National Parks Now finalists chosen to reinvent the national park experience

The Van Alen Institute and the National Park Service recently announced the four multi-disciplinary finalist teams of the National Parks Now competition, which aims to reinvent the experience of visiting national parks.

As part of Van Alen's Elsewhere initiative and the National Park Services' centennial celebration in 2016, the competition focuses on four national parks in the American Northeast as case studies. Finalists were selected out of 340 individuals from 17 countries who responded to an open RFQ.

The teams, who are assigned to each of the parks, received $15,000 each to begin working with various stakeholders to develop strategies for a national park fit for the 21st century -- be it new digital learning tools, workshops, interactive installations, performances, self-led tours and exploration activities, etc.

By spring 2015, the winning team will receive an extra $10,000 to create a prototype for one of their strategies before it's implemented at their site in the summer.

More details below.

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (Paterson, NJ), a historic birthplace of American textile manufacturing:

Led by Manuel Miranda of MMP and the Yale School of Art with Frances Medina, Mariana Mogilevich, Valeria Mogilevich, June Williamson, and Willy Wong.

"The team will work with high school students and local stakeholders to explore retrofitting the park to engage the city, retelling the site’s history to engage contemporary audiences, and representing the site to new publics."

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (Oyster Bay, NY), the estate of President Theodore Roosevelt:

Team Wayward / Projects: led by Putri Trisulo of Project Projects with Prem Krishnamurthy, Katie Okamoto, Alfons Hooikaas, Ben DuVall, Heather Ring, Amy Seek, Thomas Kendall, and Jarred Henderson.

"Their project will create a symbiotic partnership model capitalizing on the existing audiences and curatorial resources of prominent cultural institutions to reinterpret histories and reinvigorate Sagamore Hill."

Steamtown National Historic Site (Scranton, PA), one of the world’s most important monuments to the steam locomotive

Led by Abigail Smith-Hanby of FORGE with Ashley Ludwig, Andrew Dawson, Max Lozach, and CJ Gardella.

"Team FORGE proposes to weave together stories and information in order to root Steamtown within the larger American cultural landscape."

Weir Farm National Historic Site (Ridgefield, CT), the summer estate of the artist Julian Alden Weir

"Led by Aaron Forrest of the Rhode Island School of Design and Principal of Ultramoderne with Yasmin Vobis, Suzanne Mathew, Noah Klersfeld, Dungjai Pungauthaikan, and Jessica Forrest.

The team will work with students at the Rhode Island School of Design to look at introducing site- specific, contemporary artistic practices to Weir Farm in order to develop new perspectives on the site and the region’s history and ecology."

Jury

• Linda Cook - Superintendent, Weir Farm National Historic Site
• Glen Cummings - Partner, MTWTF 
• Shaun Eyring - Chief, Resource Planning and Compliance, Northeast Region, National Park Service
• Jerome Goh - Senior Content Director, IDEO
• Mark Hansen - Director, Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Columbia University School of Journalism
• David van der Leer - Executive Director, Van Alen Institute
• Setha Low - Professor, Ph.D. programs in Anthropology, Geography, and Environmental Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
• Emile Molin - Creative Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• William Morrish - Dean, Parsons School of Constructed Environments
• Kate Orff - Partner, SCAPE / Landscape Architecture
• Barbara Pollarine - Chief, Interpretation, Education, and Partnership Development, Northeast Region, National Park Service

All images courtesy of the Van Alen Institute/National Parks Now competition.