Achievement Archives - Tony Ward Studio

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Adrian White

Kinsey has loved swing music for the longest time, but she finally got to start learning how to swing dance last summer with the Lindy and Blues Organization in Philly. She went to as many events as she could in order to pick up the skill she’s desired to learn since the age of thirteen. Learning any skill presents challenges, and when she started, Kinsey felt really bad about asking people to dance with her because she was not very good, and did not want to ruin their good time. With the desire to achieve her dream in mind, Kinsey pushed past all the missteps and the frustrated partners and kept practicing. At summer’s end, Kinsey really started to develop a sense for swing dance.

By the time the school year rolled around, Kinsey decided to try out for UPenn’s West Philly Swingers. After an intense tryout process, the West Philly Swingers welcomed Kinsey as one of their newbies. With the Swingers, Kinsey found a close group of supportive people who share her love for swing dance.

Kinsey considers swing dancing to be her happy place. She will have the privilege of choreographing a piece for the West Philly Swingers’ next show, showing how far she has come on her swing dancing journey. She promises to always stay true to the love of swing dance. According to her, nothing compares to the “feeling of dancing with a fantastic lead.” Swing dance has become and invaluable part of her life, and any time she is having a bad day she can turn to swing dance to cheer her up.

About the Author: Adrian White is a senior Psychology major at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Madelline Miller

We’ve given it nicknames and spent hours of our days and nights within its walls. We often mention it with disdain and dread because it holds memories of boredom, unbearable stress and silence. It can also be lively and at times it teems and buzzes with procrastination induced chatter. So much more than books and research resources, Van Pelt is a hub of social interaction and isolated intellectual struggle. I have hardly ever considered this structure objectively or architecturally except to comment on the small, narrow, prison-like windows that dot its exterior. What does this space feel like when it’s empty, when it’s removed from its purpose, when it’s unfamiliar?

Van Pelt is a functional space. It maximizes its square footage by placing uniform desks and carrels along every wall, so as to allow optimal room for housing an endless supply of books. Walking through the doors, riding the elevators and using the desks I have never really looked at this building, always distracted by the purpose it serves as a space for studying. I have come to learn that Van Pelt can also be an aesthetic space. During the early morning and late afternoon, the floor-to ceiling-windows throw light onto chairs and desks, causing them to glow. Instead of the austerity and darkness I associate with this building, the symmetry of the furniture and the linear shadows produce a sense of calm and order.

My goal was to transform the way I see this building, which I often find stifling, claustrophobic, stressful and harshly lit. It was a chance to see the familiar in an unfamiliar way, stripping this space of its associations and creating a new representation of a place I walk through so frequently. With a camera, it became a bright, modern, geometric space, uncluttered by books, papers and computer cords and absent of stress and fatigue. This is how I wish I could see Van Pelt on a daily basis, as expansive and bright, but as soon as I pass through the turnstile the chaos and distress mar my vision of what I now know can be a surprisingly beautiful space.

Photography and Text by Madeline Miller

About The Author: Madeline Miller is the assistant campaign manager for The Advertising Council, New York.

Tag: Achievement

Adrian White: The Swing of Things

Madeline Miller: Van Pelt – In a New Light