Designing an art foundation to amplify black voices.

A five week studio design project done entirely analog.

TEAM:

EMMA BARTLETT AND JESSICA BETH CORR

INSTRUCTOR:

TOM DISANTO

DATE:

SUMMER 2020

Architecture

Design

Concept

CHALLENGE

How might we design an art foundation that excites and delights while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities? How might we use a challenging sloped site in Los Osos California to entice movement and interaction throughout the project? How might we create a structure that is raw, digestible, and understood by its sense of place?

SOLUTION

yolk is a public art foundation that amplifies the voices of black artists by displaying the works of El Enatsui and Senga Nengudi. The project is derived from simple geometries that have been translated by their implementation within the site. The raw, digestible, and naked approach creates an intimate atmosphere where visitors feel compelled to interact with the art along their journey through cavernous spaces. Spaces are influenced by and capitalize on the use of light, illuminating routes on navigation and showcasing the art in it's finest form.

_Phase Discover

SITE:

OLD MORRO ROAD, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

The site came with it's own unique qualities being placed far from the urban city of San Luis Obispo and presenting topographic challenges with a slope above 10% with an abundant coverage of native trees and foliage that we sought to protect. Our team thought about who would be likely to visit this site and who we could be designing for. Additionally, this project was designed amidst the global pandemic of COVID-19 as well as what some might describe as the forefront of Black Lives Matter Movement. These conditions no doubt impacted our own personal goals of the project.

Just as the work of our chosen artists embraced an analog attitude towards their work, we did the same. From this point our project became dedicated to the reuse of materials and using analog methods of representation, just like our artists did. The following is a logo we designed for our project. The charcoal drawn symbol contains two layers: the shell representing the outside protective structure of our building, and the yolk, which is the lively heart of our building: the art.

_Phase Develop

EXPLORATION

FORM, SITE

The next phase of the design process was to bring our formal definitions and goals for yolk into something tangible. Using analog strategies, we sketched, painted, and crafted informal explorations around our goal for the art foundation. How can we hold something that is raw, naked, and digestible? How can we use light to illuminate and drew attention to the spaces created?

Some of the themes myself and Emma pulled from our early discoveries were the layers that come from a hard exterior shell and the gooey interior yolk of an egg. Taking that object a step further, we brought it to the site through plaster and rockite explorations. Emma's discoveries on the left used an egg to guide an additive approach on the site, while my explorations on the right were integrated and cut into the site: a void or subtractive strategy. Emma and I's analog form experimentations were ultimately combined into a hybrid strategy to create the overall form of the project. Integration to and sculpting of the site were extremely important in our narrative.

Using different approaches, Emma and I ultimately arrived at a hybrid composition for the project: both additive and subtractive forms cutting into, sitting on top of, and speaking to the site. Both the forms themselves as well as the strategy by which we sculpted and built earth on the site encourage circulation through the project and help to lead users on a specific journey in order to create an interactive and intimate experience.

_Phase Deliver

2 DIMENSIONAL REPRESENTATION:

PLANS, SECTIONS, RENDERS, CONSTRUCTION

Like any successful design project, 2 dimensional drawings are used to better understand parts within our project at the human scale. Here we unpack how to think about moving inside of the building, defining program, and better understanding how to use light to encourage movement throughout the spaces.

In crafting our floor plans, Emma and I thought about which spaces would be best suited for particular programs or pieces of art. For example, on the long curved walls, El Anatusi's textile quilts were best suited for those spaces as Nenguidi's tensile installations were best suited in our double height gallery space as well as in our structural pit located east of the project. The project contains multiple gallery spaces, a cafe, and educational space on black art and cultural history in the San Luis Obispo area and beyond. Users wander and curve through spaces being led from one part to another by the form, light, and the artwork.

Designing through use of section was one strategy that Emma and I used to understand the differing levels and thresholds between spaces. Through creating sections we better understood how to best use daylight throughout the building and which areas would be darker or lighter. These sections also show our attempt in understanding how the project ties into the ground and moves users from one level to another. We understand the spaces at a human scale and how to create a sense of awe and by manipulating the ground plane and height of each individual space.

