As mentioned before, collaboration is one of the main themes in Outside Design. On October 22, 2015, there was a moment of kismet when two groups that had previously worked together unexpectedly stopped by the gallery at the same time and were able to exchange ideas.
There Grows the Neighborhood was doing an aquaponics workshop with Sweet Water Foundation, and suddenly a group of students from Milwaukee came in. Pratt mentioned that SWF had actually built aquaponics systems with a group from that university in the past, and so it was awesome to bump into them here.
One of the Chicago high school students in There Grows the Neighborhood began to explain the aquaponics system that she had just learned about to the university group like a pro! It was so amazing to see her share her newly gained knowledge so enthusastically. The two groups then had a chance to share experiences, inquiries, and techniques related to these systems with each other. It was exactly the type of interaction this exhibition aims to inspire!
All photos: Frances Dorenbaum