, February 2015, and May 2015. The working groups will be tasked with using the knowledge gained from the Concept Lessons to develop proposals for the redesign of FMCP. The forums are intended to give a wider community of park stakeholders the opportunity to engage with the proposals.
4. Communicate Findings through an Exhibition
The project team will compile research, writing, and graphic documentation for inclusion in the final project exhibition, which will be held at the Queens Museum. This includes the proposals by the working groups and the educational concepts that grounded the overall process. The team will promote the findings through speaking engagements.
Fellowship Overview
Design Trust Fellows are leading professionals in their field, and are chosen for their expertise, experience, and strong qualifications. Fellows must have demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively as well as have direct experience producing deliverables similar to those of the Fellow Description.
Once selected, Fellows will play a lead role on projects that will have a real impact on the City. Design Trust projects require significant time commitments from Fellows to work with multiple stakeholders, develop implementable strategies and recommendations, and produce final deliverables. Fellows will be expected to devote approximately 1-2 days per week to the project and participate in biweekly project meetings, from late September 2014 to late March 2015. A stipend will be awarded to the Fellow, commensurate with prior experience.
Fellowship Descriptions, Responsibilities, and Qualifications
The Fellows for Reconnect the Park will work closely with the Design Trust and Queens Museum and NYC Parks staff and interface at key milestones with the project’s Advisory Committee.
Note: The two Fellows described below will be joined by José Serrano-McClain, Community Organizing Fellow, representing the Queens Museum. His responsibilities include building support from community stakeholders as well as creative stakeholders, helping to guide the development of the curriculum alongside the Design Education Fellow, co-facilitating the community forums and working group sessions, and forming a creatively empowered FMCP constituency.
Design Education Fellow
The Design Education Fellow will be responsible for developing a Learning Framework for key components of the redesign of Flushing Meadows Corona Park (FMCP) in collaboration with the Community Organizing Fellow. The Fellow will guide the overall curriculum development by exploring key planning and design issues and opportunities for the park (with a special focus on access, and wayfinding), conducting a needs assessment of community participants, assisting with outreach and selection of Concept Lesson educators, such as landscape architects, and working with domain experts that have little teaching experience to help develop effective lessons. The Design Education Fellow will document the overall learning process, synthesize findings, and work with the Information Design Fellow to present the Learning Framework at the final spring exhibition. A key outcome of the work of the Design Education Fellow will be to articulate how the Learning Framework could be replicated and adapted in other parks and communities throughout NYC.
The Design Education Fellow’s final deliverable will be the presentation of the Learning Framework in the final exhibition. Process deliverables may include site analysis, needs assessment memoranda, curriculum plan, and draft Concept Lessons, such as “Justice and Spatial Planning,” and “Modular Wayfinding.”
Candidates should have at least five years of relevant participatory design/planning and/or design education experience and a degree in adult education, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and/or urban design. Preference will be given to candidates who: have experience in transnational, rapidly-changing communities, with shifting social ecologies; can thrive in a multicultural and intergenerational setting; are prepared to have meaningful conversations about equity and environmental justice; and understand creative public spaces as an integral part of social change. Additionally, candidates should have significant experience in: graphically communicating and writing about complex issues for a broad public audience; working directly with and presenting to clients (public-sector clients preferred) and community groups; working on collaborative projects or in teams. Proficiency in CAD software and Adobe Creative Suite is a plus. Demonstrated interest and/or experience in wayfinding is a plus, as is fluency in Spanish, Mandarin or Korean.
Information Design Fellow
The Information Design Fellow will be responsible for developing a graphic identity system for the project, working with the Community Organizing fellow in developing outreach materials, supporting the Design Education Fellow in the visual communication of planning and design concepts, and supporting the community working groups with the visual presentation of proposals at the community forums and final exhibition. Additionally, the Information Design Fellow will support the project team and the community working groups in sharing updates and ongoing work through social media and the project's wiki.
The Information Design Fellow’s final deliverables will include graphic treatment of the work of the community working groups and the learning framework for the final exhibition, as well as related promotional material. Process deliverables may include design materials for concept lessons, interpretations and visualizations of community-based work, and draft designs for the exhibition and related promotional material.
The Information Design Fellow will be expected to collaborate closely with the full project team and the community working groups from the start. Candidates should have at least three years of relevant work experience and a degree in Graphic Design or a related field. Preference will be given to candidates who have experience working in the public realm and at multiple scales, ranging from book design to exhibitions to wayfinding. Additionally, candidates should have significant experience in: graphically communicating complex issues for a broad public audience; working directly with and presenting to clients (public-sector clients preferred) and community groups; working on collaborative projects or in teams. Proficiency in front-end web development is a plus. Demonstrated interest and/or experience in wayfinding is a plus, as is fluency in Spanish, Mandarin or Korean.
Fellowship Benefits
Design Trust Fellows receive benefits that impact their immediate and long-term career:
- The opportunity to contribute their intellect and skills to producing real change in New York City’s built environment.
- Introductions to and opportunities for significant engagement with policymakers, community leaders, and professionals from other disciplines
- A modest honorarium, typically between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the scope of work and experience of the Fello
- Presentation of their work (exhibition). Each Fellow will be given 20 copies of related print materials for their personal and professional use
- Participation in speaking engagements associated with the project or related topic (Design Trust events and programs organized by peer organizations)
- Credit as a Design Trust Fellow for life, including ongoing recognition on the Design Trust website (project/Fellowships pages) as well as invitations to Fellows events
- Honorary Membership in the Design Trust Council, the leadership circle of the Design Trust for Public Space, for a year, including invitations to Design Trust Council events.
How to Apply
Candidates should send a cover letter specifying the Fellowship category they are applying for, a curriculum vitae and a sample of relevant work (PDF format) to fellowship@designtrust.org. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2014.
Firm principals and sole proprietors are encouraged to apply, understanding that the fellowship is a significant time commitment with modest compensation. Professionals with full-time positions may apply if they have the support of their employers; recognition of firms can be arranged. Pairs of professionals may also apply to share a single fellowship. Students are not eligible to apply.All applicants must have the legal ability to work in the United States and must be located in the New York City area for participating in meetings and events.
Interviews will be scheduled September 16-19, 2014. Please note: candidates under consideration will be contacted by e-mail. No phone calls, please.