Funded Projects from 2013
Africamericas
$5,000 » YMWAHA, 2013 Social Innovation Exchange project support
Africamericas, a project of YMWAHA, was a collaborative performance event and series of outreach activities incorporating music and dance from, and education about, Afro-Latin American music, culture, and history. The project encouraged COROLA and YMWAHA audiences and the general population to embrace Latin American, Caribbean, African and African American culture while still preserving the rich artistic heritage of the African Diaspora. Events included pre-concert workshops and a concert at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. A five day Cuban photo exhibit was additionally held at YMWAHA, with a discussion group and reception at City of Asylum.
All You Can Art
$5,500 » Carnegie Museum of Art, 2013 Seed Award project support
All You Can Art, a project of Carnegie Museum of Art in association with Transformazium, was the grand opening brunch of the Braddock Carnegie Library’s Art Lending Collection. The Collection, a library of artworks by regional and international artists available for anyone with an Allegheny County library card to check out—just like a library book—opened on October 6th in tandem with the biannual 2013 Carnegie International. All You Can Art celebrated the opening with a temporary exhibit of local art, a selection of artworks included in the Art Lending Collection and participatory art-making activities. Community members and Carnegie International visitors (shuttled in from the Carnegie Museum of Art) toasted local art, enjoyed local food and took part in an interactive showcase of artists to launch the library’s acclaimed newest lending section.
The Art Lending Collection
$10,000 » Braddock Carnegie Library Association, 2013 Seed Award project support
The Art Lending Collection, a project of Braddock Carnegie Library Association, made it possible to check-out works by regional and international artists, just like books for home enjoyment, at the Braddock Carnegie Library.
“Aspie Seeks Love”
$10,000 » Julie Sokolow & Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 2013 Film & Video project support
Aspie Seeks Love, documentary by Julie Sokolow and project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, followed David’s journey to understand his Asperger’s, improve as a person, writer, and artist, and find a meaningful relationship. Viewers watched David explore the Pittsburgh autism community for the first time and compare notes with fellow “Aspies”. David also explored the world of OKCupid online dating and attempted to break out of his shell to form relationships in person. David’s quest culminated in the Pittsburgh release party for his very first book, Meltdown in the Cereal Aisle.
Avonworth Pittsburgh Galleries Project
$10,000 » Avonworth School District, 2013 Hive project support
Avonworth Pittsburgh Galleries Project, a project of Avonworth School District, was a program in which high school students designed, created, curated, and managed art exhibition spaces on Avonworth’s campus. Museum and arts professionals from the Andy Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and others served as mentors and resources for students throughout the school year as they worked to fully curate spaces at Avonworth that reflected the characteristics and mediums of the partnering museums.
BikeFest 2013
$500 » BikePGH, 2013 Sprout Sponsorship sponsorship
BikeFest 2013, a project of BikePGH, was an annual celebration of all things cycling in the city. Beginning on Friday, August 9th, the festival continuesd for 15 days and encompassed more than 80 events and activities all over the city. In its ninth year, BikeFest continued its work in making cycling and cycling advocacy a visible and integral part of city life in Pittsburgh through impromptu bike tours, the BikeFest Party, and Car Free Fridays, which touched thousands of residents during the course of the two-week long festival.
Build the Global Switchboard
$500 » Amizade Global Service-Learning, 2013 Sprout Sponsorship sponsorship
Build the Global Switchboard, a project of Amizade Global Service-Learning, publically initiated the Global Switchboard, a shared workspace and complementary programming to increase global engagement visibility in the Pittsburgh area, cultivate young Pittsburgh-based nonprofit service organizations, and attract new resources to Pittsburgh for international collaborative projects. The event took place on October 26, 2013 at The Union Hall in the Strip District.
Busk PGH
$6,000 » Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation, 2013 Seed Award project support
Busk PGH, a project of Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation (PDCDC), was a registration-based busking program housed in Port Authority T stations, designed to brighten the commute for more than 20,000 daily passengers and engage downtown workers in the city’s arts and music scene. The PDCDC leveraged partnerships with the Port Authority, the Market Square Merchants Association, Councilman Lavelle, Senator Fontana, Councilman Peduto, Morton Brown from the Office of Public Art, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Monalloh Foundry, Touchfaster, and GPAC to professionalize public and competitive busking in the Cultural District. Busk PGH served as a revival of Busk Pittsburgh, a 2002 Seed Award recipient.
