“Found” Objects and the Human Scale at RDG’s 2023 Kaneko Camp

Every summer the KANEKO in Omaha, Nebraska hosts a series of camps for young learners who are interested in exploring creativity and its intersection with art, education, science, design, technology and philosophy. During each five-day camp, participants are led through a series of STEAM-based learning activities to delve deeper into the design process and its real-world applications.

RDG has participated in KANEKO’s Creative Camps since 2013. The firm’s 2023 offering took place from July 31 to August 4; throughout the week, campers explored how ideation, design techniques, modeling and drawing can be applied to reimagine form and structure and create new architecture for an ever-changing world.

"The creativity of these young people not only elevated the camp experience but also reinforced the notion that the future of design is as boundless as our collective imagination, said Adam Weise, an RDG designer who helped lead the camp. "It was immensely gratifying to provide campers with a space where they could explore, create and imagine all the ways design both reflects and influences the world around us."

The theme for RDG’s 2023 camp was inspired by the work of James Surls, whose “Nightshade and Red Bone Exhibition” was featured at Kaneko during the duration of the camp. Acknowledged in the US as one of the most preeminent sculptors of his generation, Surls’ body of work has achieved international acclaim. Student work created as part of the camp were displayed during “KANEKO’s Creative Camps Exhibition” on August 11, 2023.