Join Minnesota Design Team (MDT) for their annual retreat!
When: Saturday, January 28th, at 8:30 am–1:30 pm.
Where: Alliiance, 400 Clifton Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Join the MDT Committee for their Annual January Retreat at the Bovey Mansion of Alliiance. Come to discuss community engagement through the lens of art and placemaking. There will be morning snacks and lunch provided. (Email Ann Mayhew with dietary restrictions.)
Register here »
Continuing Education: 2.25 LUs will be provided pending approval
Speakers:
Ben Shardlow is an urban planner and designer focused on public space as a key civic resource. As director of urban design for the mpls downtown council and Downtown Improvement District, Ben advocates for investments that create a more successful pedestrian environment—including street redesigns, park and plaza projects, and private property redevelopments—and leads collaborative work with community partners addressing root causes of public space challenges. Ben conceived of and directed the DID’s Tactical Urbanism Initiative, which reframed safety hotspots as urban design challenges that can be addressed by experimental changes to environmental design and activation. He also serves as vice chair for the Creative Enterprise Zone in Saint Paul, where he leads their Public Space Committee.
Joan Vorderbruggen is a nationally recognized place-based leader and a sought after speaker and advisor. She has spent more than a decade driving award-winning arts and engagement initiatives that serve as national models for community-based program design. She transformed the largest performing arts nonprofit in the State of Minnesota to serve the densest shelter-seeking community in the five-state area, leveraging the arts as a catalyst for positive change. Additionally, Joan has nearly 20 years of direct patient care experience as a public health nurse and is an associate certified coach providing support for emerging arts leaders to achieve their goals across the country.
Tom Whitlock is president of Damon Farber, and has over 29 years of extensive experience working collaboratively with public and private clients on award winning projects across the Midwest. As principal-in- charge, he is responsible for ensuring that the firm’s design work exceeds the expectation of all project stakeholders. Tom has earned a strong reputation as a valuable leader and an effective collaborator. Tom is leading Damon Farber by honoring the design-forward and client-centered service that has made it a top landscape architecture and site planning firm in the Midwest. He has been an integral part of Damon Farber since 1993, and became President in the spring of 2011. Tom’s work has been recognized by ASLA, AIA and ULI. A University of Minnesota alum, he remains tied to the College of Landscape Architecture and has been published in Landscape Architecture Magazine, Architecture MN, Architecture Week, and Fabric Architecture.
Register here »