Caroll Spinney at Pittsburgh ComicCon 2013
$750 » Toonseum, 2013 Spark sponsorship
Caroll Spinney at Pittsburgh ComicCon 2013, a project of Toonseum, was an event that brought the legendary actor behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to the Monroeville Convention Center to speak at the 2013 Pittsburgh Comic Convention. Part of ToonSeum’s Kids Day event, Mr. Spinney held meet and greets, as well as a Q&A session featuring himself and Oscar the Grouch at the ToonSeum convention booth. This event was not only an chance to meet and speak with a legendary childhood hero, but also an opportunity to learn more about Pittsburgh’s ToonSeum, one of the few cartoon museums and exhibition spaces in the nation, and the city’s biggest comic convention as well.
Chickens
$600 » Hatch Arts Collective & Dreams of Hope, 2013 Grand Ideas project support
Chickens, a project of Hatch Arts Collective and Dreams of Hope, was a play, installation piece, and series of community workshops that explored gay identity and community. Written by Paul Kruse, directed by Adil Mansoor and set in Pittsburgh, Chickens followed a gay couple as they journeyed from the families that raised them to the family they choose to create together. The project further engaged community members in an art-making workshop that centered on the ideas and themes from the play, breeding new opportunities for art and original theater pieces through Hatch Arts Collective.
Crossing Fences Oral History Celebrations 2013
$1,000 » SLB Radio Productions, Inc., 2013 Hive sponsorship
Crossing Fences Oral History Celebrations 2013, a project of SLB Radio Productions, Inc., was an event series that celebrated the release of multimedia publications documenting neighborhood oral history gathered by African-American boys in the Northside, McKeesport, and Hilltop areas of Pittsburgh.
Dia de los Muertos Pittsburgh
$5,000 » Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, 2013 Social Innovation Exchange project support
Dia de los Muertos Pittsburgh, a project of Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, was an event for all ages that maintained and respected the cultural integrity of the Day of the Dead tradition, but also expanded it toward a modern aesthetic, providing “a memory for the dead and a party for the living.” In collaboration with La Escuelita Arcoiris and the Latino Family Center-AIU, the project acknowledged a growing interest in traditions and heritage crafts related to Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead / All Saints Day, traditionally celebrated in Mexico on November 1st and 2nd. The project provided a stage for Pittsburgh Latinos to come together and share with the non-Spanish speaking population through celebratory artistic and cultural events.
“Dot”
$1,000, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
Dot, a film by Garrett Kennell and David Light, was a dark comedy about a sixteen-year-old girl with an extreme case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Her case was so extreme that she compulsively kills anyone she sees making a mess. Things become more complicated when she starts to fall in love and must balance her murderous compulsion with her newly found feelings.
Downtown Public Art Project Final DesignCiocci & Barton
$25,000, 2013 Downtown Public Art Project honorarium
EdcampPGH
$1,100 » The Ellis School, 2013 Remake Learning sponsorship
EdcampPGH, a project of The Ellis School, was a free, semi-annual, one day conference where community members interested in learning and education came together to connect, support one another and share their wisdom. The first of these conferences was held on Saturday, October 5th, 2013 and was an opportunity for over 100 diverse attendees representing a variety of socio-economic groups, ages and learning communities in Pittsburgh to meet and discuss learning strategies and resources together. As with other Edcamps around the United States, EdcampPGH made the event a regular staple of education programming in Pittsburgh, where teachers, administrators and other learning practitioners could go for professional development in a rapidly-changing industry.
“Fursonas”
$10,000 » Dominic Rodriguez & Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 2013 Film & Video project support
Fursonas, a documentary by Dominic Rodriguez and project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, was a documentary that explored the lives of furries in Pennsylvania. The furry community referred to a diverse network interested in anthropomorphic animals. Many of these people purchased or created fursuits— life-size animal costumes of their “fursonas”. The film offered intimate portraits of a variety of fursuiters, attempting to understand the person behind the costume. While locals were familiar with the display of hundreds of furries in the street during Anthrocon each summer, they seldom looked past their preconceived notions about the fandom. Other documentaries about furries focused on providing an easy answer for the phenomenon, but Fursonas was more interested in taking a humanistic approach, allowing the subjects to speak for themselves, and the audience to decide for themselves.
“Gas Rush Stories”
$1,000, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
Gas Rush Stories was an innovative documentary project that increased awareness of shale gas exploration. The project promoted constructive conversation about shale gas drilling and empowered people to be active citizens through GRS Community Conversations so that people could make informed decisions. The series was praised as being “an important contribution to the historical record of the ‘fracking’ controversy” and for its “human interest stories and fact-based presentation”, promotion of “people being able to draw their own more informed conclusions”, and for “documenting the impacts of the Pennsylvania shale gas extraction boom with a rare level of fairness and detail”.
