Meet Martha, the founder of a New York-based non profit organization called Blissful Bedrooms. Blissful bedrooms is a grassroots organization that takes remodeling to a whole new level of outreach—transforming bedrooms for the severely disabled young adult who by and large spend most of their time in their bedrooms. Read more.
Dorka Keehn has a had a great year. The national organization she co-founded, Emerge America—a major contributor to the growing numbers of Democratic women serving in public office—saw 17 out of 28 Emerge California alumnae in the San Francisco Bay Area win their November 2012 ballot race. That’s a 61% success rate.
Emerge America operates in 12 states nationwide, inspiring women to run for political office and then training them to run. All of these women are in good company. Read more.
We’re taking a moment to celebrate history in light of “BEAUTY BRAINS BRAWN and Beyond.” January 2013 will mark a monumental time in history when 20 women will hold seats in the U.S. Senate. Although our political institutions are still overwhelmingly male-dominated, this is a huge step in the right direction and a revolutionary moment for all people. We as male and female designers know that keeping balance is the key to inspiration and innovation for the common good. Read more.
“We Are The Change”, E.C. Reems Academy; screen shot from video produced by Damien Lewis and Caleb Ford
Back in March (wow, was it really that long ago?) we got the chance to interview Laura Guido-Clark, a designer whose passion is to make the human response to products more meaningful through color, material, finish and pattern. Through her trademarked process, Climatology, she researches and tracks relevant changes on the social, political, economic and emotional fronts. Read more.
This past Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day and it got me thinking about my impact as a voter, but also about my political upbringing. Growing up as a young woman of color in Baltimore, running for office wasn’t necessarily a dream of mine. It didn’t have much to do with my family—the support to be whomever I wanted to be was there. But open dialogue in my direct community pertaining to young women taking political action was not present. Several decades have passed since and we find ourselves in a privileged country that has changed the face of politics—literally. Read more.
“Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.” — Keith Haring
Defining your experience in the world may take different forms; strokes of bleeding watercolors, delightfully painful bike rides up the 101 coast, or maybe the basic state of speech reincarnated onto a word-filled page. We as designers recognize the weight of creativity in each of our individual lives but more importantly, within the intimate walls we dwell. Keith Haring was an extraordinary spirit who instinctively painted on walls, devoting his time to public works that carried social messages.
Altruism, loosely defined as being selfless, is seen as demonstrating prosocial behaviors like offering, comforting, sharing, philanthropy, and community service. It is a virtue in many cultures, seen as a core aspect of various traditions from across the globe, and something we here at LOCZIdesign admire. Read more.
As interior designers, you know that we talk about colors — a lot! Yet, color and its influence is a broader experience that is often a vessel for therapy, outreach and even triumph. “It’s a can of paint but so much bigger than that!” That’s Laura Guido-Clark, the Founder/President of Project Color Corps and Principal at Laura Guido – Clark Design. Consider her your guru of color activism.