The teaching shed has been developed in response to a series of conversations with Public Space One organizers, Kymbyrly Koester, John Engelbrecht and Kalmia Strong.
In May 2021, the conversation began with the prompt to develop a sculpture that would facilitate workshops and other time-based, process-driven work in the Art Gardens at PS1. Site visits, drawing, model making and planning ensued.
Early stages of research for the Teaching Shed led me to the vernacular form of the A-Frame, often a small cabin structure perhaps familiar to folks in the US as a marker of visitor centers in the national parks, as well as a DIY kit house distributed after WW2. The durable, triangular geometry, and DIY and leisure associations of this historic form made the A-frame appealing to re-visit in a public site, and as an inclusive learning space in Iowa City. As building commenced, the sculpture continued to adapt in reaction to the upcycled materials found and offered along the way including salvaged metal roofing, and pine from a downed derecho tree.
The foundation and framing stages of the project hosted two volunteer build events and a drill workshop for folks who were interested in being a part of raising the structure. Many thanks to participants who helped in these build events, including:
Sayuri Sasaki Hemann
Bea Drysdale
Nicholas Cladis
John Engelbrecht
Kalmia Strong
Rae Noble
Adam Bryant
Kymbyrly Koester
Thanks also to the following folks for donating, and helping to process upcycled materials: Kelly Moore, PS1 Board Member and Director of Exhibits at the Children’s Museum for the 1/2 plexi cladding
Andy Dahl, UIowa Arborist, and Dave Brown, UI Landscaping Manager, for sourcing and transporting the downed campus austrian pine
Tim Krauss and Sabrina Keiper at Amana Forestry for milling and kiln drying the austrian pine
John Proeller and Elizabeth Erickson at Tri-Coastal Salvage for the steel paneling on the roof
This project is ongoing and due to finish this fall in Iowa City. If you’re in the area, come and visit, take a workshop inside, or feel free to reach out for a conversation and get nerdy about vernacular building, hgivler@gmail.com.
Support provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
