While preparing for the first ever Camp Design Build Adventure in Marfa, Texas – I looked back to one of my favorite books, Devil’s Workshop: 25 Years of Jersey Devil Architecture (1997, Princeton Architectural Press) and was excited to re-read something I had underlined and starred almost 10 years ago … it talks about how Steve Badanes and other Devil’s saw the activities of early counter-culture artist-builders “using architecture to have a good life”.

That is what this week felt like.

We woke up every morning to the 6:45 train blowing through Marfa.  We drank coffee, stretched, biked, designed, built, ate at Food Shark, met and worked with numerous talented Marfa artists, sketched Judd’s boxes at sunset, made models, drew site sections, welded, cut, grinded, sang, danced, and left a really beautiful and functional shade structure at the site of “East Side Play!”.

What made this project most special was that 17 people from all over the United States, ranging in age from 17-60, joined us at El Cosmico for this first ever Camp Design Build Adventure.  And that numerous people from Marfa –  Sam Schonzeit, Melissa McDonnell, Ross Cashiola, Peter Stanley, Nick, Maryam, and Dersu contributed time, energy, talent, materials and more to help us do this.  I also was very lucky to have my friends Dan Dyer (Musician) and Wanda Dye (School of Architecture, UT Arlington) round out the faculty.  Not to mention the bad ass Isadora McKeon and Sarah Cork at Bunkhouse/El Cosmico.  This was a dream team!

The goal of the week was to have a Design, Build, Adventure … to stay safe, have fun, and ‘practice the way we want to practice’.

Camp Design Build Adventure will be happening again in July 2012 – and we are already considering the complimentary Winter Session with shorter days, fires, and Dutch Tubs.

Stay tuned to Design Build Adventure and El Cosmico for more information.

Jack