Continuing our ongoing support of arts programming in Boston Public Schools, the PAYETTE Fabrication team partnered with Bridge Boston Charter School on their production of ‘Aladdin Jr.’ Located in Roxbury, BBCS serves students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade.
The PAYETTE team worked with director Adia Vellaccio, Izilda Monteiro, Kim Wang and other BBCS faculty to design the stage set. The lavish backdrop included elements like a Sultan’s Palace, the Market Place, and the towering entrance to the Cave of Wonder. The components were CNC-machined out of lightweight EPS foam and plywood in our FabLAB and brought to the school for a community-build session. On a fun-filled Saturday, more than 40 volunteers from the BBCS community came together in the school gymnasium to paint the Aladdin set components. Performances were held in the auditorium of the nearby Trotter Elementary School.
Uncomplicated by the complex programmatic elements of our buildings, our targeted community collaborations highlight the power of design to elevate shared-values and invite participation. We pursue these projects because they reinforce our mission and challenge our designers to invest themselves in their communities.
By donating their time and labor, the PAYETTE team co-created wonderful, professional set pieces for a school and program that otherwise would not have been able to afford them. PAYETTE’s sets were instrumental in creating a high quality production for our cast. The joy and wonder when our kids saw the completed set pieces for the first time was truly incredible. The professional quality of the work allowed the children to see themselves as professionals whose skills and voices matter. Our time with PAYETTE cultivated meaningful community engagement, uplifted the quality of our show, and broadened our kids’ horizons for what is possible for themselves.
Adia Vellaccio, 2nd Grade Lead Teacher, BBCS
As the first new academic building on Tulane’s campus in 25 years, Paul Hall serves as the catalyst propelling collaborative theme-based and entrepreneurial research across the University. The design solution for Paul Hall floats an articulated brick volume of framed and folded apertures housing research laboratories, faculty offices and student lounges above a modestly raised podium of interconnected student and public spaces.
Read more about the finished project on our blog (link in bio)!
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