Towards the end of our project began to attempt to understand our project on structural level. We explored various construction methods and settled on a layered steel grid construction assembly. It helped us to better understand how this system works by breaking it into layers and looking at in section too.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

jbcorr@calpoly.edu

TAKE ME BACK UP THERE

Autodesk's Associate Product Manager Accelerator

Founded Autodesk’s first development program to empower early-career product managers with mentorship, training, and lasting growth opportunities.

Training & Development Mentorship Early Career PMs Professional Growth Networking Skills ...and more!

CHALLENGE

When I started as the first APM at Autodesk, I quickly discovered the isolation and uncertainty that comes with being a pioneer in an uncharted role. There was no structured onboarding, no community of peers to learn from, and no clear expectations of what success looked like as an APM. I found myself navigating ambiguity alone, constantly second-guessing whether I was technical enough, qualified enough, or if I even belonged in product at all. As we've grown our APM community, I've seen these same challenges persist and new patterns emerge: 90% of our early-career PMs spend most of their time embedded with engineering teams, over half express only moderate confidence in their ability to grow beyond their current scope, and 62% struggle with career progression uncertainty. The isolation and lack of structured development I experienced as the first APM has become a systemic challenge across our growing community.

SOLUTION

Having walked this path myself, I'm passionate about creating the structured growth experience I wish I'd had. The APMA program is built from my firsthand understanding of what early-career product managers actually need: clear expectations, a supportive community, and diverse hands-on experience beyond just engineering collaboration. Rather than trying to fit APMs into a traditional mold, I help them leverage their unique backgrounds as competitive advantages. Through rotational experiences, mentorship, and real product ownership opportunities, we're building the next generation of confident product leaders who can navigate ambiguity, transfer skills across domains, and drive innovation at Autodesk. This isn't just a program—it's the community and growth pathway I needed when I started, now available to every APM who follows.

Discover. Define. Develop. Deliver.

_Phase Discover

Understanding the Pain Points of Entry-Level PMs

When I joined Autodesk as their first Associate Product Manager, I experienced firsthand the challenges that come with pioneering a new role. There was no roadmap, no community, and no clear expectations—just the weight of figuring it out alone while constantly questioning whether I belonged in product management at all.As our APM program grew from one to over 15 early-career product professionals, I discovered that my initial struggles weren't unique. They were systemic challenges that needed a structured solution. This realization has been instrumental in my work on the Product Guild leadership board, where I've been able to influence the broader product culture at Autodesk and garner executive sponsorship for initiatives that support early-career development across the entire product organization.

As our APM program grew from one to over 15 early-career product professionals, I discovered that my initial struggles weren't unique. They were systemic challenges that needed a structured solution. This realization has been instrumental in my work on the Product Guild leadership board, where I've been able to influence the broader product culture at Autodesk and garner executive sponsorship for initiatives that support early-career development across the entire product organization.

The data told a compelling and concerning story that validated my initial instincts. When we surveyed our growing APM community, the numbers revealed systemic issues that went far beyond individual growing pains:
‍
The Scope Problem: A staggering 90% of our APMs were spending the majority of their day working directly with scrum and engineering teams. While technical collaboration is valuable, this narrow focus meant they were missing critical exposure to customer research, market analysis, competitive intelligence, roadmap strategy, stakeholder management, and business metrics—the very skills that distinguish great product managers from great project coordinators.
‍The Confidence Crisis: Perhaps most alarming, 54% of our APMs expressed only moderate confidence in their ability to transfer their current skills to other domains or teams. This suggests they were developing highly specialized, context-specific capabilities rather than the versatile, transferable product management competencies needed for career growth.
‍The Career Progression Anxiety: Most telling of all, 62% reported moderate or lower confidence in their overall career progression. These weren't just numbers—they represented talented individuals questioning their future in product management, wondering if they were on the right path, and potentially considering leaving the field altogether.This data painted a clear picture: we were inadvertently creating product managers who were technically competent but strategically limited, confident in their current scope but uncertain about their broader potential. The very specialization that made them effective in their immediate roles was becoming a barrier to their long-term success.

