News

Taking it to the streets: GSD team wins Deans Challenge

Art is all around us, and a team made up of GSD students, a Loeb Fellow and a HU student is using geotechnology to connect audiences with the music, visual art and theatre in urban public spaces. Their vision excited the jury of the inaugural Deans’ Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge, who awarded first prize to the Musey project.

Helen Marriage (LF 2013) worked with Judy Fulton (MArch ’13), Hokan Wong (MArch), Wes Thomas (MArch) and Lucy Cheng ’17 to create the app, which enables people to find art outside traditional venues, learn about the artists and provide support for their work.

Supported by the office of the dean and Harvard alumni to spark innovation and increase access to the arts, the Challenge is a partnership of FAS, HBS and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road project and hosted by the i-lab. GSD teams made a strong showing among entries from 70 teams across 13 Harvard schools.

Finalists received a cash award, dedicated space at the Harvard i-lab, and programming and expert mentorship to further develop their solutions. They presented their ideas to the Harvard community at a Demo Day last week.

The Musey team and 3 runners-up will share $75,000 in award money, with the winners taking $30,000. The teams can continue their residency at the i-lab, with dedicated workspace, mentoring, and access to expert resources throughout the summer. Read more in the Harvard Gazette.

Read the Gazette next week for announcement of the winners of the President’s Challenge for social entrepreneurship and the Deans’ Health and Life Sciences Challenge. Deans’ Challenge finalists will be on view at a Demo Day on Wednesday, May 22nd, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the i-lab.