Project Creative Brief

1. Our project attempts to address the problems with lack of recreation in Onondaga Lake by holding a type of festival to celebrate and bring awareness to the history of Onondaga Lake, including the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy of Native Americans.

2. The form of the project well be some type of large gathering with posters, food, culture and fun. As of now, the project seems to be taking the form of a fair, with different tables spread out with games, stories and people dressed up.

3. Onondaga Lake is a public place where all people, including families and students have access. Currently, it is a nice park, but it needs extra recreation because in most parts, industrialization has caused the ban of fishing, swimming and other lake related activities.

4. Long a time of Iroquois inhabitance, Onondaga Lake is a historical area where it is believed to have been the setting for the start of the Iroquois Confederacy. Industrialization and salt mining struck the area in the late 1800's and ever since then the lake has been considered one of the most polluted lakes in the country. Eventually, in 1994 Onondaga Lake has been chosen to become a Superfund site and now work is being done to return Onondaga Lake to its glory days of hotels and immense recreation.

5. This site is appropriate for the project because there are local schools around, so we can teach younger people. Also, the area is in an open space so it will not be too crowded. Possibilities seem endless for this type of project because of the amount of open space. The area, obviously, is an area with a great amount of history. An entire economy can survive around one lake. The lake also has a problem that needs to be addressed, pollution. Pollution even brings about different national concerns that can be addressed by dialog and our project.

6. This project is an integration because we want to bring about a sense of community formed around our event project. We want a sense of integration with Onondaga Lake in order to bring about new and consistent recreation. We do want to help shock our audience and make a statement, but our project is integration because our first priority is to allow people to have fun in our recreational event.

7. We will ask the state or the county and the people in charge of Onondaga Lake Park for permission. It should not be too hard because Onondaga Lake Park is a public space. Also, we can consider contacting museums and representatives of the Native American community.

8. The project disrupts the surrounding by transforming a quiet and boring area into an area of extravagance and excitement for one planned day.

9. Adrian Piper's Funk Lessons and Coco Fusco's The Couple in the cage inspired this project because Funk Lesson encouraged a gathering to create dialog and The Couple in the Cage did as well.

10. The goal is to bring excitement and fun for at least one day to Onondaga Lake. In the longterm if park recreation revives economically (i.e. More hotels, boating and fishing companies), then the project is a success. Also, we plan to bring awareness to the wonderful history of the area.

11. If at least one person shows up and experiences the festival, enjoys it and learns something about the Iroquois Confederacy, then the project is a success.

12. The target audience is regular people who would go to the park to run or bike. These people care about becoming fit and healthy. Hopefully, if they pass by the festival they will learn about many more things to do at the lake and they will bring their families over to experience the history and the fun. Some might react with indifference and not appreciate the disruption, but as long as we provide a path to just run right by, everything should be fine.

13. We want the audience to interact with the project with enthusiasm, just walking by, enjoying things and soaking in some historical facts about the lake. Also, if the audience asks more questions to people behind the booths, it will be best.