MLAB MISSION STATEMENT


The Mobile Literacy Arts Bus (MLAB) is an artist-run, renovated recreational vehicle that exists as a flexible space open to community members’ proposals for alternative educational and cultural programming.

MLAB is the collaborative effort of the 2007-2008 Social Sculpture class at Syracuse University, comprised of 10 art and architecture students and lead by artist and Director of Community Initiatives in the Visual Arts of Syracuse University, Marion Wilson. Our mission was to transform a used, 1984 Recreational Vehicle Bus into a Mobile Literacy and Arts Bus for use by the Syracuse City School District and the greater Syracuse Community. MLAB serves as a physical manifestation of Syracuse University’s Scholarship in Action initiative, by pairing University resources with community needs in an attempt to address the staggering drop out rates in the Syracuse City School District High Schools. Through the School of Education at Syracuse University, incredible curricula that bridge photography, poetry and literacy currently exist within the public schools-- however due to a crisis of space, the schools don't always have the space or resources to house it. MLAB is this space. The bus serves as a mobile classroom, digital photo lab, gallery space, and community center. As a team, we did it all: demolition, design, and construction.

MLAB is made possible from the generous support of the School of Education at Syracuse University and Entitiative.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

IDEA~ inspired by Scrapile





SCRAPILE is the collaborative work of designers Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado. Seeking to create a possitive environmental impact with their work, these two have developed a unique method of collecting and repurposing discarded scraps of wood from New York's woodworking industry. Since it's conception in Fall 2003, this project has continued to yield an ever-evolving line of furniture and product which by its very nature insists each piece be one of a kind

------ From scrapile.com--------


Vincent, Zach, and I came up thith this idea that was inspired by Scrapile's work. Useing the scraps wood to creat our funiture for the bus. Since this bus is made for the society, we think it's a great idea that we took scraps wood from Syracuse's constraction site. use city's scrap to build this M-lab and give it back to the city has offered a lof of meanings. We can even hang a photo of where we took the wood from in the bus, just for people to remember and to give a little history for the bus itself.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love the aesthetics of these pieces and I think it's a great idea to reuse material from local construction sites to create a bus for the kids! Great idea guys!

Monday, October 08, 2007 2:10:00 PM

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