Awhile ago, I picked up an issue of Dwell magazine and swooned a bit over one home in particular. Surrounded by red dirt, patches of sage, a blue sky that conjured up the Utah desert, the home evoked the essence of a native culture, and something else that I couldn’t quite name. Of course it was the epiphanous Rosie Joe home, designed by students of DesignBuildBLUFF under the auspicious guidance of Hank Louis. Digging a little deeper, I learned this small, risk-taking non-profit, danced on the edge of experimentation, with the ultimate goal of “unbounded joy”.
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Who wouldn’t want to play?
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Having spent most of my professional life in the non-profit, moving between social justice issues and the arts, the culture of DesignBuildBLUFF easily married the two. I believe everyone deserves shelter and I believe housing is a human right. If we can create shelter for both the physical and the spirit-with an eye to beauty, the more likely it will reach its aim as a place of inspiration.
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To provide this opportunity for brilliant graduate students of architecture, already imbued with a sense of art and design, we are handing them the tools to create their own sense of social responsibility; to become architects of humanity. It’s more than a program, it’s a movement.
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Since accepting the job of Executive Director, I’ve been able to travel to Bluff and witness the students wrestle with the emotionally profound process of selecting a family to design and build for, and the tangible enthusiasm of building a home. What I really experienced was a bit of the aforementioned “unbounded joy.”
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To top it off, I work with an incredibly dedicated and inspired staff…small but mighty. Linchpins all.
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I’ve said, quite seriously, that I see the future of Design Build BLUFF as “Design Build Global” intentionally creating the model for a movement..one home at time. Look for more Universities signing on, non-traditional events, and expanded outreach, as we shore up our own foundations, and get moving.
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Join us,
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Ginger Tolman
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