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.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Wood Luck and Mary Jane Jacobs

Zach and I took a run to Stickley today and through the generosity of Andrea Audi (picture will be posted soon) we drove home (to Comart) with a carload filled with wood. Somebody can go back again on Friday for an additional load. My contact at National Grid through their Forestry Department is also offerring us OSB board - do we want that too. I may ask them if they have MDF that we could use behind the wall panels.... what width? But do we want OSB and if so how mcuh?

We also had a great breakfast and conversation with Mary Jane Jacobs. She seems soundly excited about our project. She had a few insightful comments about our representations of the bus that we can discuss on Thursday - she thought it looked a bit like a weapons tank - the way it was represented on the computer drawings which of course was unintentional and we can change. Also she had a wonderful suggestion about the pillows and the container of memory idea and the anthropomorphizing of the bus into Miss M - or whomever. More to follow.

I think an article will appear tomorrow in the Daily Orange and someone from Newhouse is coming on Thursday to class. MORE IMPORTANTLY - please remember that snow is around the corner and we all need to put in the 6 hours between class - so - get the pans, the subfloor, the MTVU grant, the lighting research and the metal projects DONE before Thursday's class.
Also if people are around this weekend we can have our first (of many) charette's.
Class Agenda to follow tomorrow night.
Thanks!
Marion
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1 comment:

Roslyn said...

I read the article! It was great to have it in the D.O.!

Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:23:00 AM

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