Oak Park Art League

720 Chicago Ave.

Julie Carpenter, curator

Project Fielding, artist collective

Project Fielding presents Resistance Architecture - an adaptable structure intended for political encampment that can be erected to fulfill the needs of long-term protesters. In recognition of a political climate which demands sustained resistance, Project Fielding led a design build workshop developing two identical structures- one that responded to the direct requests of those at Standing Rock, and this structure, which will be used as an adaptable shelter for long-term protesters in other contexts and for exhibition and workshop purposes.

This past year we witnessed the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, North Dakota occupy and protect sacred land and water from oil pipeline development. Project Fielding teachers were inspired by the building efforts of groups like the Dakota Youth Council, who designed, built and assembled site and climate responsive, winter-ready shelters in collaboration with tribal members to enable long-term encampment through frigid winters on the plains. In communication with members of the International Indigenous Youth Council who were actively resisting at Sacred Stone camp at Standing Rock, we learned that there was a persistent need for flexible, secure structures that could function in multiple ways: ie, a shelter to house a composting toilet, a shed to house a generator, a space for storage.

In conjunction with Oak Park events celebrating the 150th birthday of Frank Lloyd Wright we responded to our current political climate with a reflective eye to student-built survival dorms at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in the Sonoran desert. Project Fielding instructors in collaboration with students designed and built a physically adaptive structure that functions in two positions: open and in lockdown. When in lockdown, the structure serves as a locker or a safe. When open, the structure is a spacious and ready to use shelter.

Project Fielding is an organization that empowers women and gender variant people of all ages through workshops that teach them to competently and confidently use hand and power tools. Project Fielding was born from the desire to break gender-pejorative attitudes and societal judgement about gender roles and capabilities in the building trades. Through their work in creating large-scale building projects, Project Fielding deflects unwelcome assumptions and defines new directions in the field of building. Built by women and gender non-conforming carpenters of all levels, this structure will travel to sites of resistance.