On this episode with Landscape Designer Michelle Gagnon Creeley, we start off with a discussion on mental health and working culture in design education, and dive into her practice in design and mutual aid working with unhoused communities in Vancouver and Seattle. We bring housing issues into the realm of landscape architecture and unpack how parks have served as homes and spaces for survival.

Dive in to learn how design is used as a social tool to support unhoused communities through community care-centered design processes.

You can watch a clip of this episode on the design unmuted youtube channel here and follow us on Instagram @design_unmuted

The production of this episode is supported by the Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC) . REFBC - a philanthropic organization working to advance sustainable land use and real estate practices in British Columbia, Canada. They do this by funding projects, connecting people, and sharing knowledge. REFBC grants support non-profit organizations working to improve BC communities and natural environments through responsible and informed land use, conservation, and real estate practices. REFBC is particularly interested in land-use projects that contribute to the upholding of Indigenous rights and title and racial equity and justice. Learn more at www.refbc.com.

Thank you for all of you who come back to listen to Design unmuted. Here are some ways to continue showing support:

- Subscribe to my newsletter and to Design unmuted on your podcast listening app

- Support the production of this podcast by being a Patreon member or making a donation

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Join us as  we unpack the stories behind our exhibition; Sustaining Apertures, currently on view at the Or Gallery from March 7 to July 6, 2024. Together Colin and I share all about our collaborative journey and discuss food security in relation to the land, intersectional conversations around environmental justice, place-based design, and architecture in contemporary art.

Colin Berg Mbugua is a Kenyan-Canadian artist, researcher, and architectural designer. He holds both a Masters and a Bachelor in Architecture. Mbugua’s practice, Kagvr, founded in 2021, engages multidisciplinary contexts that draw from traditional architectural practices while engaging experimentation through collaboration and cross-cultural exchange.

You can watch a clip of this episode on the design unmuted youtube channel here and follow us on Instagram @design_unmuted

"The Sustaining Apertures artist podcast is co-presented with Design Unmuted, Or Gallery, And-Co Community, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC) . REFBC - a philanthropic organization working to advance sustainable land use and real estate practices in British Columbia, Canada. They do this by funding projects, connecting people, and sharing knowledge. REFBC grants support non-profit organizations working to improve BC communities and natural environments through responsible and informed land use, conservation, and real estate practices. REFBC is particularly interested in land-use projects that contribute to the upholding of Indigenous rights and title and racial equity and justice. Learn more at www.refbc.com.

Thank you for all of you who come back to listen to Design unmuted. Here are some ways to continue showing support:

- Subscribe to my newsletter and to Design unmuted on your podcast listening app

- Support the production of this podcast by being a Patreon member or making a donation

- Write a review & Share the podcast with a few people

Saba Farmand, a landscape architect,  talks about his passionate project that documents the boulevard gardens in East Vancouver and the stories behind the people who take over these public boulevard spaces and turn them into gardens. Through this project, Saba aims to build more urban literacy, environmental education and most importantly putting Landscape architecture into the community. This will be a great inspiration for those who want to have impact in their local communities in simple yet powerful ways.  You can watch this episode on the design_unmuted youtube channel here

Follow Saba’s project on instagram at: eastvan_blvd_gardens

Recorded on: August 29th, 2023

The production of this episode is supported by the Real Estate Foundation of BC( REFBC)- a philanthropic organization working to advance sustainable land use and real estate practices in British Columbia, Canada. They do this by funding projects, connecting people, and sharing knowledge. REFBC grants support non-profit organizations working to improve BC communities and natural environments through responsible and informed land use, conservation, and real estate practices. REFBC is particularly interested in land-use projects that contribute to the upholding of Indigenous rights and title and racial equity and justice. Learn more at www.refbc.com.

Thank you for all of you who come back to listen to Design unmuted. Here are some ways to continue showing support:

- Subscribe to my newsletter and to Design unmuted on your podcast listening app

- Support the production of this podcast by being a Patreon member or making a donation

- Write a review & Share the podcast with a few people

I am happy to launch the first conversation of the podcast season TRANSFORMING with Patricia Algara and Jose Leal. In this conversation Patricia and Jose share the ways in which they engage with their design practices in a meaningful way, engaging their spiritual practices into their work as a means to restore balance, connections to the cosmos and to reclaim their own indigeneity and agency. Tune in to learn their about their practices and the ways in which you can connect and engage more meaningfully with your own work.

Patricia Algara is the Principal & Co Founder of Base Landscape Architecture and Founder of With Honey in the Heart . After working for a women’s rights organization on community empowerment projects, she earned a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture in order to bring together participation and the built environment. Patricia is a shamanic counselor, a frame drummer, a landscape architect, a bee priestess

Jose Leal is  Principal, Landscape Architect Director of Native Nation Building Studio at MIG. José has a passion for truth-telling, considers humor to be good medicine. His Mexican and Indigenous heritage lead to Jose’s passion for Indigenous landscape architecture and celebrating how diverse Indigenous people have adapted to their natural environment. 

The production of this episode is supported by Anova Furnishings-who is on a mission to enhance landscapes and strengthen communities. They offer a variety of high-quality, functional outdoor site furniture products and styles to fit your project and budget. See more at www.anovafurnishings.com where you can shop online now or search for a local rep.

Thank you for all of you who come back to listen to Design unmuted. Here are some ways to continue showing support:

- Subscribe to my newsletter and to Design unmuted on your podcast listening app

- Support the production of this podcast by being a Patreon member or making a donation

- Write a review about the podcast

- Share the podcast with a friend and within your network

Announcement of the new podcast season called TRANSFORMING where I share about this theme and what you can expect over the next few months. I also tell you all about the new direction my Art and Design practice have taken this year.