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What Keeps a Great Music Venue Great?
Rock ‘n’ roll addicts, we’ve spent many formative and memorable evenings, ear plugs in place, at renown rock venues. The best venues seem to have as Gibson Guitars so eloquently wrote: “…a raggedly dilapidated quality that feels part and parcel of rock music itself.” So when renovating a venue as we’re doing right now, how do we retain its inherent authenticity, vibe, and heritage?
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We Are AIA Chicago Firm of the Year!
Architecture Is Fun named AIA Chicago Firm of the Year is honored for their commitment to FUN, collaboration and their designs for “deeply humanistic and courageous” projects.
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DuPage Children’s Museum Renovation
We did it, the reviews are in and we received a 5 star rating…There were audible gasps of joy and delight. Everyone came together and with one big push…..we were open! Thank you for the passion, the hard work and the commitment that had us looking so beautiful at 4:00 today. The Mayor was truly moved and just in awe of what were able to do in a few months. ~ Sarah Orleans, President & CEO, DuPage Children’s Museum
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Young At Art Museum
EVERYONE (850,000 visitors since opening) visiting YAA is incredibly amazed with the exhibitions and the Young At Art Museum experience! Thank you to Architecture Is Fun for their creative vision and artful design that assists in defining YAA! ~ Mindy Shrago, Executive Director/CEO, Young At Art Shifting the museum paradigm, Young At Art Museum takes a sophisticated design approach to bridging the gap between an adult art museum and a children’s museum. The art museum for children features 22,000 SF of exhibit space designed by Architecture Is Fun, rich in branded environments, art installations and art-making opportunities. The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation says that Young At Art Museum…
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Frost Art Museum
The renovated family gallery is “super chill,” designed to be worthy of a child’s curiosity and adult admiration, demonstrating everyone is hard-wired for creativity. The whiteness of the space serves as a blank slate for artistic expression and media exploration, from new-age technologies, including a Smart Table™, projector and iPads, to traditional art-making. It is an environment rich in evocative objects and commissioned art installations that inspire active learning, choices, and social engagement. Both orientation and terminus, the discovery gallery is “the place” that frames museum visits.
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Ronald McDonald House
The house brings the serenity that families are looking for. ~ Mary Agnes Laguatan, Director of Programs, Ronald McDonald House Charities Building a multifamily “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children demonstrates the importance of building a sense of community through support, socialization, and shared experience. The three-story house nestled in a grove of trees greets families upon arrival, expressing the essence of home.
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Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
…a project that appeals to adults while delighting children. ~ Neal David, AIA, Vice President, Lincoln Park Zoo. Tucked right in the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo is a building containing the canopy climbing adventure. Is it awesome? It’s pretty awesome. ~ Linda Marisicano, Blogger and Parent, Babble Chicago. Lincoln Park Zoo is also home to the Canopy Climbing Adventure, considered one of Chicago’s best indoor play spaces (and still a secret to many parents). ~ Dave Wischnowsky, Columnist, Webtimes Online.
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WonderSCAPES Preschool & Early Learning Exhibit
Architecture Is Fun was perfect for this project. ~ Mindy Shrago, Executive Director, Young At Art A Young At Art Wonderland of Early Learning: Where Imagination Begins WonderSCAPES is an arts and play-based environment at Young At Art Museum with a certified preschool dedicated to early childhood development and early learners, ages four and under. The exhibit gallery and preschool are born from the collaboration of the poetic vision of award-winning illustrator DeLoss McGraw and the creative interpretation of Architecture Is Fun.
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Evanston Public Library: Children’s Library
Making Room for Growth With collections exceeding capacity and unanticipated citywide increase in juvenile population, the Evanston Public Library had little room to grow. This challenging renovation reconfigured and re-envisioned the formal library, transforming it into a literary children’s garden of delights.
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GreenSCAPES Environmental Education
Through art, children and families can make informed choices that help care and shape our earth. ~ Sharon Exley GreenSCAPES: Where Informed Choices Shape the Earth Within Young At Art Museum’s landscape, the GreenSCAPES gallery, STEAM-based workshops and party room focus on arts-based environmental education. Calling attention to nature’s fragility and how to live lightly on our earth, GreenSCAPES is filled with art-making and responsible decision-making experiences. In hands-on ways, young artists create their own caring relationship with the environment that surrounds them.