“Give Us a Chance: Pittsburgh Punk”
$10,000 » Michael Seamans & Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 2013 Film & Video project support
Give Us A Chance Pgh Punk, a documentary by Michael Seamans and project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, detailed individual experiences about how a vibrant, active culture rapidly expanded across the greater Pittsburgh area – bringing people from the region’s declining satellite cities and mill towns together to support their need, curiosity, and eventually, commitment to Punk music and the rising Pittsburgh Punk Rock scene. The project illustrated how the Punk community grew from modest beginnings involving a few dozen people at an all-ages show at a small venue on Oakland, to the hundreds that came together to vent their frustrations and confront an uncertain future, while building an enduring community culture of their own.
“The Granada Refrain”
$1,000, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
The Granada Refrain, a project of Drew Nicholas, explored the development and reconstruction of historic sites throughout the Hill District. The project featured places such as the Crawford Grill and the New Granada Theater, which were known for hosting artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstein and Dizzy Gillespie. The Theater was on the list of Pittsburgh’s Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places for its rich architectural past and significant role as a Movie Theater and Live Entertainment venue. The Crawford Grill was designated a Pennsylvania Historic Landmark for its similar enrollment. Reconstruction of the two historic buildings worked as a physical representation of the artists’ voice in the rich history of this community, while asking the question: What role do the arts play in revitalization?
Grow-It to Go
$15,000 » South Fayette Township School District, 2013 Spark project support
Grow-It to Go, a project of South Fayette Township School District, taught children in South Fayette Township School District and Fort Cherry School District about sustainable food production through a series of hands-on exercises. Students became scientists by spending a year researching, investigating, comparing, and contrasting two different types of growing systems: indoor hydroponic gardens and outdoor, soil-based, sustainable gardens. The program targeted students in grades K-4 and provided different curriculums based on the age of the participants. The project culminated in the spring with third and fourth graders building their first sustainable garden in raised garden beds at South Fayette and a working farm at Fort Cherry. The produce grown by the kids was then used by the school cafeteria to help provide fresh, healthy meals for the entire school. The project also incorporated art and technology into the garden project by partnering with artist Dana Bishop-Root to help the children create colored ceramic tiles found throughout the garden that served both as decoration and highlighted QR codes that enabled visitors to experience students’ art, poetry, and other media projects inspired by their studies in agriculture and sustainability.
Hive Days of Summer Sponsorships
$8,500 via 17 grants, 2013 Hive sponsorship
Hive Days of Summer Sponsorships supported events that took place May to August 2013. Hive Pittsburgh partnered with projects and organizations that were working to remake learning in the Pittsburgh region by hosting dozens of events and drawing thousands of youth and families from across Allegheny County to channel their energy and enthusiasm while illuminating the most awesome opportunities our region provides.
Hive Days of Summer Youth Reporters
$15,000 via 2 grants » The Consortium for Public Education & University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Hive project support
Hive Days of Summer Youth Reporters, a project of The Consortium for Public Education & University of Pittsburgh, promoted youth voice in the region and empowered participating teens to positively affect their attitudes, beliefs, and skills. Utilizing a cohort of 8-12 teen participants, this group covered and reported on Hive Days of Summer events—producing stories utilizing a variety of media: video, audio, and text. The project also included an “empirical research” component to help students add scientific tools and perspectives (e.g., objectivity, statistical descriptions) to their reporting toolkit. This project was executed as a partnership between The Consortium For Public Education and Dr. Tom Akiva at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Kill The Artist”
$1,000, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
Kill The Artist, a project of Darrell Kinsel and Alisha Wormsley, was a feature-length docu-narrative film that showcased a diverse selection of emerging and mid-career Pittsburgh artists in order to highlight a discord between Pittsburgh’s diversity and diversity in Pittsburgh’s arts community. The film spotlighted two primary topics: the emerging movement of creativity and synergy happening among this diverse art scene in Pittsburgh, and the artists and spaces that would otherwise be un-/under-seen. Aesthetically, this film varied from the normal documentary narrative, working each artist, their work, and the spaces they created into animated/edited collages and turning the film into a form of the filmmakers’ work and artistic process.
Knots on Lots
$7,500 » GTECH Strategies, 2013 Seed Award project support
Knots on Lots, a project of GTECH Strategies, tested how feasible nuisance plant Japanese Knotweed was as a feedstock for paper production and biochar. Knotweed was one of Pittsburgh’s most invasive weeds and harnessing it as a resource was seen as being a great boon to the region. Knots on Lots worked to this end, cleaning up affected lots starting in the Larimer neighborhood and then utilizing the harvested shoots to be used in either biochar or paper production workshops where interested community members, scientists, gardeners and artists could engage in the project and develop prospective entrepreneurial opportunities.
