We are thrilled to establish a residency program to encourage thinkers and makers to succeed at a new creative project.

One person* will receive free full-time access to the Clubhouse for three months. The Maker-in-Residence can take advantage of both the physical space plus the communal resources at hand. In exchange, they work on a project of their choosing, documenting their progress through our Pinterest account or blog. At the end of the residency, they conduct a lecture to the membership about their project.

Apply now; the application period ends June 5, 2013.

*We reserve the right to have more than one Maker-in-Residence at a time, in exceptional circumstances 

from Hunter Franks…

I recently launched the SF Postcard Project, which aims to encourage neighborhood exploration through community exchange.

I chose Bayview as the first SF neighborhood to participate in the project. Bayview is tucked into an isolated Southeast corner of San Francisco. Most San Franciscans don’t have a reason to go there. They only know what they see on the news — violence, drugs, and poverty. But there is much more.

This project aims to collect and share positive places in Bayview. I ask a Bayview resident to fill out their favorite place on a postcard and then mail the postcard to a randomly selected San Francisco resident in another neighborhood. The goal is to make someone in another SF neighborhood think about the Bayview, if only for a few moments. Who knows — maybe they are so intrigued they take a trip to Bayview and check it out for themselves.

“Like” the SF Postcard Project facebook page to stay up-to-date!

Our second quarter resident Hunter Franks is well under way with his project he’ll be focusing on during his residency. He wanted to share with Makeshifters what he has been up to. If you missed the introduction to our residents, you can read about them here.

Hunter:

The Bayview neighborhood is tucked into an isolated Southeast corner of San Francisco. Most San Franciscans don’t have a reason to go to there. They only know what they see on the news — violence, drugs, and poverty. But there is much more — a strong sense of family, community, and a deep desire to improve the neighborhood.

I’m working to show San Franciscans the full picture of the Bayview. I’ve been lucky enough to work with youth in the Bayview in the past and now I’m going to use participatory art to tell their story. Participatory art engages the viewer directly in the creative process, transforming them into a co-creator and resulting in a uniquely intimate insight into their world. Getting to know their thoughts and feelings allows others to gain a deeper understanding of their challenges and aspirations.

I’ll be telling the story of youth in the Bayview using participatory photography, a process which combines photography with self-development, creative expression and grassroots social action. I’ll be working with teenagers at the Bayview YMCA, teaching them basic photography skills and empowering them to creatively tell their stories. The project will culminate in a celebratory event in the Bayview, as well as the production of a small book containing the photos and stories of the youth.

This project will begin the process of breaking down barriers by allowing a larger audience to get to know the lives, struggles, and joys of youth in the Bayview. Who knows? It might just convince you to go spend a day exploring the Bayview.

I would love to chat about this project or others. Get in touch at hhfranks@gmail.com and keep up-to-date on the project via Twitter.

Thank you, Hunter, we are looking forward to see how the project progresses through your residency!

-Ashley

Once again we had a pool of stellar submissions for our residency program, and alas we have chosen 2.

Our full time residency recipient is Hunter Franks.  In his own words…

Hunter is passionate about co-creating better communities through human-centered creative approaches. His creative projects bring people together to interact in new ways with each other and their environment.

Hunter recently served as Community Manager for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation, where he collaborated with local organizations to empower San Franciscans to co-create solutions to civic challenges. Prior to that, he was walking from Los Angeles to New Mexico — an experience that continues to fuel his desire to connect and engage with communities.

 During his residency at Makeshift Society, Hunter will focus on building community in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood through human-centered storytelling. Youth in the Bayview often struggle to find the resources to pursue their passions and build a strong community. The story of  those youth will be told through writing and photography – getting to know their lives, their joys, and their struggles. This project will tell an intimate story that will help broadcast and transform the identity of the Bayview.

Our part time residency recipient is Katherine McEachern.

Katherine McEachern is a human-centered designer focused on helping organizations and companies with a social mission achieve their goals through designing products, spaces, and services. Kat has a background in community organizing and youth climate advocacy. From this work, she bring passion for sustainability and deep systems change, as well as a love for empowering others to be a positive force in their community.

In addition, Kat makes jewelry from vintage and repurposed items. She says, “I find joy in taking pieces that have been loved before and turning them into something to be loved again.” Her jewelry is sold at local boutiques, on BRIKA, a site for makers, and on Etsy. You can find find more of her writing on design for social change on her blog.

During her residency she will be focusing on developing design-thinking workshops to empower individuals, nonprofits, and companies to incorporate design into their social changemaking. By the end of her residency she plans to have an open workshop for Makeshift members. 

Our first quarter residents were fantastic. We are excited to see what amazing things this quarters residents bring to the Makeshift table!