Providence’s Steel Yard to Receive Prestigious Bruner Award
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Providence’s Steel Yard, an industrial arts nonprofit, has been honored with the 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA), a national award honoring innovative urban placemaking.
The award presentation, including panel discussion and celebration is this Thursday, October 3, at the Steel Yard on 27 Sims Avenue. The event is open to the public, but registration is required by e-mailing [email protected]
The Steel Yard is one of four Silver Medalists and is being recognized for its game changing site design of a 3.5 acre historic steel fabrication site and its positive impact on the city of Providence.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTModerating the talk will be Susan Szenasy of the architecture/design METROPOLIS magazine. Attendees slated to come include Governor Chafee, Congressman Cicilline, Providence Council President Michael Solomon and Councilwoman Sabina Matos, among others.
Steel Yard's Lang Weighs In
Steel Yard Executive Director Helen Lang, who recently took the post just this past April after an extensive career in the arts in New York, talked with GoLocal about the big honor.
"The Bruner Award is an incredible validation for the good work of the Steel Yard thus far, transforming an abandoned manufacturing facility into a vibrant community of artists, makers and doers," said Lang. "The selection process was highly selective and rigorous, reflecting favorably on the work of my predecessor, Drake Patten, but also on the innovative and forward looking work of the Board and the staff.
Lang spoke to what brought her to the Steel Yard -- and what to expect in the coming months and years.
"I was drawn to the Steel Yard because it is an organization that believes deeply and fundamentally in the power of connecting people to how things are made," said Lang. "I plan to expand our reach in the breadth and depth of courses we offer, in our job training programs, and through constructing more public works both in Rhode Island and adjoining states. I am very interested in increasing the role of the Steel Yard in the Made In Rhode Island initiative and through incubation of small businesses. "
And what to expect coming up?
"Not to be missed is the Iron Pour, of course, that happens October 26th, followed by an exhibition at the Cohen Gallery at Brown University Industrial Evolution which explores the art of the Steel Yard’s Public Projects in early November," said Lang. "The staff is busy cooking up some winter events so stay tuned."
Everything you wanted to know about Lang...but were afraid to ask.
Tell us something nobody knows about you: I loved movies so much that in high school I would hitchhike to the movie theater. If I like a movie well enough I sat through it twice.
Role Model: Dorothy Day, a journalist, social activist and anarchist, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker’s Movement in 1933
Favorite Rhode Island Restaurant: Al Forno, but I haven’t had time to explore as much as I’d like
Best Book You've Read in the Last Year: Nonfiction, The Passage of Power by Robert Caro and fiction, Mother & Child by Carole Maso.
Advice for Your 16 Year Old Self: Don’t be in such a rush, hug your Abuelita more often
