October 2011 Archives

We teach anyone how to make almost anything

The Providence Fab Academy will return for its third year on January 2, 2012 through June 30, 2012. Classes will be held in Providence, RI at AS220 Labs (a personal digital fabrication lab or "Fab Lab").

The Fab Academy is a Digital Fabrication Program directed by Neil Gershenfeld of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms and based on MIT's rapid prototyping course, MAS 863: How to Make (Almost) Anything. The Fab Academy began as an outreach project from the CBA, and has since spread to Fab Labs around the world. The program provides advanced digital fabrication instruction for students through an unique, hands-on curriculum and access to technological tools and resources.

For the past two years AS220 Labs has collaborated with MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms in offering the Providence Fab Academy. Our lab in Providence is part of a global Fab Lab / Fab Academy network. The Providence branch of the Fab Academy works with other participating Fab Labs and experts from around the wold via a distributed educational model where we pool our knowledge to provide a unique educational experience.

Learn to turn codes into things

At the Fab Academy, you will learn how to envision, prototype and document your ideas through many hours of hands-on experience with digital fabrication tools. We take a variety of code formats and turn them into physical objects.

Students will learn to use the following tools: Epilog Mini Laser Cutter, Roland MDX-20 Milling Machine, and the Roland CAMM-1 Servo GX-24 Desktop Vinyl Cutter, MakerBot 3D printer and a ShopBot CNC router.

The topics covered in this course include: digital fabrication principles and practices, computer-controlled cutting, electronics design and production, embedded programming, 3D scanning and printing, mold making and casting.

Now Accepting Applications for 2012

The Providence, RI branch of the Fab Academy is now accepting applications for the 2012 session taking place from January 2, 2010 - June 30, 2012. The deadline for applications is December 10th. However, applications will be processed as they are submitted and class size is limited. For more information, visit our site here.

If you have any additional questions, contact the Providence Fab Academy Coordinator / Instructor, Anna Kaziunas France at anna@as220.org.

Last Saturday Lynette Freeman came to AS220 Youth to teach an Afro-Caribbean Dance Workshop. It was awesome! Lynette started us off with stretches, a lite workout and overview of West African dance, more specifically Malian and Senegalese styles . For 2 hours Lynette taught us many different moves and in the last hour she help us string together everything we learned so we were able to perform a 7 minute routine. We danced until we couldn't dance anymore. Everyone had a blast and can not wait for Lynette to come back. Thank You Lynette!

Last Monday Tim Kerr, Artist in Residence for October, visited the painting class at AS220 Youth. Tim is a really awesome guy who spends most of his time making art and playing music. You can check out some of his work here. We all spent 3 hours together painting pictures of artists and musicians that inspire us like Pat Perry, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and David Lynch. All the paintings were displayed at Tim's show on Saturday for a one night exhibition! Check out pictures of the workshop below!

Greetings! My name is Geraldo, and I will be showing my artwork in the AS220 Youth Gallery this month! Please feel free to come by the gallery to look at my work and ask me questions about these little pieces of my brain. The opening is on Sunday, November 6 from 4pm-7pm on the second floor of AS220 (115 Empire St.)

Remember to take your time to look at the detail in the drawings, some of which can be at times to a little too much to take in for just one glance. My artwork draws inspiration from several different sources, but mainly religious themes, the grandiose and my experiences and battles with mental illness. Check out some examples below.

Feel free to ask question's I will warmly answer them. I'm willing to do trades, Also If any of the pieces move you to the point that you would like to purchase one let me know...

Eternal gratitude and much love, to all the staff and peers at AS220 Youth Studios for giving me the support and opportunity.

Sincerely, Geraldo Jose Figueroa

AS220 Youth's Fabratory wants to give it up for all of the students who just finish our last round of digital literacy boot camps! Over the last couple of months, 24 youth who graduated with an Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3). An Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) gives students as well as people who are seeking jobs with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today's academic and working world. Students covered a broad range of computing skills and proved competency in computing fundamentals (including hardware, software and file management), living online (how the world wide web works, how to use an e-mail account, how to make and manage a blog), and key application for the work world including the Microsoft office suites. Students built their own computers, made slide presentations about some Providence's best graffiti artists, and built an example of a computer network using string and cardboard.

The Fabratory would like to thank Camp E Hun Tee, Ocean Tides and the ACE Program for partnering with us and providing such a great group of students!

The Printshop will be collaborating with the Fab Lab for a free limited edition print designed by keymember Brian Whitney. An in-progress sneak peak at the print is shown above. Start at the Printshop to print your image, then head over to the Fab Lab to have your print laser cut. Have questions, want to see the shop, meet the folks who use it, just want to spend some time with other printmakers? Our open houses happen the first Tuesday of every month and are free and open to the public.

