CS: How were you all able to form your own version of “studio culture?” Given how our regular studio space, Crosby Hall, is under construction, was it hard to get acquainted with one another when the entire class is split up into much smaller rooms? AP: Being in a small group kind of forces you to get to know each other, share ideas, and take a look at other people’s work to see what they’re doing. Ryan Mellen: Shoving other people’s papers out of my space or sweeping
around other people’s desks forced us to not only to look at each other’s work, but also to form relationships like, ‘Hey, I need you to get your garbage out of my space.’ CS: How did you all, as a studio, navigate through all the challenges (adapting to a new lifestyle, the workload, learning a new practice) that come with ARC101? AH: Right away there were no really big challenges. It was more of making sure there was consistent understanding of the prompt. One
way I got through these challenges was looking to Serena (studio TA partner) for help. Working with the students and going through those design iterations was difficult at times, but worth it in the end to see their growth. RM: The studio started to get really tough around final review time because it was then that I realized there really is no end to the design process. That was kind of a horrifying and existential realization for me.
TAs and students gathered for final review
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