Book Review: The Archeworks Papers

The Archeworks Papers, edited by Stanley Tigerman
Archeworks, 2004
Paperback, 44 pages



The first installment in Chicago school Archeworks's eponymous Papers features a lecture given by Victor Margolin at the school in October, 2003 titled, "Healing the World: A Challenge for Designers." Responses to the text are given by Douglas Garofalo and co-founders Eva Maddox and Stanley Tigerman. Margolin argues that in order for design to make a difference socially it must address five forms of capital: human, social, financial, institutional, and physical. By demonstrating that market economies derive success by doing the same, he also cites social programs that use one or more of these capitals successfully, such as MoveOn.org. Basically, he is framing an argument for giving Archeworks - and other socially-responsible schools and programs - more impact. Garofolo adds a sixth capital to the list, symbolic, while Maddox avoids direct reference to Margolis's text, instead discussing her ideas on good design. Tigerman concludes the 42-page Paper with a call for ethics to go beyond words and into practice, a situation the school finds itself in ten years after its formation as it finds a way to make a difference beyond mere words.

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