This research looks at the location, selection / rejection and collation habits of 108 creative practitioners. All use 'rejectamenta' - any discarded item with the potential for creative reuse. lusly little used term, 'rejectamenta', was introduced to this group and their reaction to it was recorded.

This thesis explores the design integration of an animal shelter into an existing school in an at-risk neighborhood. The connection between at-risk students and homeless animals is valuable to the design. A large central courtyard located within Martin Luther King Middle School serves as a connection between both students and animals. Because the animal shelter is located in a central location within the school, students and animals have a greater ability to form a connection necessary for the program to work. This thesis is about the interaction between both animals and students through the process of design.

This Thesis explores the question; Is a children’s museum a playground or a museum? Through research and visits to children’s museums I feel that many are playgrounds. They are also visually stimulating to children, but not to the guardians who bring them there. In most cases the exhibits are permanent and there is little change to the atmosphere of the space on a regular basis. An old warehouse located on North Boulevard was chosen to house this project idea of a children’s art museum. The scenario is that The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Children’s Museum of Richmond would have a joint venture in creating a the Children’s Art Museum of Richmond. Thebuildings’ close proximity to these two museums make it an excellent choice for both institutions. There are interactive changing exhibits, a studio that continues the learning experience from the exhibit, and a gallery to display artwork that was created in the studio spaces. Through these three core spaces I hope to create a continuous interactive learning experience in this children’s art museum.

My work gives physical form to the ephemeral sense of memory. Memories shift and fade as life passes. The subtle and constant changes in the atmosphere give visual form to the passage of time. The time I spend working is marked by each stitch, each knot, each repetitive act of my hands. I construct and deconstruct my materials to show a suspension between formation and falling apart, the acts of remembering and forgetting, and to represent time passing and time stopped. I explore the visual aspects of how memories appear in our brain, and how the brain changes as memories are lost. An imagined landscape reflects the vastness of our mind. The unspecified topographies I create leave a sense of mystery about the place formed by the materials.

The Beekeepers complements a film/digital video of the same name. It documents my process in creating alternative films/digital videos while pursuing my MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University. It starts with my first film/digital video, “Redemption,” and traces my progression over two years culminating with the 25 minute experimental documentary, “The Beekeepers

Prefabricated post disaster housing

A series of digitally inflected texts – September that never ends, some French belles, 1950/1986/1996, Ted Turner, being SO FUCKING FUTURE, The Gilmore Girls, Fic, FanFic, Sapphic, ctrl-c/v, “falsehood”, memes, Robert Gober, INTP, thought control, a “line of flight”, speed, and light refracting on all of it

The public school system in America has slowly phased music education out of most students curriculum. Cutting these programs help schools manage their fiscal budget and also keep students in the classroom longer in hopes that the extra time will produce better test scores. In recent years studies have shown that cutting music programs might not be in the best interest of students, or schools working for better test scores. One such study published in Social Science Quarterly, suggests that “students who participate in music are positively associated with academic achievement, especially during the high school years.” If this study is true, and there is overwhelming evidence that music education helps with academic achievement in other disciplines, then why are our public schools still insisting on cutting music programs? Why are schools not offering alternatives to music education? I plan to investigate a solution to this problem by designing an after school program for families who see the value in musical education, and who want their student/s to actively participate in music. The location for this after school program will be at what is now Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in the FAN district of Richmond, Va. at the corner of Ryland Ave. and Grace St. Architecturally the shell of the space is Neo-Gothic. The interior of the sanctuary adheres to the same style while the attached 3 floor rear office space offers little interior architectural references to that style. The office space has the potential to be redesigned to suit the needs of the program while introducing an architectural relationship with the sanctuary. The potential architectural relationship will be defined by the exploration of the concept “individual” versus “group”. This concept will additionally explore the notion of individual parts acting alone or working in conjunction with one another to operate as a whole. These drivers will help guide the design as it relates to music.

The White Album Restaurant occupies the old WRVA Radio Station in Church Hill. The building site provides exclusive views across downtown Richmond. The restaurant's interior design is a response to the obviously attractive exterior views of the site. Through the placement of paneled walls, views of the interior space are choreographed to create an engaging environment from any seat in the restaurant.

Coworking spaces have proliferated in the last several years. They reflect a change in how we work, how we learn and how we connect. Coworking is a story of change. There is a large spectrum of types of coworking spaces. Some are minimal offering only an open room with desks and chairs, while others function as mini-cities. Regardless of the size or scope of a coworking facility, what drives the success is the community. This is an exploration on how design creates community. Through my research, I discovered the importance of the 3rd place in supporting the success of a community. The places where we linger, where we reflect, where an introduction is made. It is the informal meeting areas, the coffee shops and water coolers19. It is where we look away from a screen and let our minds wander. As a designer, it is important to design a space which operates efficiently AND create spaces for impromptu conversations to occur. Base upon my research, case studies and design explorations, I designed BUILD, a coworking space where people can gather together to work and learn from each other. Providing the city of Richmond with a creative and entrepreneurial hub. Where an architect sits next to a programmer, next to a journalist and graphic designer. A space of progress and education. In a sense, a new type of university. It is about building brands, building businesses and building networks. BUILD RVA.