Through conversations with our growing APM community, three critical challenges emerged: role establishment and clarity, insufficient time to properly onboard and ramp up, and difficulty building relationships in our increasingly remote culture. These weren't just individual growing pains—they were barriers preventing talented people from reaching their potential as product leaders.

_Phase Define

Reimagining Early Career Growth in Product

The solution became clear: we needed to create the structured, supportive experience that I wished I'd had as the first APM. But this couldn't be a one-size-fits-all approach. Each APM brought unique strengths and backgrounds that should be leveraged, not minimized.

Our core principles emerged from this understanding:Minimize uncertainty and isolation by creating clear expectations and a supportive communityExpedite business value creation through hands-on, rotational experiencesEmpower dynamic leaders who can foster innovation across different product domainsThe vision was ambitious but necessary: transform early-career product managers from uncertain individual contributors into confident, well-rounded product leaders who could drive innovation anywhere within Autodesk.

Defining the Role Itself: Beyond addressing individual pain points, we recognized a fundamental gap in how Autodesk understood and positioned the APM role. Without clear role definitions, hiring managers were applying inconsistent criteria, new hires had misaligned expectations, and career progression pathways remained unclear. I worked to standardize what an APM actually is—not just a junior PM, but a distinct role focused on learning core product competencies while contributing meaningful value. This involved collaborating with Talent Acquisition to refine job descriptions, establish consistent interview processes, and create clear competency frameworks that hiring managers could use to identify the right candidates. By defining the role clearly, we've been able to attract better-fit candidates who understand what they're signing up for and set realistic expectations for both APMs and their managers about growth trajectories and success metrics.

_Phase Develop

From Concept to Cohesive Program

The APMA program takes shape through a carefully orchestrated three-phase approach:
‍Phase 1: Establish We begin by building the foundation—establishing our APM cohort and hosting regular development sessions. This phase focuses on deepening partnerships with Talent Acquisition and The Product Guild while developing a comprehensive onboarding curriculum that sets clear expectations from day one. We've already begun this work through formal PM training workshops, bringing in external speakers, community-building events, and book clubs that create both learning opportunities and peer connections.
‍Phase 2: Contribute With our foundation in place, we refine the vision and structure for rotational product experiences. This involves securing pre-scoped product ownership opportunities from committed managers across different teams and domains, ensuring each rotation provides meaningful, hands-on learning.
‍Phase 3: Rotate & Repeat The program reaches full maturity as we execute pilot rotational experiences for incoming APMs. Each participant completes two rotations over 12 months, gaining exposure to different aspects of product management while building a network across the organization. We continuously monitor, refine, and scale the program based on learnings.

_Phase Deliver

Transforming Careers Through Measurable Impact

Success isn't just about creating a program—it's about delivering measurable outcomes that accelerate career growth and build confidence.
‍Key Result #1: End-to-End Product Management ExperienceAPMs gain hands-on experience across the full product lifecycle within their first six months, demonstrating a 10% increase in skill diversification. This includes everything from identifying customer needs through market research and interviews, to defining solutions via analytics and roadmapping, to delivering value through stakeholder management and measuring success through post-launch analysis.
‍Key Result #2: Increased Confidence and BelongingWe target a 10% increase in belonging and career progression confidence, building from our baseline of 62% moderate or lower confidence captured in FY25Q3. This improvement comes through structured mentorship, clear role expectations, and a supportive peer community.The APMA program represents more than professional development—it's about creating the community and growth pathway that transforms uncertainty into confidence, isolation into belonging, and potential into performance. Through my role on the Product Guild leadership board, this program serves as a catalyst for broader cultural change at Autodesk, demonstrating how structured support for early-career talent can elevate product excellence across the entire organization. The executive sponsorship we've secured reflects recognition that investing in our next generation of product leaders isn't just good for individual careers—it's essential for Autodesk's continued innovation and market leadership. By building on the unique strengths each APM brings while providing structured exposure to diverse product challenges, we're developing the next generation of product leaders who will drive Autodesk's innovation forward.

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