dreamArchitecture 2013: The Artwork!

dreamArchitecture is a community outreach program sponsored by AIA Birmingham and the Birmingham Architectural Foundation. Open to kindergarten through 5^th grade students in the greater Birmingham area, the contest encourages children to think about the built environment. This year’s theme was “Draw your dreamPark!” Students were asked to submit an 8” X 11” drawing and a brief “dreamStatement” describing their park. In August of 2012 the dreamArchitecture committee presented to the art teachers of Jefferson County schools to explain the competition and theme. There was another teacher workshop held in January of 2013 during which architects and landscape architects worked with teachers on the different varieties of parks. There were close to 800 entries from 16 Birmingham area schools: Advent Episcopal Day School, Brown Elementary, Center Point Elementary, Evangel Christian Academy, Highlands Day School, Lipscomb Elementary, Meadow View Elementary School, NE Miles Jewish Day School, North Highland Elementary, Robinson Elementary, Rocky Ridge Elementary, Shades Cahaba Elementary, Trace Crossings School, Valley Elementary, Vestavia Hill Elementary Central, and WJ Christian School.

Submissions were juried in April of 2013, and the awards ceremony was held May 3^rd at Saw Works Studio in downtown Birmingham. Proud students, families, teachers and architects flocked to view the winning artwork, chow down on hot dogs, and receive their prizes. Winning students from 3^rd through 5^th grades were invited to a “Hands on Workshop” the following Saturday at Architecture Works, during which they got a glimpse into the architectural profession. The competition would not have been possible without the generous support of the Alabama Power Foundation, Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds, Dungan Nequette Architects, Gresham Smith & Partners, Hendon + Huckstein, and Rob Walker Architects. Winning artwork and dreamStatements are below. (click the artwork to see the larger artwork.)

To see all the photos from the ceremony, click here.

: Kindergarten 3rd Place: Kamryn Thames Rocky Ridge Elemetnary Judy Davidson

: Kindergarten 2nd Place: Hannah Thornton NE Miles Jewish Day School Marsha Henderson “My park has a splash pad. There’s also a bridge over a lake and kids can splash in the lake. There’s a hiking trail. It’s pet friendly because I like pets. The name of the park is Fun Time Park.

: Kindergarten 1st Place: Connie Duong Rocky Ridge Elementary School Judy Davidson “My park is pretty. You play at this park”

: Kindergarten Honorable Mention: Anna Catherine Harris Evangel Classical Christian School Beth Dorough “I like my park because it is a plain park and has lots of colors”

: Kindergarten Honorable Mention: Christian Helmers Advent Episcopal Leslie Youngson

: First Grade 3rd Place: Jeremiah Billups W.J Christian Jennifer Jones “I have a cool rollercoaster and a waterfall. My park has lots of people visiting and having fun outside”

: First Grade 2nd Place: Michael Chavar Shades Cahaba Elemtary Mary Jane Coker “Once upon a time all the dinosaurs were crowding around the Dino Park eating birds, as they always do. The big dino felt funny because he ate his nose! Oh no big dino! So he went to get a cast. The next day Dino was good. The end!”

: First Grade 1st Place: Albert Tang Rocky Ridge Elementary school Judy Davidson “My park is fun because it has a playground. My park has a snack machine if you are hungry. My park has a picnic place if you’re eating your lunch”

: First Grade Honorable Mention: Ava Fleisig NE Miles Jewish Day School Marsha Henderson “My park is called Montgomery Park. You can do the monkey bars and slide down on the slide. It is very cool because there are hills and you get to roll down. There’s a pool near the park that has lanes for swimming laps and a zoo near it.

: First Grade Honorable Mention: Arthur Langley Shades Cahaba Elementary Mary Jane Coker “My park has a boy and a girl in a seat and they are swinging high in the air. And there is a jet carrying balloons and it is about to land. And there is a huge three house where kids go in it and write and draw and read. And there is an electric sun also a tunnel and it has balloons on it. And there is a big ladder that leads you to the tree house. My park is fun because you can play all you want. And I get to play with my friends in my park.

: Second Grade 3rd Place: Enrique Madiz Valley Elementary Mr. McGowan “My dream Park is fire and water”

: Second Grade 2nd Place: William Edberg Advent Episcopal Judy Dewitt “My park is when you can eat any chocolate you want. You can get any donut any Hershy any Kit Kat any Snickers”

: 1st Place: Maddie Massie Shades Cahaba Elementary Mary Jane Coker “Rainbow Park is an awesome park because there are four super heroes and two super dogs. Also there is a chocolate building, there is a lot of chocolate in there! Also a rainbow rollercoaster that is your personalities and at the end it squirts you with water! You also can climb a tree house that is really cool inside! Also when you’re on the rollercoaster the big robot will give you something in its bucket. That is why I like Rainbow Park!”

: Second Grade Honorable Mention: Preslei Coleman Robinson Elementary Rebecca Gibb “My dream park has a swan, and a moon and a dolphin. My dream park is beautiful!!!”

