Artist Biography
Ashlyn Young is a graduating senior finishing with a BFA in Interior Architecture from Endicott College. She will be continuing her education in the fall as she completes the 5th year program in Interior Architecture to obtain her master’s degree at Endicott’s Van Loan School. She has successfully completed internships at Phase Zero Design and Campbell Smith Architects, and has continued to work for these firms throughout her 4 years at Endicott.
Although still in college, Ashlyn has taken on multiple professional projects on her own. She has also established a small side business doing graphic design. Not only is she thriving as a student in a notably rigorous program with a 3.9GPA, she has been a Residential Assistant (RA) for the past three years and dedicates almost every Saturday to community service.
Last summer, Young’s portfolio made its way in front of the owner of a café in Easton, MA, called The Beanery on Washington. Young was hired to renovate the space and saw the project from the concept development phase all the way through to construction. As luck would have it, a regular of the café was also a local business owner, looking to make some changes to his restaurant called Hayashi. Young took on this second solo renovation as her semester long internship.
Thesis Abstract
Butte Haven Community Center is a community center and displacement housing that will help communities rebuild and recover after being hit by a natural disaster. The community center will feature resources that will be utilized by the community year round, but will also cater to their specific needs after a disaster hits. For example, a community garden will not only provide easily accessible healthy food options to the community while strengthening community bonds and development, but it will also help with food security after a natural disaster. Also, an art center will provide people in the community with a creative outlet, but it will also serve as a place where art therapy sessions will take place to help people process and heal after surviving a disaster. The displacement housing will be fully furnished temporary housing that will serve as a more home-like environment for the community to make the transition from home to homeless, less traumatizing than the traditional sterile displacement housing options provided, like the infamous FEMA trailers or cots in a shelter.