League of Cities Conference Stipend
$1,900 » Allies for Children, 2013 Remake Learning conference stipend
League of Cities Conference Stipend, a project of Allies for Children, enabled Patrick Dowd, Executive Director of Allies for Children to participate in the 2013 National Conference on Your Cities Families and the Urban Library Council’s Partners in Success Conference from Nov 11-14, 2013 in Seattle, WA. The grant offset travel and participation costs. Allies for Children was a new Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that works to build a unified and powerful voice for children. Patrick Dowd was the organization’s first Executive Director and attended the conferences as part of a delegation of Pittsburghers representing the Kids+Creativity Network.
Learning Aloud Geek Out
$1,200 » Assemble, 2013 Hive project support
Learning Aloud Geek Out, a project of Assemble, was an interactive conversations broadcast live from HOMAGO Geekouts on YouTube and supported by audience participation via chat and twitter. Happening throughout October 2013, the teen-led Geekouts were designed to enable youth to share something they made with other youth and educators, to lead a short “making” activity for participants, and to get feedback on their work. These sessions offered educators an opportunity to explore the potential for learning by making, and empowered youth to share their creative process and product, all while supporting connections between youth and educators across formal and informal learning spaces. Learning Aloud Geek Out engaged in-formal and formal educators from the Hive Network cities, youth, Hive administration, and representatives from the National Writing Project and HOMAGO. The Learning Geekout Series was organized by Hive Chicago in collaboration with HOMAGO Geekouts and the National Writing Project.
Line Assembly’s Finish Line Party
$500 » Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 2013 Sprout Sponsorship sponsorship
Line Assembly’s Finish Line Party, a project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, celebrated the completion of Line Assembly, a 35-day poetry performance and education tour. Beginning at Assemble, the tour held more than 35 events in 35 days, including readings and free community workshops, during their trek across the northeastern and Midwestern United States. They returned for the Finish Line Party at the Melwood Screening Room, which featured music, food, and poetry activities for all ages.
Local-Global Festival
$1,000 » World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, 2013 Sprout Sponsorship sponsorship
Local-Global Festival, a project of World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh in support of One Young World Pittsburgh Ambassadors, was a one-day festival in Market Square that included cultural performances, interactive international activities, and an opportunity for global organizations to gain exposure and promote their programs here in Pittsburgh. The project connected with One Young World International to help promote the next One Young World summit in Johannesburg, South Africa occurring in October 2013.
“Madame Presidentá: Why Not U.S.?”
$1,000 » Women & Girls Foundation, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
Madame Presidentá: Why Not U.S.?, a project of Women & Girls Foundation and ELAS: Women’s Social Investment Fund in Rio de Janeiro, chronicled the journey of two women, one from Pittsburgh and one from Rio de Janeiro, as they explored the key question of why so many other countries have elected female presidents before the United States. In the process they make important discoveries about democracies, civic engagement, community, and women’s rights.
Media Lab Programming at Sarah Heinz House
$10,000 » Sarah Heinz House, 2013 Hive project support
Media Lab Programming at Sarah Heinz House, a project of Sarah Heinz House, was a connected learning lab where students aged 12-18 created and composed media in a team-centered setting. With staff and professional volunteers, teens learned how to publish online news stories, do shoot photos, produce short films, edit soundtracks, and study music production and DJ techniques. Because topics and story ideas were initiated by the students, the Media Lab engaged students on a personal level, taking into consideration not only development in leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving and teamwork, but also the interests and subjects that were relevant to the lives of teens, ultimately giving them a voice in civic, societal, and cultural conversations.
Midnight Radio, Jr.
$1,200 » Bricolage Production Company, 2013 Spark sponsorship
Midnight Radio, Jr., a project of Bricolage Production Company, Midnight Radio, Jr., was a spin-off of the production company’s popular Midnight Radio show. The show invited children to be a part of the production and performance of new, family-friendly theatrical works. Midnight Radio married a variety of artistic mediums to create a unique theatrical experience of classic 1940s radio broadcasts; with Midnight Radio, Jr., Bricolage brought the performance to the youth, inviting them to interactive workshops where they’ll learn how to generate their own sound effects for use in the productions of “Undersea Voyage” and “Mad Science Lab!”.
