The video below was produced by friends of the owner, Vicente Aello and design/builder, Josh Ganshorn, of the remodeled 1968 Airstream Ambassador that was on display during the January, 2010 Art Hop. Check it out, it’s pretty retro & groovy.

Airstream trailers have their origins in the 1930s. Their product reached a peak of popularity in the late 1960s. They a characterized by aerodynamic form and sheet metal skin. In the past decade there has been a resurgence in their popularity because of their vintage appeal and simple mid-century modern design.

Enthusiast have even gone beyond refurbishing these vintage trailers to complete interior redesigns. One such remodeled airstreams will be on display in Fresno for the January Art Hop. A Fresno client hired ABLE + BAKER DESIGN to design and build their Airstream dream.

1968 Airstream Ambassador
Remodel Exhibit
-
Art Hop
First Thursday
January 7th 2010, 5-8
-
1724 Broadway Ave.
across from the Rainbow Ballroom
-

It is worth venturing out on a chilly January evening for this unique retro experience. The Airsteam will be outside in the parkinglot between 1724 Broadway and Tokyo Gardens. For a full rundown of Art Hop events see FresnoArts

Below are some plans and photos followed by some words from the design/builder.

-

Josh Ganshorn Bio:

Josh has spent his whole life drawing, painting and making things. In the early 1990’s Josh was an unemployed, unknown artist in need of work. A good friend’s father generously offered him a job at his construction company, Yosemite Lumber Construction. Carpentry came naturally to him, and he worked on and off throughout the decade, mostly as a way to support his artistic habits. Eventually he moved on, and relocated from Fresno to the Bay Area. He continued doing construction and honing his woodworking skills, and eventually started his own company. In Berkeley, he joined a small, but well established woodworking co-op. In addition to the founder, who began the shop in 1973, his partners there included award winning furniture makers and design instructors, who were very generous with their knowledge and skills. His personal company, Able + Baker Design, continues to evolve. More recently he has been allowed to take on jobs that require a more artistic aesthetic, combining the many years he spent as an artist with the skills he developed as a craftsman and business owner.

The Airstream Project:

In early 2009 a friend asked if he was interested in converting a 1968 Airstream travel trailer into a more usable space. After coming up with a budget and a plan, he agreed to do the work. At the end of the summer, Josh headed out to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he picked up the Airstream, and made his way back to the shop in Berkeley. The plan was to open up the interior of the cluttered Airstream as much as possible, while retaining a little space to socialize and get a little work done. It was his goal to try to retain some of the original 60’s RV aesthetic, while adding his own sense of style and design. It also happened that the weekend he returned to Berkeley they were celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Moon landing in nearby Alameda. There, on permanent display, he discovered another 1968 Airstream that was used as a quarantine facility for the Astronauts returning from the Moon. Josh began to think about people’s idea of the future, but from a 60’s perspective, when some believed we’d be driving flying cars by now, and Disney’s Tomorrowland set the stage.

Josh typically begins a design with his most fantastic and extreme ideas, and then continues to scale it back to something more practical and understated (and budget friendly). Certain restrictions influenced some decisions, such as the client’s request to have as much open space as possible, while still wanting a desk, a fridge, a bath, and a place to take a nap. Other ideas were strictly superfluous, but these are the things people seem to remember, rather than my use of space, color, proportion or the actual craftsmanship or engineering. That’s why, despite easily quantifiable or practical applications, people still like art.

The time that we are in now is often compared to the Great Depression. Also links are made between the New Deal, WPA and other programs with the Stimulus Package, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other associated programs. I’m not in the position or carry any real expertise to compare and contrast the economics and effectiveness of the programs. However, I’ve been having a thought pattern flowing regarding a direct comparison of the design of those.

While, I wasn’t alive during that time, it seems clear the WPA was visible in communities making things happening and getting people to work. It’s evident in Fresno from the concrete stamped with WPA in the Tower District to the Chandler Airport.

There also seemed to be a concentrated effort to leverage design for education and raising moral. I’ve always been a fan of the depression era WPA posters. And frankly there are allot of them. Good design makes a world of difference.

My point here is the current Stimulus and ERRA do not seem as well branded as the New Deal and WPA. To me it seems that there should be more educational graphic content on the street. Perhaps that is why many in this country struggle to understand exactly what the program is doing and how it effects us.

Compare these two signs. The one on the left uses 1 icon, 2 logos and 13 words to convey it’s message. The one on the right clearly conveys is message with only 2 words and 2 acronyms which is also its logo. Please share your thoughts on this topic.

Thousands sleeping in tents tonight. A temperate night before days of storm. A beakon sown one night in Febuary. What has happened since then? Is the light fading or is the storm growing?photo by Shaunt Yemenjian