Blog

By Rebecca Boland, CAC Manager of School and Family Programs, Class of 2016, Education Guide

Inspiring people to discover why design matters is the CAC’s core mission and is at the heart of the Education Department’s programs. A great example of this is Girls Build!, an interactive program that blends leadership development with architecture, engineering and design for girls 11-14.

Each session of Girls Build!, which is offered three times each year, focuses on a different aspect of architecture and design. For this year’s one-week summer camp, girls focused on the Pilsen neighborhood and its landmarks. As part of the girls’ work, they tapped into the energy and expertise of the CAC volunteer community with a docent-led Discover Chicago’s Neighborhood tour of Pilsen, conducted by Doris Lucas.

Using that information as a foundation, the girls created a small exhibit highlighting features of Pilsen – which included a “must-see” list of neighborhood landmarks. Additionally, they created scale models for a proposed community center — something they felt the community needed, having conducted in-person interviews of community members and taken additional neighborhood tours.

Now, their work is on display inside the Lozano Branch Library at 18th Street and Ashland Avenue, a location highlighted on the CAC bus tour. The exhibit will be up through mid-October.

In the accompanying photos, you can see part of the exhibit and an image of Hector Duarte. A nationally known Pilsen artist, Duarte is locally renowned for his work, including the painting on his house, that also is highlighted on the bus tour.

Girls Build! and Create – indeed!