JXTA Artists Design New Public Art for the Guthrie Theater
Our friends at Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA) were recently commissioned to create an outdoor public art piece for the Guthrie Theatre, and CAFAC was fortunate to be asked to fabricate their beautiful design.
For those who aren’t already familiar with JXTA, their innovative JXTALabs hire teens, primarily from the Northside, to apprentice on projects for paying clients such as the Guthrie and many other local businesses and organizations. Currently, young people ages 14-21 can apprentice in six different JXTA Labs: Graphic Design, Ceramics, Public Art and Murals, Textiles and Screen Printing, Tactical Urbanism (which includes community engagement and urban planning) and Environmental Design (focusing on architecture and public spaces).
The Juxtaposition Arts Environmental Design Lab 2021. Clockwise from bottom: Qadiym Washington, Morgan Laramy, Preston Dorsett, Irene Woods, HeavenLee Henderson
Niko Kubota-Armin is one of the two adult professionals who work as Environmental Design Lab Leads, along with Robbie Seltzer. Niko was hired at JXTA in 2017. While Niko is a licensed architect, his favorite kind of design work always addresses the intersection of place and social justice, and his role at JXTA allows him to work with younger people on a variety of different kinds of projects that do just that. One thing that he loves about his job is the opportunity to introduce teens to the ways that architecture and design can be positive agents of change.
The “Enviro Lab” has worked with the Guthrie before, designing an installation called “Luminous Current” which is open to the public on the Guthrie’s ninth floor. When they were approached by the Guthrie for this outdoor installation, each apprentice in the Enviro Lab developed and pitched their own project ideas.
In generating his ideas, youth apprentice Qadiym Washington considered what would make his work relate to the Guthrie and to their specific location in downtown Minneapolis. He took note of the ribbon design of the Guthrie’s logo and began playing with the idea of benches for outdoor seating that would also look like a ribbon unfurling toward the Mississippi River. Qadiym joined the Environmental Design Lab in 2015 and credits his years in the program as sparking his interest in architecture. He recently completed a 2-year Diploma in Architectural Technology from Minneapolis College and is now enrolled in Dunwoody working toward his Bachelors of Architecture.
Images from left to right: Qadiym’s initial concept sketch for the bench system, Early study of locations considered for the work, Concepts for how a bench might occupy different spaces around the Guthrie, Design image of the final Guthrie bench design by Qadiym Washington
Day 1 of fabrication
Finishing the bench edges
The team at the Guthrie chose Qadiym’s design and from there the Enviro Lab worked on finalizing elements of the design, like the specific site on the Guthrie campus, the materials, the number of benches and their dimensions. They chose steel because of its durability, strength and ability to make the shapes they were looking for. Because they had previously worked with CAFAC on another project, Niko, Qadiym and the other members of the Enviro Lab knew that CAFAC had the equipment and knowledge to execute their plans for the benches. JXTA apprentices had also had the opportunity to tour CAFAC and felt CAFAC’s community-oriented values align well with JXTA’s mission.
As Qadiym, Niko and the rest of Enviro Lab finished the final design for the benches, they worked through different iterations – one more boxy and angular, one more loose and curvy – and settled on their current design as “just right” based on a combination of aesthetic, safety and metal fabrication factors. CAFAC has now completed the fabrication, and the next steps are painting the metal – it will be a vibrant red color that matches the color of the Guthrie’s theater seating – and for the site to have the concrete foundation prepared.
The benches are scheduled to be installed later this summer, so look for them on the Mississippi River side of the Guthrie. As for what’s next for designer and architect-in-training Qadiym? He intends to pursue licensure in architecture when he finishes his BArch, but says his goal overall is to be an artist. He is also a musician with an interest in working with other kinds of media including film. Don’t be surprised to see his name in the future!