Mini-Factory: Big Ideas for Small People
$12,000 » Mattress Factory, 2013 Spark project support
Mini-Factory: Big Ideas for Small People, a project of Mattress Factory, was an interactive learning program designed specifically for young children and their families that used contemporary installation art and space as the basis for enabling parents and educators to explore education ideas. The Mini-Factory included a portable pop-up installation space, printed and online materials for parents and teachers to use with their young children for visits to the museum and beyond, and a schedule of free programming for families at the Mattress Factory and partner sites. The resources this project provided were essential in a time when many low-income education initiatives like Head Start were losing funding, allowing parents and teachers to engage children in the creative, open learning environment that a contemporary art museum engenders.
Mini Pro-LAB
$10,000 » Propel Schools Foundation, 2013 Hive project support
Mini Pro-LAB, a project of of Propel Braddock Hills High School, was an extension of the high school’s in-house Pro-LAB Maker Shop that provided a “pop-up classroom” for children in underserved communities to experience hands-on STEM learning. The mobile Mini Pro-LAB (Learn, Apply, Build) was equipped with prototyping machinery, materials and instructional technology, and interactive learning modules developed through partnerships with TechShop Pittsburgh and the Children’s Museum’s MAKESHOP. These modules, in turn, were taught by Propel Braddock Hills High School students, providing an additional opportunity for students to learn about effective communication and teaching skills.
Mobile Quest CoLab
$4,015 » Institute of Play, 2013 Hive sponsorship
Mobile Quest CoLab, a project of Institute of Play, was a free 2-week professional development program for teachers interested in games, design and mobile technology as classroom tools. The program focused on learning and experimentation with games as teaching tools, games as dynamic systems, game design, and mobile technology integration for classroom use.
Outdoor Clean Energy Demonstration & Learning Lab
$15,000 » Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, 2013 Hive project support
Outdoor Clean Energy Demonstration & Learning Lab, a project of Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (EWCTC), brought students into the creation of a full-size, electric power-generating windmill and outdoor lab space near the EWCTC campus in Latrobe. During its construction phase, students had the opportunity to take part in industry-level green design and construction work. Upon completion, the Learning Lab served as an educational venue available for middle school and high school teachers and their student audiences across Westmoreland County, providing resources for hands-on lessons and projects that addressed environmental science and the production of clean, renewable, electric power.
Picture Pals
$5,000 » Haitian Families First, 2013 Spark project support
Picture Pals, a project of Haitian Families First, was a modern approach to pen pals that allowed young students in Pittsburgh to learn about media, art, and technology while connecting with fellow students in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The program was an inter-cultural awareness, communication, and education project that provided an exciting opportunity for students to explore each other’s worlds, opening up frank discussions about issues like socio-economics, race relations, political landscaping and health and wellness in these two, very different places. Inspired by these discussions, students had a chance to create and trade art to be showcased in galleries in both cities and shared with each other (and the world beyond) online.
The Pittsburgh Canning Exchange
$6,500 » Idea Foundry, 2013 Seed Award project support
The Pittsburgh Canning Exchange, a project of Idea Foundry, was a community-building initiative to create a network for interested people to learn about local food, sustainability and canning, and to trade canned goods, recipes and techniques with others.
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Innovative Film & Video
$5,000 » Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 2013 Film & Video project support
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Innovative Film & Video, a project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, supported Sprout’s request proposals to catalyze the creation or completion of new and innovative community-based projects that took the form of short or feature-length films, documentaries, online videos, and multimedia experiences. Through this special opportunity, Sprout is enabled Pittsburgh’s community of filmmakers, videographers, and multimedia artists to showcase their approach to community innovation and receive support for their work. The 3 projects selected to receive the full $10,000 award were: Aspie Seeks Love, Fursonas, and Give Us A Chance – Pittsburgh Punk.
Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire
$2,500 » Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, 2013 Spark sponsorship
Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire, a project of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, was a locally-grown event showcasing makers of all ages from Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities of Southwestern Pennsylvania. One of more than 65 Maker Faires held annually around the world, the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire created a festival-like environment to celebrate the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement, exchange ideas, demonstrate projects, and share skills. Uniting science, art, craft, and engineering in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum, the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire offered participatory making activities for visitors including 3D printing, soldering, and creating shopbots using recycled materials and electrical components. In 2013, the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire took over the Children’s Museum on Sunday, August 18.
Plants and Paints Summer Workshop
$1,000 » Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, 2013 Hive project support
Plants and Paints Summer Workshop, a project of Nine Mile Run Watershed Association in partnership with Sylvania Natives, was a collaborative community mural designed and painted by teens on garage doors along Ira Way in Squirrel Hill. Along with the mural itself, the project featured a series of talks given by representatives of local environmental organizations such as the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Both the mural and speaker series centered on themes of biodiversity and sustainable, ecological landscapes, imagining what Pittsburgh would look like as a natural, functioning ecosystem.
