Blog Action Day - The Power of We

As part of this year's Blog Action Day, my entry is about a project that has consumed much of my personal and work life for the past year and a half. On October first, this year, the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was opened once more to the public. After being closed for almost ten years, it underwent a remarkable transformation as the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus set up a new Mission in the city of Chicago.

I work for the architectural firm that oversaw the restoration and addition to the chapel and though I had the fortune of taking part in many aspects of design and construction, a vast majority of my efforts were spent on the design and coordination of the exhibits about Mother Cabrini's life and work and the recreation of the bedroom where she died.     

The Shrine sits on the property of the former Columbus Hospital, a hospital Mother Cabrini founded in Chicago in 1905. It is the place where Mother Cabrini died in 1917. Along with the other sisters in the order that she founded, she spent her life helping the less fortunate by providing health care, education, and spiritual enrichment services.  She ultimately founded 67 missions around the world and the Missionary Sisters continue their work today with the help of other organizations, religious, and lay people.

The exhibits that I designed were a collaborative effort with historian Ellen Skerrett and conservators, Bernacki & Associates. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on a project that pushed my skills and creativity and served a purpose that seemed much greater than the typical architectural projects that I work on.

The walls were covered with large custom-printed wallpapers with iconic images of institutions where Mother Cabrini worked, a map of her travels, and other aspects of the history of her life.  Quotes by Mother Cabrini and testimonies of her work and life by others were carefully chosen and adhered to the walls with vinyl lettering. The wall coverings are the backdrop for supplemental images, text panels, and carefully arranged display cases showcasing objects that belonged to Mother Cabrini.   

Bernacki & Associates fabricated all of the display cases and were instrumental in executing the difficult task of putting everything into place. A six foot tall case that showcases Mother Cabrini's habit and shoes was one of the more difficult displays to assemble. Several people were needed to maneuver the plexiglas covering.

A team of art hangers and carpenters helped complete the finishing touches.  At the center of one exhibit is a portrait of Mother Cabrini, completed after a photograph taken in 1905. Forever shy to the camera, it is one of the few images of her and it has become iconic, reproduced in many media. It appeared in the households of many Americans after she was the first American citizen to become a saint in 1947. A small copy of it always hung in my grandmother's home.

All of the photographs in the exhibits are mounted to aluminum plates and mounted to the walls with cleats.  Many of the images were scanned and enhanced by Paul Lane of Photo Source. The printing and mounting, as well as the printing of the wallpapers and text panels was done by Printmakers Chicago in conjunction with Digitial Imaging Resources.  The text panels are printed on frosted acrylic panels that are mounted to the walls on metal standoffs.        

The intent was to create an exhibit that was a layered experience. Though each wall is arranged thematically, the exhibit can unfold for viewer and new discoveries about the history could occur with each subsequent visit to the Shrine.

There is also a location for temporary exhibits.  Currently, a portable tabernacle from Codogno, Italy is on exhibit and will remain so for another year.  Some of the thematic areas include Mother Cabrini's early life, her travels, the institutions she founded, and the mission today.

One highlight for us while designing the exhibits was the discovery, in a collection of Mother Cabrini's prayer books, of her address book. It speaks of her gift for business practices and showcases the network of businessmen and heads of the church that she worked with across America. A custom-designed case displays the book, calling cards, and photos of key politicians and leaders whose names and contact information are in the book.

The centerpiece of the exhibit areas is a recreation of the room where Mother Cabrini died.  All of the furnishings, artwork, and even lighting fixture were saved from the original room. Painstaking research was done on the history of this room.  Originally in the now-demolished hospital and then as part of the Shrine, it was re-created several times and took many forms.  The furnishings and art were conserved by Bernacki & Associates.  The task seemed daunting as many of the pieces had been painted with varnish after Mother Cabrini's death and others were collapsing under their own weight.  The intent was to create a room and conservation of furnishings that would match the period of the time that Mother Cabrini died.  The result is a quiet and evocative space where people can contemplate and pray. 

I hope that the housbloggers that typically follow my blog would find this post and some of the technical aspect of this work interesting.  It is the first time where my interest in history and design have come together this way and it was a remarkable project to work on.  More germane to Blog Action Day, I hope that people take the time to visit the Shrine and are inspired by the selflessness and work of the Missionary Sisters and are inspired to join others to become a part of something bigger than themselves.     

Blog Action Day - Water

For the annual Blog Action Day post, the subject is water once more.  A couple years ago, I wrote about our experiences in China and how that seemed to highlight the issue of clean water.   I have also mentioned on this blog, more than a few times, some of the things that we do at the Tiny Bungalow to help conserve water.

Living in the Great Lakes Region, it is very easy to take water for granted.  It is all around us and on a daily basis, we are inundated with news of invasive species that may harm the local fishing economy, industrial pollutants that can harm our water supply and municipal pollutants that disrupt our recreation activities.  Each of these issues points to ways that large groups of us need to come together to solve these problems.  They are city-wide, state-wide and sometimes international.  To some people's dismay, this means that we are responsible.

