If you could dream up a special space for the Homewood and Flossmoor communities, what would it be?
That question was posed to students by teacher J.R. Willard-Rose in the Design Thinking and Collaborative Arts class at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, part of the fine arts program. The challenge students faced was human-centered design, something that could have an immediate impact on the people of H-F.
Willard-Rose asked the students to narrow their focus on place-making. They were asked to find a vacant or under-utilized space in Homewood and Flossmoor and consider what they’d do with it. How would they envision using that space. Should it be an entertainment, a quiet space or meeting-up space?
The students worked in pairs and used a slide presentation as they spoke to give visuals for their ideas. The seven projects covered a wide range of topics, but they all centered around a need for a space or spaces where people can meet up.
Student participants were Thro Anderson, Isabelle Asche, Adrienne Campos, Gabrielle Carrillo, Jazmin Coleman, Leo Daggett, Annie Ford, Sydney Hamilton, Mikaela Lockwood, Kaydon Mayo, Ariana McDaniel, Collin Morrow, Madison Schneidewind, Faith Thompson. They presented their plans to community leaders and H-F administrators on Wednesday, March 11.
One theme heard repeatedly was the need for a space teens can go to outside of school.
Isabelle Asche and Adrienne Campos suggested “The Calm Corner,” a space that could be used for professional mental health services, therapy rooms, a meditation/yoga room, it could have a garden and a space to show movies.
Another proposal was “The Next Gen Movement and Media Studio” complete with a podcast studio and space for the creative arts year-round.
Sydney Hamilton and Mikaela Lockwood suggested the “Grand Slam Arcade and Bowling Alley” for the former Walmart building in Homewood. Homewood had such a space about a dozen years ago until the Brunswick Bowl corporate operators pulled out. Hamilton and Lockwood said their proposal would be an entertainment center for the whole family with games for different ages. They had a budget of $20 million.
“The Ridge Road Reel Yard” would be a space for movie presentations and food “but not the corporate food trucks,” the presenters said. It would be a great way to show films created by H-F students before the feature film airs. Their budget was about $50,000.
“The Lantern Lawn Amphitheater” would take an empty lot next to a Flossmoor church or a site near the skate park in Homewood and transform it into an oasis with lanterns along the paths. The idea is to create an amphitheater for live music and art presentations or movies. That proposal had a budget of $1.2 million.
Each proposal received positive feedback from the guests who applauded the students for their ideas and creativity.
“To have a space like that would be super, super cool,” one guest said of the Lantern Amphitheater.
“The fact that you want to create a space for others is just amazing,” Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson told student Adrienne Campos for the Calm Corner proposal. “I love the AI image so we could visualize what you’re proposing.”
Others guests told students about places to go for resources.
