Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Week 2


An office space design including their portfolio, model and showroom.
The past couple of days have been busy but enjoyable. At the camp, the week's theme was interior design under the title “Make Yourself at Home”. The campers in my group were tasked with creating a coffee shop, restaurant, office space, library or clothing store. Their focus while creating the designs and models was to make it an inclusive space, meaning anyone regardless of their abilities would be able to easily use and move around the space. The camper was able to design their own wallpaper and furniture specifically for their space.

One of my favorite parts throughout the week was the emphasis on empathy to create designs. For the campers to get a better idea of what it would be like to be in a wheelchair, crutches or have limited visibility and move around certain spaces they used empathy tools to explore the museum. My group of 7 students used glasses without limited to no visibility and canes to walk around the museum they soon realized how difficult it is to navigate around spaces that weren’t designed inclusively. The activity was very helpful and allowed them to get a better idea of how their space should be designed. In the beginning, I had my doubts about the activity and thought that some of the campers may not take it seriously but I was proved wrong. After we reflected as a group, I realized they all learned something valuable from the experience but wouldn’t only apply to their designs inclusive but their lives as well. i
As I mentioned before, It was also my first time working with the 9-10 group. It was different but equally as enjoyable. Their ideas and final projects were incredible and spoke true to their hard work. It was a different dynamic seeing as they’re all a lot more self-sufficient but they always asked for help or an opinion when they wanted it.

On Wednesday, I had my storytime! I was sent Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle. During my story time, there were 4 boys ages 8-10. They seemed to enjoy the book and the coloring activity afterward, as well. But, my favorite part was getting to help the boys mom after the storytime. The mom, Rafaela, doesn’t know English very well, much like my own mom, so she asked if I could help with her son's homework. I was able to help translate and explain her child’s homework to her which was truly a rewarding experience. At home, I’ve also helped my mom understand my little sister’s homework so it reminded me of that. This experience also reminded me of the importance of having resources like tutoring and interpreting services available (and made known to our communities) at places like the local library  
6-8 showroom projects

9-10 Showroom Designs


Until next week,
Maira

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