Given the current political cries against government intervention in everything from banking to education, it is easy to see how public necessities like water treatment and supply are on the table for privatization discussion.  In many ways, in a free market, this is the easy solution.  We don't really have to think about the problem at all.  As long as we, as consumers, continue to insist on clean water, industry can step in and provide us with what we want.  Some may call the privatization of water ridiculous and say that it "can't happen here".  Other's may dismiss the notion with stories of the worst case scenarios of what happens when unbridled industry has it's way

 (insert photo of Bhopal, Copiapo, the Gulf of Mexico, etc. here).

As individuals, there are small things that we can do every day to conserve our natural resources but these actions alone do nothing if larger entities like businesses and governments work against these goals.  I don't have any big answers but think that its worthwhile to consider this when exercising one of our most important rights this November.  Also, it is worth checking out what others have to say about the issue at the Blog Action Day website.  

Blog Action Day 2008 - Considering Poverty and Clean Water

Today is Blog Action Day, a day when thousands of bloggers “get together” by blogging about a single subject, hopefully raising awareness and initiating action. Last year the Tiny Bungalow participated by blogging about the environment. This year’s topic is poverty. As part of Blog Action Day, I thought it would be worthwhile to highlight an organization that is working to help impoverished children.

Several years ago, we had the great fortune to be able to travel to China for the adoption of our daughter. It seems almost a cliché when visiting places halfway around the world that people say, “don’t drink the water”. Living in the Great Lakes Region, it is easy to take water for granted. This is probably why it becomes a sort of fixation while traveling. In China, after much research, we decided to heed this warning. We didn’t go the extent that some people did of wearing a bag over our heads while bathing but we took precautions when we ate out as well as preparing food in the hotel room.

While in China, we did a lot of sightseeing, taking in all of the typical tours of the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and so on. We were with a particularly adventurous group so our tours also took us somewhat off the beaten path seeing beautiful Mount Lushan and the unique experience of walking around a traditional rural village.
The reason for our trip gives some clue about the economic conditions of some parts of the country. Walking around the farming village, those conditions were magnified tenfold. Much of what I saw, quaint buildings in various stages of disrepair and tightly packed homes between which chickens roamed freely, was shocking to me.
I am sure that on some level, I held a prejudice because I am a westerner and though not rich, am used to a more opulent style of life but there was something more. Being an architect, I couldn’t help but take notice of the infrastructure of this small conglomerate of homes. Wastewater flowed in narrow ditches between the homes and water for the village came from a single well and pump that was shared by many families.

If the water in our nice hotel room wasn’t “safe”, then what was the quality of the stuff being pumped from this well? If these are the conditions that the average person from China exists in, then what is it like for those that are on the lowest level of the economic ladder? What are conditions like for the typical orphaned child or to a greater extent, anyone cared for under the Chinese social welfare system?
I am still not positive of the answers to these questions but after some research and from what I saw, it didn’t seem promising. It seems that this basic life necessity should be available to all people, no matter where they are or what economic background they come from. For the people that concerned me the most, those tiniest members of society that seem to have fallen through the cracks, something must be done.

Several years ago, we learned of a non-profit organization called “A Child’s Right”. The organization believes that clean drinking water is the right of every child. They work to provide this essential part of life to children around the world. I could go on and on about the merits of this organization but it is probably better for you to learn more on your own. Please visit their website by clicking the link above and if you feel so compelled, help them to achieve their goals with a donation.

Considering the Environment

As a way to celebrate Blog Action Day, I am writing down a list of things that we do here at the Tinybungalow in the hopes that in some small way we will impact the environment in more good ways then bad.

1. Live small.
I am not suggesting that everyone should be living in an 800 square foot home but it is worth considering why people in our country seem to need so much space. Regardless of how energy efficient your home is, an extra two or three thousand square feet per home is just not sustainable.2. Live in an old home.
If you don't have to build it, you don't have to use resources to manufacture it and you will create less waste during construction. The greenest building you can build is the one that you don't build at all.

3. Get off your butt and walk.

I hate driving so this is an easy one. When we chose this home, we knew we wanted something near public transit and within walking distance to park, school, and village. Burning off the last meal you ate will do yourself and the environment much more good than burning fuel in your car.

4. Recycle.

It doesn't take a lot of time to have an extra garbage can for recyclable items. If we could find the space for it, then anyone can. If it can be used again, help to put materials into the recycling pipeline.

5. Re-use and Re-purpose.

We love Craig's list and e-bay. Old stuff is usually cooler than new stuff anyway. Now, we don't buy everything used but there is so much that you can buy and sell so why not do it? An old piece of furniture will do more good in your home than it will in the area landfill.

6. Compost.
A lot of people think composting is rocket science. We do not have a composter - I prefer to layer stuff in a big pile. The result is great. If it can help out your garden then why would you throw it away?7. Repair, don't replace.

I am a fan of our old plaster walls, the wood windows, and just about every part of this old home. There are some good reasons to update particular items in old homes but why create waste and use resources when you have something that works and is currently in your home.

8. Go bottle-less

It is tough to avoid them - this is one item that we have had some difficulty embracing but so far, so good. To help the water taste better, buy a water filter and instead of buying several cases of water a week, use refillable bottles. The nice part is that we save money.9. Put in some CFLs.Look, they even have holiday ones now!10. Install a rain barrel

Putting in a rain barrel is not the easiest thing to do and it does add a little more maintenance to the house. We love them though. Why pay for water when it's free?