Power Up Homewood
$15,000 » The Andy Warhol Museum, 2013 Hive project support
Power Up Homewood, a project of The Andy Warhol Museum, was a summer and afterschool enrichment program that asked girls from Westinghouse High School to explore the environmental changes of their neighborhood and express their responses through artistic outlets. The program’s innovative STEAM curriculum invited 8th- and 9th-grade girls to explore their neighborhood—its history, present-day condition, assets, and challenges—and to consider how their urban environment has changed over time. The girls also had an opportunity to explore themes of teen obesity as they considered health and wellness in their community. Throughout the program the girls were able to express their identity and what they were learning through silk screen printing projects.
Remake Learning Fellowship
$10,000 » Leanne Bowler & University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Remake Learning fellowship
Leanne Bowler’s Remake Learning Fellowship, a project of University of Pittsburgh, investigated critical technical practices and the roles that mentors can play in developing young people into mindful makers of technology through the project, “Mindful Making: Intergenerational design teams explore reflective design in DIY/Maker spaces”. The project leveraged Pittsburgh’s place as a leading connected learning and maker education hub with research into the critical practices of the making movement, using design challenges to identify a set of reflexive questions that better explored the reaches of making and mentorship on the whole.
Rhinestone Steel
$4,000 » Dreams of Hope, 2013 Seed Award project support
Rhinestone Steel, a project of Dreams of Hope, was an all-day, all-ages queer arts and music festival in celebration of the queer community. It created an outlet for queer expression, working to eradicate the inhibition and isolation of the community. The festival hosted local and nationally recognized music acts, showcases queer art, and allowed queer community members and allies to come together in a safe and fun environment.
Saturday Crafternoons
$15,000 » Assemble, 2013 Spark project support
Saturday Crafternoons, a project of Assemble, was a program that promoted project-based learning, hands-on making, experimentation and community engagement for youth ages 5-10 through free DIY workshops with local craft artists. The program focused on make-and-take activities, creating community focused projects and connecting STEAM learning to crafting and making, while educating youth about environmental issues and empowering them to be confident makers, foster a love of DIY projects and activate an interest in their community and city. Through Saturday Crafternoons, kids learned not only about the projects they were making, but about themselves and the world around them.
Saturdays at The Dream Factory
$10,000 » Elizabeth Forward School District, 2013 Hive project support
Saturdays at The Dream Factory, a project of Elizabeth Forward School District, was a series of open Saturday sessions and a summer enrichment program at the Middle School’s Dream Factory maker lab. The program invited youth from surrounding counties of Washington, Greene, Westmoreland and Fayette to transform inventive ideas into real objects, using laser cutters, AutoCAD with 3D capabilities, robotics, micro controllers and wood shop equipment.
Silents, Please!
$7,500 » Friends of the Hollywood Theater, 2013 Seed Award project support
Silents, Please!, a project of Friends of the Hollywood Theater, revived the art of silent film screening, providing modern audiences a classic movie-going experience that the theater’s first patrons in the 1920’s enjoyed. While the films of that era had no soundtracks they were far from silent, as a small orchestra or piano player sat in the wings and accompanied each movie. Through their music they created dramatic tension, provided comic relief, and even added recurring motifs. The Hollywood Theater presented a series of six classic, silent films over six months with live musical accompaniment by respected musicians, and included introductions and Q&A sessions by film scholars.
smART Talks: By Kids, For Kids
$10,000 » Bethlehem Center School District, 2013 Spark project support
smART Talks: By Kids, For Kids, a project of Bethlehem Center School District, was a video series produced by Beth-Center Elementary fourth graders to educate their peers in an array of artistic interdisciplinary categories, from Artists to Art History to Technology. Students were in charge of designing and creating the studio space for the video series, as well as all aspects of production, including writing scripts, running cameras and editing footage to be uploaded to the web. Beyond just a simple technical class in video production, the project provided students real world skills that were useful beyond the studio—communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving—while the videos they produced were used as teaching aids in underserved, economically-challenged school districts in the region.
Spark Fun National Tour
$4,000 » Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, 2013 Spark project support
Spark Fun National Tour, a project of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, shared a passion for electronics with students and teachers across the country. The National Tour will stopped in 50 states on 50 dates to teach workshops to children, teachers, librarians, and other educators, showing how electronics can be a vital part of education. The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP), in collaboration with the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA), Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU), Assemble, and The Labs at CLP, served as host for one stop along the SparkFun National Tour. During this national tour stop, SparkFun staff engaged at least 20 adult educators in a hands-on workshop. This event, which was part of a national campaign, served as the launch for a series of 4 workshops that engaged children and other educators from across the city. The educators who participated in the initial SparkFun workshop were asked to host and facilitate follow-up workshops at their respective organizations/sites for other educators and families as a way to help spread this learning to other community members.
