SF State, Marshall High to donate Community Bench to SF Mayor’s Office

The bench will initially be on display at City Hall as public art, and later will likely move to permanent residence in the mayor’s bullpen. It is made of maple, mahogany and walnut veneer on maple plywood.

“By bringing art into the classroom, iDo provides an engaging educational experience and builds confidence in students,” Mayor Newsom said. “I am honored to support these students’ hard work and creative expression. I hope displaying their bench in the Mayor’s office inspires all those who see it to learn more about this worthwhile program.”

The SF State and Marshall students will present the finished bench to Mayor Newsom’s Education Advisor, Hydra Mendoza, at a ceremony in the Thurgood Marshall campus cafeteria at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 14, 45 Conkling Street. In addition to donating the bench to the Mayor’s Office, iDo will present scholarships to two exceptional high school students who participated in the design of the bench. Representatives from The Fear Not Foundation, which funded the scholarships, will be present to present the scholarships.

The project is led by Martin Linder, associate professor of Design and Industry at SF State. Linder founded iDo in 2003 as a reaction to the lack of design classes offered in San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area public schools. Six years later, the program has gained momentum, offering many design projects to various Bay Area public schools. iDo reached more than 200 elementary, middle and high school, undergraduate and graduate students during the 2008-2009 academic year. iDo provided more than 8000 hours of Community Service during this period. The gifting of the Community Bench to the City of San Francisco is recognition of the value of iDo’s role in experiential design education.

iDo’s Community Bench Project applies experiential learning practices to high school students by introducing them to design practices and methodologies including the latest industry-standard computer design programs as well as model making and manufacturing skills. Each student designed and created a 9X9 inch wood veneer panel that represents his or her sense of community.

iDo is committed to developing the next generation of creative thinkers though the interdisciplinary and experiential teaching of design. To learn more about Industrial Design Outreach (iDo), please visit http://www.industrialdesignoutreach.org or call 415-338-6525.