Nationally Known Hip Hop Architect To Host Youth Workshop This Saturday, Feb. 8

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The City of Dubuque Leisure Services Department has partnered with nationally known architectural designer Michael Ford to host a Hip Hop PARKitecture Workshop on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Fulton Elementary School, 2540 Central Ave.

PARKitecture explores city park planning and urban design through the lens of hip-hop culture. It is part of Re-Imagine Comiskey, the City’s community engagement process for the redevelopment of Comiskey Park located at Jackson St. and E. 24^th St. The goal is to ensure that the voice of Dubuque’s youth is heard and reflected in the redeveloped park design.

This youth-focused, music-infused workshop is designed for ages 10-17. Students will participate in group discussions, vision board and rhyme creation, and design challenges. There will be over $100 in prizes. PARKitecture is free to attend and no prior design skills or knowledge are required. Parents are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

Ford, known as the hip-hop architect, has been featured in a variety of national media including The Oprah Winfrey Network, The TODAY Show, Vibe Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Architect Magazine. In 2017, he took the stage as part of TEDXMadison to present Hip Hop Architecture: The Post Occupancy Report of Modernism.

Ford is the founder and leader of the Hip Hop Architecture Camp, an initiative to introduce youth to design and inspire them to think critically and dream fearlessly about their neighborhoods and communities. The program launched in Madison in 2017. The camp has been hosted in cities across the nation including Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Baltimore. Ford is also a cofounder of the Detroit-based Urban Arts Collective, a nonprofit that aims to bring STEAM curricula to underserved communities.

For more information about Ford and the Hip Hop Architecture Camp, visit www.brandnudesign.com and www.hiphoparchitecture.com. For more information or to register for the Re-Imagine Comiskey PARKitecture workshop, visit www.cityofdubuque.org/comiskey.

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