STARTup SOMETHING
$10,300 » Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, 2013 Hive project support
STARTup SOMETHING, a project of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, was a series of visits to local, technology-based start-up companies designed to teach resilience to youth facing adversity, to introduce them to the concept of entrepreneurship, and to expose them to emerging ideas and career paths in the technology sector. During each visit to companies and incubators like iTwixie, Thread International and Idea Foundry, the youth and their mentors shared in an interactive educational experience structured around the life-cycle stages of start-up companies.
The Sunday Gravy Show
$6,000 » Calliope The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, 2013 Seed Award project support
The Sunday Gravy Show, a project of Calliope and The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, was a concert series set in different homes in different neighborhoods around Pittsburgh, where the barriers between artist and audience could be broken down in intimate, hospitable settings. The concert series, hosted by Wammo (formerly of the Asylum Street Spankers), featured both national and local folk acts, providing an opportunity for people of all ages to experience music in their own homes while also showcasing Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods to performers from all over. Beyond just a performance, this intimate setting allowed for a conversation with the musicians, with each night also featuring interviews and trivia led by Wammo, making each concert in the series so much more than just another show.
This Day in Pittsburgh History
$5,000 » Cornell School District, 2013 Hive project support
This Day in Pittsburgh History, a project of Cornell School District, connected students with regional resources and supported the development and creation of 180 short documentaries that described key historical events in the region to build connections between Pittsburgh’s and the world’s events. Through field trips and other first-hand information gathering, students worked in teams and in collaboration with museums, archives, libraries, and individuals to research and select key events and identify primary source documents and images to be used in the mini documentaries. Students then developed scripts, shot, and edited their own footage.
Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC)
$1,000 » Pittsburgh Technology Council, 2013 Remake Learning sponsorship
Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC), a project of Pittsburgh Technology Council, was a two-day event featuring talks by Andrew Slack, executive director of the Harry Potter Alliance; Richard Culatta, Director of the Office of Educational Technology for the US Department of Education; a vendor reception; and three concurrent sessions focusing on a variety of emerging trends and issues in teaching and learning. TRETC 2013 took place on November 19th and 20th at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Cranberry Township.
Touch Art
$6,000, 2013 Seed Award project support
Touch Art, a project of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, was a program to open art-making to the traditionally underserved audience of blind or visually impaired individuals. The program’s six workshops focused on tactile and three-dimensional art forms such as making memory vessels from fiber, hollow beads from precious metal clay, hand-building clay sound sculptures, and handmade paper. The program doubled as an educational opportunity for local artist-teacher interested in studio-specific accessibility training, but ultimately focused on expanding the perceptions of art viewers about the aesthetics and capabilities of artists who are blind or visually impaired.
TRETC 2013 Conference Stipend
$750 » The LAMP, 2013 Remake Learning conference stipend
TRETC 2013 Conference Stipend, a project of The LAMP, enabled DC Vito, Executive Director of The LAMP to participate in the 2013 TRETC Conference from Nov 19-20, 2013 and hold several meetings with partner organizations based in the Pittsburgh region. The grant offset travel costs, material expenses, and staff time. The LAMP, which stands for Learning About Multimedia Project, embraced a mission to educate and equip people to shape the media landscape through hands-on training. In particular, The LAMP showcased its new tool, Media Breaker, a free online video editor for remixing third-party content such as news clips, commercials and music videos in an educational setting.
UnConference 2013
$5,000 » PAEYC, 2013 Spark sponsorship
UnConference 2013, a project of Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC), was an annual two-day conference where educators and technologists could “play together,” learning about how to use emerging technology for learning experiences in the classroom. The conference centered on the idea of a “hackathon,” where teams comprised of technology developers, user interface and design experts, and marketing professionals built open source apps submitted by regional teachers and educators and voted on by the public, but also featured other engagement opportunities including a number of “field trips” to creative tech spaces around Pittsburgh helping to remake learning, including TechShop, MAYA Design Inc., CMU’s CREATE Lab, and the MAKESHOP at The Children’s Museum.