The AS220 Cottage Industries are located at the Mercantile at 131 Washington Street Providence, Rhode Island on the 1st floor. The Printshop's entrance is located at the back of the building on Lucie Way (Martha Street on GPS and computers); the shop's double doors are at the Northwest corner of the building.

My name is Jen Leo. I have just started an internship at AS220 Youth in the Fabratory (our fabrication and graphic design lab) for my senior project. During my time here I hope to achieve a better understanding of the basic fundamentals of graphic design. When I finish my internship I want to leave with a clear understanding of different programs that are used in professional graphic design studios and the concepts of great design. I am going to be working on becoming skilled in the Adobe Design Suite (Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop) through various design projects that my mentor will assign to me.

In this session of my internship I have to make a personal logo and a flyer for our studio wide AS220 Youth Showcase on December 12th! I will be working in Adobe Illustrator, which i will enjoy because I have experience with it and understand the concept of vectors. I am off to a good starts and for my first few days here I am already enjoying the tasks that I have been assigned!

Rudy Cabrera, a Providence based poet and performer, came out to put on a show for the guys at the Rhode Island Training School last week. He hooked the audience early on with his impressive rhyming ability and wordplay, as well as his charismatic stage presence. Then, over the course of the hour, he told his story about wear he comes from and what he's about in this life through the lens of poetry. Topics were as wide ranging as baggy jeans, violence, bravado, Shakespeare, and breast cancer- but all came from an honest place that each person in the audience could either relate to personally or respect the integrity of. Rudy is one of the most positive writers out there, and his message of hope and happiness comes through in a way allows youth in a tough spot in their lives to get on board with. At the end, Rudy did a short Q&A and laid out the writing workshop which the guys will all get to take part in this week. Excitement and energy is high going into this week, and we'll be sure to keep you updated with the results!

American Prisons: Photography in the Era of Mass Incarceration'

4-6pm

Friday, November 4, 2011

AS220 Performance Space.115 Empire Street, Providence, RI 02903

Multimedia journalist Pete Brook will be coming to AS220 on Friday, Nov. 4 to discuss his Kickstarter project, "Prison Photography on the Road: Stories Behind the Photos."

Brook is traveling around the United States to visit photographers "who, through their work in prisons, have shaped America's visual culture and the debate on U.S. criminal justice."

Brook is also interviewing leading thinkers in prison arts, prison education, law, and advocacy, including the Educational Justice Project, the Southern Povery Law Center, and The Innocence Project.

The purpose of "Prison Photography" is to engage the public in a dialogue about US policies on incarceration. At 2.3 million individuals incarcerated, the US imprisons people at a rate six times that of the next most punitive nation, the United Kingdom. Today, 1 in every 100 US adults is incarcerated - and is likely to be in prison more than once.

As Brooks writes, "Now is a good moment to take stock, think about our culture and how its policies may move toward social justice imperatives."

At AS220, Brook will report on his travels and present photographs from prisons across the nation, made by Jan Sturmann, Jenn Ackermann, Victor Blue, Ara Oshagan, Steve Davis, and many others.

For more than a decade, AS220 Youth has provided arts education at the Rhode Island Training School, the state's juvenile detention facility. We currently offer classes in music, visual art, photography, creative writing, and digital design.

AS220 Youth offers a range of transitional services to youth exiting the facility, including ongoing arts education, mentoring, housing, and employment.

AS220 Youth operates in partnership with the RI Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the RI Department of Education.

For info on the lecture or on AS220 Youth, contact Director,

Anne Kugler

Listen up fellow makers, fabricators, and those who like to work with their hands! We got some exciting new hands-on courses at the labs coming up, check them out below.

Laser Cut Textiles

Learn how to lasercut textiles and make your own Halloween costume while you're at it! This machine enables entirely new possibilities from easily cutting pattern pieces (within 1' x 2' dimensions) to creating new textures, functional decorations, dimensional objects, and even etching images or text onto fabric! This class will also include sewing tutorials for lasercut textile applications. Different techniques will be demonstrated and experimenting will be encouraged!

Part I - October 29th, 1-6PM
Part II - October 30th, 1-6PM
Instructor - Jenine Bressner

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Soft Circuits

Soft Circuits I - This workshop is an introduction to soft circuits, including tips on working with conductive thread and guidance on sewing connections between a light and a battery. You will experiment with conductive everyday objects, like metal beads, to make a flickering felt brooch.

Soft Circuits II - This workshop builds upon the skills learned in the Soft Circuits I workshop, but can be taken without any previous experience. In this workshop you will learn how to add multiple lights to a circuit while creating an illuminated bracelet (or cuff) that shines only when worn.

Soft Circuits I - November 5th, 1-4PM
Soft Circuits II - November 12th, 1-4PM
Instructor - Anna Kaziunas France

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For questions regarding class schedules and enrollment, contact james@as220.org