These submittals began in January, and since then, Spencer's has been granted awards from the Ruth Mott Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs - each to cover a number of repairs, programs, and installations. Each also includes a significant amount of organizing, coordination of schedules, preparation work, and deadlines which make it difficult to postpone work any longer.
Four students from the Metro Flint Youth Build program - an alternative school that teaches construction skills and gives a second chance to at-risk youth - have begun a paid apprenticeship at Spencer's (through Ruth Mott funding). Each will learn design fundamentals through a series of workshops that explore material, form, critical thinking, and resourcefulness - followed by design refinement, prototyping, and final production to be led by local professional builders. They'll begin with some straightforward deconstruction/construction tasks, and eventually work up to designing their own permanent installations. The work will largely be focused on reconditioning the exterior of the building while the last of the permits are squared away.
Anthony exposes a much more beautiful earlier porch roof structure.
Old, rotting pieces of lumber are trimmed to expose the still healthy cores...
....and Tim guides Chris is router-use to turn these strips into an ornamental drip cap to be installed around the outside of the house.
Katrina installs aluminum flashing around the perimeter of the building. Flashing is a method of waterproofing needed any time shingling is interrepted (to different patterns, above windows and doors).
Flashing and drip cap installed, ready to be painted.
La' Dundric finishes cutting and assembling the last remaining truss pieces.
Turquoise truss.
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