Bringing Lives of Enslaved Laborers to Life: Interior Design As Intervention and Interpretation Tool

Principal Investigator:
Jeffery McCullough

Co-PIs:
Davida Alford

Abstract:
For a professor whose primary academic research interest is active versus passive learning, serving as faculty advisor for a design intervention & interpretation of a period room is a dream scenario. When the student is as enthusiastic about the project as Davida Alford, the collaboration is ideal & becomes foundational to a multi-year project on the implementation of studio-based models of education into lecture courses. Additionally, Liberty Hall serves as a model for Kean, the Michael Graves College & the Robert Busch School of Design for achieving an important element of our strategic plan: to “launch community-based design projects, allowing students to work on real-life challenges, fostering a sense of social responsibility.”

Description of Research:
The brief was to accurately & appropriately design a Colonial-era cold storage room while bringing to life the stories of the enslaved individuals at Liberty Hall.
Research in order:
The first phase of research was to learn the history of Liberty Hall and those who lived and worked there.
Then, precedent-finding of interpretation of similar spaces at other period houses.
Researching elements of cold-storage rooms in Colonial times
Iterating space planning ideas
Presenting preliminary ideas for grant proposals for Liberty Hall
Fine-tuning space planning
Discovering what is in the inventory of Liberty Hall that can serve as interpretation tools
Meeting with contractor and project manager for quotes for grant proposals for Liberty Hall
Final proposal
Next phases beyond this semester to be determined with Liberty Hall
Through both written & spoken word, this presentation aims to expand on the processes of research & design as a joint activity to reveal the benefits of active learning in a community-based, educational collaboration.