Tour: Inspiration for Library Design: A Tour of Alternative Creative Making Environments in New Orleans Sponsored by BCUL

Sponsored by BCUL, this tour will start with a visit to design-focused spaces at Tulane University and end at a cutting-edge innovation space in the heart of NOLA. We’ll start at Tulane’s School of Architecture Fabrication Labs, four labs that “provide students with opportunities to enrich their three-dimensional design explorations while developing their education in fabrication technologies”. These labs are operating in temporary structures due to Covid-19 and a renovation project and the tour will highlight the fully functioning tensile structures under which they operate on the Newcomb Quad. We’ll have lunch at Tulane then head over to Studio BE, a NOLA landmark and cultural destination and “A product of alchemy, a space for artists and the things they create. A space for the local community and the culture that comes from it, and a welcomed space for visitors across the globe – a place all those voices go to sharpen their critical voice and imagine a future that benefits us all.” Studio BE is part of Eternal Seeds, a community-based nonprofit that serves artists and centers their work around education, empowerment, and the preservation of New Orleans Black history and culture, with a focus on young and emerging artists.

Visiting working and making environments is a helpful way to shift perspectives when working through and thinking about how we plan and design for libraries. The alternative creative making environments on this tour offer ideas for various aspects of the role of the library. Visiting these places that specialize in different ways of working may open up new ways of thinking about how libraries can support and serve similar needs on campus or in the community. When architects work with clients on library projects, they often visit a broader range of spaces than simply libraries for learning an inspiration. For
example, that could include seeing how different service models work, looking at how an organization utilizes and/or maintains outdoor spaces in unique ways, looking at how collaborative workspaces are designed and functioning, looking at how a related educational space serves a particular need, etc. In addition, through these alternate site visits, architects and their clients have also seen innovative examples of audiovisual installations, wayfinding signage, and accessibility solutions.

Learning Outcomes:

• Cultural awareness and education centered on emerging artists and trends in creative and making spaces in the New Orleans area.
• Inspiration for library and learning space design.

Diversity of Voices and Perspectives:
This tour will highlight important work happening in New Orleans to harness the power of creative expression and community, related to New Orleans Black history and culture, and student (the designers of our future) design work on the Tulane campus. Through awareness building, as library designers we can become more empathetic and understanding in order to create libraries of the future for all users.

Registration: $129 (Member) – $159 (Non Member)