Stockyard Institute

Immediately entering this site I am irritated by the lack of browsing options in the 'what's new' section. I really enjoy a clear side bar with the various links available.

First tiff aside --the site has some really interesting articles/reviews. The Whats New section quickly lead me to some delicious links, as well as the reviews of the latest MCA shows. An operation dedicated to 'issues of experimental learning and pedagogy, public art and life in the city' has so much potential, I'm interested as to why this is the first I am hearing of the Institute?

The site itself is not what I would call 'user friendly'. For several reasons, the first being that the overall design of the site feels cold to me. A place looking to help under served youth is warm and inviting in my mind, not splotchy and green. One other reason that the user-friendly aspect goes down is in the 'get involved' tab, which consists of ways to send a check.

The Projects tab was by far the best for my liking/interests. I enjoy that there is an actual ARTIST'S VOICE guiding you through not only the site, but the ideas behind what this group is about. This seems all too obvious, that this would be a natural device used by most people. However, my biggest complaint about most 'art' sites is the lack of artists. For all of the wonderful art at the Art Institute or even the MCA, there is no artist's presence felt on any of the pages. Sad.

Overall --I think this is a great program, and the newness of pedagogy to my life (the last year has been an overwhelming crash course) seems to be old news to them. Stockyard Institute seems to have a been very considerate of the people they serve, as well as the artists who can do this.