: Second Grade Honorable Mention: Legion Gaston Advent Episcopal Judy Dewitt “Christmas tree park: My park you can swing on trees you can fly on trees. My park is a park where you can make memories and spend time with your family.”

: Third Grade 3rd Place: Ella Harper Shades Cahaba Elementary Mary Jane Coker “This is an amazing park! There is a slide that ends in an ice-cream bowl. There is also trampolines that gets higher in the sky. Another fun thing is there is a zip line that never ends. And there is an amazing pool. And that is the amazing park!”

: Third Grade 2nd: Jeremy Elgavish NE Miles Jewish Day School Marsha Henderson “My park is in the ocean. It is a sports park. You can get a lot of salami sandwiches. You can watch baseballs games and play soccer games. There is a big fountain in the middle that shoots out salami sandwiches. There is lots of space to run.”

: Third Grade 1st Place: Jordan Kretzer Shades Cahaba Elementary Mary Jane Coker “My park is called tree-mazing park. The reason it is named that is because a giant tree just grew right in the middle of open space. My favorite thing to do in my park is swing on the tire swing and play in the fluffy cloud. And as your play you will realize this is no park, it always has sunshine day and night. It is in a cloud and neon bouncy balls fall out of the sky. So come on down to my tree-mazing park!”

: Third Grade Honorable Mention: Will Van Wezel Advent Episcopal Lee Stayer “I made this park because I think it would be cool to have a park on a skyscraper.”

: Third Grade Honorable Mention: Mary Hunter Nelson Shades Cahaba Elementary Mary Jane Coker “Welcome to Candy Out of this World, where you can enjoy while you’re in space- what’s more better? Well I bet you’re asking how do you get to my park because it’s in space? Well, all you have to do is ride on a slide from where you live to space. When you get there you can enjoy a trampoline made of Jello! My favorite thing to do is swing on no ordinary swing but a swing made of one gumdrop and two Twizzlers. There is a super way cool seesaw made of a giant Hershey bar and jelly beans. So come on in and enjoy Candy of out this World!

: Fourth Grade 3rd Place: Ceione Reaves Robinson Elementary Rebecca Gibb “My picture is about birds. My picture has color and lots of leaves”

: Fourth Grade 2nd Place: Leila Scott Robinson Elementary Rebecca Gibb “I have a roller coaster, hot air balloon, water fall and a river. I have people, animals, sunbathing, and cars!”

: Fourth Grade 1st Place: Daria Lane Advent Episcopal Cathy vance “My park is a water park where you can play games in the water. You can also ride the water-coaster. That is what I did for my park”.

: Fourth Grade Honorable Mention: Callie Grissom Advent Day School Cathy Vance “This park is full of friendly wild animals. Even the predators will let you pet their fur. It is called Jumble Bee National park”

: Fourth Grade Honorable Mention: Marlie Thompson NE Miles Jewish Day School Marsha Henderson “My park is called Sheep of the Air Park. It is a sheep themed park in the air. It’s a park of scenery, playing, relaxing and just feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s about the clouds of Ole Miss, Alabama. It’s about 15 acres long and it’s pretty popular. I did this park because I think all people should feel warm and fuzzy and on top of the world. How do you get there? You go to the south of Railroad Park and you see bricks, there is a train that will take you up.

: Fifth Grade 3rd Place: Jay R. Gauger Vestavia Hills Elementary Susie Caffey “It’s out of this world! Literally!”

: Fifth Grade 2nd Place: Natalie Plourde Rocky Ridge Elementary Judy Davidson “My park has a slide that goes to a trampoline, monkey bars that when you grab them, you fall on springs and swings that go all the way around. You can swim in the river and play sports”.

: Fifth Grade 1st Place: Taniya Dyer Robinson Elementary Rebecca Gibb “My world is about all girls. I have only skating, laser tag, and water park. I also have a little girls work for little girls all around”.

: Fifth Grade Honorable Mention: Jadaris Hooper Lipscomb Elementary Lauren Williams “My dream park has a lot of fun things to do such as riding trains or het, playing basketball, fishing, rock climbing, swimming or playing football. You also read or walk the track. It’s a great place to hang out with friends of meet new ones.”

: Fifth Grade Honorable Mention: Ashley Starks Robinson Elementary “My park is a nature park and there’s a water park in the center of the park!”

: 3rd Place Overall Sophie Akhtar, 5th Grade Vestavia Hills Elementary Central Susie Caffey “A completely music themed park with even a iPod shuffle hot air balloon!”

: 2nd Place Overall Madison Peller, 2nd Grade NE Miles Jewish Day School Marsha Henderson “My Park has mountains that are three different colors because mountains are never the same colors. Also, my park has a food stand that people LOVE to go to. I also tried to make my lake 3D but it didn’t work. There is also a petting zoo.

: Best in Show Sam Carey, 3rd grade Rocky Ridge Elementary Judy Davis “This park is full of wildlife. It is full of neat artifacts.”