Unlisted: Second Steel
$2,500 » New Sun Rising, 2013 Seed Award project support
Unlisted: Second Steel, a project of New Sun Rising, collided the perspectives of Pittsburghers and newcomers to create site responsive performance pieces, forming a Performance as Research lens through which to (re)view the city. The project combined research and international perspectives with the disciplines of performance and curation in an exploration of the urban environment. By using an innovative and cross-disciplinary artistic format to confront pressing and critical questions about revitalization in Pittsburgh, Unlisted unearthed local perspectives and linked Pittsburgh with the international dialogue about the structure and future of cities. In September 2013, Unlisted produced Second Steel, three public performances in neighborhoods that complicated Pittsburgh’s revitalization narrative: Townhouse (East Liberty), Alco Parking Lot 7H (intersection of Lacock and Sandusky Streets), and 2308 Centre Avenue (an empty lot).
Urban Edible Garden Classroom
$7,500 » Penn State Extension of Allegheny County, 2013 Seed Award project support
Urban Edible Garden Classroom, a project of Penn State Extension of Allegheny County, was a gathering place and educational catalyst for urban gardeners. The UEGC provided workshops, delivered educational content through extensive and permanent signage, hosted growing trials of fruits and vegetables, and provided food access in an urban food desert. With Penn State Extension staff serving as coordinators and workshop leaders, and the city’s Edible Garden’s program granting technical assistance, soil testing, and educational content, programming for the UEGC was directed at both amateur gardeners and urban residents that had an interest in becoming “agricultural entrepreneurs” by creating value-added products from fruits and vegetables grown in the city.
Urban Stitches
$5,000 » YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, 2013 Hive project support
Urban Stitches, a project of YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, was a math-based sewing project within the YWCA’s TechGYRLS program that engaged girls in grades 6-12 from Homewood, Lincoln, and Larimer. . The program was designed to fill the void created by area schools when traditional home economics programs were cancelled. Partnering with the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s TechGYRLS program, Urban Stitches Foundation encouraged creative learning outside the classroom – and reinforced disciplines such as patience, the ability to follow instructions, math and mechanical skills, independence, and self-confidence. The hands-on, tactile sewing skills the foundation taught provided a way for youth to comprehend math concepts such as fractions and measurement conversion. The program also opened doors to potential career paths such as tailoring, custom-made clothing, and home décor. By encouraging kids to use self-directed, creative energy to obtain immediate, tangible project outcomes the foundation extended children’s opportunities to learn abstract principles like mathematics beyond the classroom.
What What Why: Stories of Life and Living
$7,500 » Essential Public Media, Inc., 2013 Seed Award project support
What What Why: Stories of Life and Living, a project of Essential Public Media Inc., was a radio podcast series that focused on bridging the gap between generations of Pittsburghers. The city’s two largest demographics were 19 to 34 and 60 to 84, but there were few, if any, spaces where the two groups regularly interacted. Through What What Why, younger and older city residents were put together in conversation through a variety of formats, providing an opportunity to discuss topics ranging from healthcare to dating. Along with the podcast there was additionally a storytelling workshop and performance, with all aspects of the project working to strengthen the city’s social fabric by addressing central misunderstandings rooted in the generation gap.
“What’s Your Favorite Thing About Pittsburgh?”
$1,000, 2013 Film & Video honorarium
What’s Your Favorite Thing About Pittsburgh was a series of 10 animated shorts profiling a selection of Pittsburgh’s fascinating residents and their hobbies, lifestyles, and interests. The shorts were created by recording off-the-cuff interviews with locals about the things they love about Pittsburgh, and using their stories and anecdotes as material for stylized original 3D animations.
WordPlay
$2,500 » Bricolage Production Company, 2013 Seed Award project support
WordPlay, a project of Bricolage Production Company headed by Alan Olifson, featured actors, comedy writers and everyday people reading their own funny and often poignant true stories with a live DJ score. It took places as a live show, with Olifson working with each reader and DJ to help craft the perfect score. The project was a salon for a new generation; a curated feast of the written word and music. It gave Pittsburgh a chance to share its stories in an exciting way and, by opening the stage to a diverse collection of storytellers and DJs, provide a truly authentic view of the city.
SocialChange101
$15,000 » Carnegie Mellon University, 2013 Hive project support
SocialChange101, a project of Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Arts in Society, was a free online educational resource and youth workshop series for students of social change. The online resource included courses in history and social change and a directory of local organizations working toward social justice, while the youth workshops focused on media literacy’s role in that change, culminating in student-produced videos highlighting organizations involved in the directory. It is through these courses and workshops that SocialChange101 exposed groups of Pittsburgh teens to social issues that affected their communities, contextualizing them within historical precedents and concepts of social change and empowering the teens with technical and artistic skills and the knowledge that even individuals can make an incredible difference in the world.