Podcast Season 1 Episode 1 Athlete to Entrepreneur

Podcast Season 1 Episode 2 Sky's the Limit

Audio

aug 2023

Podcast Season 1 Episode 3 I've Muted Myself

Audio

sep 2023

Podcast Season 1 Episode 4 Writing a New Chapter

Audio

SeP 2022

Podcast Season 1 Episode 5 Defining Healthy Relationships

Audio

SeP 2022

Podcast Season 1 Episode 6 Ugly Side of Entrepreneurship

Audio

sep 2022

Podcast Season 1 Episode 7 The End of an Era

Audio

oct 2022

Podcast Season 1 Episode 8 Life Without Intention

Audio

oct 2022

500-year elevation marker of the sculptural high water mark at The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Sculptural high water mark at The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Historical and 100-year elevation marker of the sculptural high water mark at The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Water level gauge installed on dock piling, as part of the high water mark project at The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Didactic signage on the sculptural high water mark at The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Top ring detail image of Kingman Island location of High Water Mark showing chrome paint and bridge in background.

Middle ring detail image of Kingman Island location of High Water Mark showing chrome paint and bridge in background.

Detail of Marvin Gaye Park location of High Water Mark showing footing assembly, chrome paint, and color-coded flags.

Detail of Kingman Island location of High Water Mark lying on ground during installation showing chrome paint, and color-coded flags.

Kingman Island location of High Water Mark in grassy riverbank.

DC High Water Marks

Public Art,

Wayfinding

Budget: $98,000

Ongoing

The DC High Water Mark project is an ongoing effort spearheaded by DC’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) to reimagine the city’s approach to flood awareness and readiness. The studio collaborated with Patrick McDonough to envision a system of markers to be installed on sites within the 100-year flood plain.

In January 2020, we installed the first two of these markers—12-foot tall totems that show color-coded elevations of historic flooding events and future flooding scenarios.

In April 2021, we installed a third marker, in partnership with DOEE and The Wharf DC.

Awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Consumer Technology (2021)

Press

Jan 2022

Perspective view of Swept Yard in situ, looking from the east.

Swept Yard

Public Art

Budget: $120,000

In-Progress

Swept Yard is a permanent installation in a triangular park in the historical Black neighborhood of Kingman Park in DC. Inspired by tropes of Black gathering and maintenance, this project offers an array of seating along a sweeping path within the park. An archive of narratives and imagery from Kingman Park residents will also be translated into engraved steel thresholds dispersed along the path.

Friends of Kingman Park selected Wayside and Patrick McDonough to envision this project, supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Public Art Building Communities grant program. Swept Yard will be delivered in late 2022.

View of the exhibition, showing the table of listening stations, with a projection of footage from the farm in the background.

A guest takes a seat to listen to a story at the table.

A short film showing footage of the land where many of the stories from Drylongso took place.

Multiple listening stations feature a tape cassette player, with each cassette featuring stories from folks in my family who grew near our farmland in VA.

Collage of objects inspired by the stories featured in the Drylongso exhibit.

Photo of the exhibit brochure which explains the Drylongso's premise.

DryLoNgso: An Ode to the Southern BLack landscape

Research,

Installation,

Self‑initiated

2021

Drylongso: An Ode to the Southern Black Landscape was a solo gallery installation centering oral history as way of documenting ordinary Black life in the rural American South. Recorded phone conversations from my family in Prospect, VA were transferred to cassette tape, and invited guests to listen to the customary ways Black folks care for land, space, and people.

The installation took place in TheTwelve’s gallery space in Union Market, with support from Washington Project of the Arts’ Wherewithal Research Grant program.

Listen to the conversations here.

Rear elevation perspective of our OnOlive proposal.

Front elevation of our OnOlive housing proposal.

Perspective showing nook between bedrooms on the second floor. The window leads to a terrace on top of the kitchen below.

Section view of OnOlive competition entry, informed by the shotgun house typology.

OnOLive HousiNg Competition

Architecture, Proposal

2021

OnOlive is an exciting new residential development in St. Louis, featuring homes by prominent firms such as MOS, Productora, Tatiana Bilbao, Michael Maltzan, and others. I collaborated with architect and colleague Jerome Haferd to submit an entry to the project’s national Emergent Black Architect competition, which won second place.

Our entry took inspiration from Black vernacular architecture, St. Louis’ industrial history, and the nearby indigenous Cahokia mounds.

Project team: Curry Hackett, Jerome Haferd, and Nicolas Losi

Howard Theatre Walk of Fame signage post in sidewalk on T Street NW in DC.

Person walking on granite threshold, which reads "Howard Theatre Walk of Fame" in sidewalk on 7th Street NW in DC.

Howard Theatre Walk of Fame

Public Art,

Wayfinding

Budget: $400,000

2018

The Howard Theatre Walk of Fame is one of the city’s largest public art projects, solicited by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Located in the historic Shaw neighborhood and “Black Broadway”, the Walk consists of fifteen hand-carved bronze medallions, each depicting a cultural icon that performed at the iconic Howard Theatre.

Project team: Curry Hackett, Jay Coleman, Joanna Blake, and Harry G. Robinson, III, FAIA.

Photographs by Donovan Gerald.

Man picking up flowers from DiasFlora installation.

Image of LAB team member installing orange rope on the DiasFlora installation during Parking Day event.

Rear view of DiasFlora installation showing 30-foot long infographic of Black population in DC over time.

Curry Hackett and LAB team members standing on T Street NW sidewalk during DiasFlora event.

Wayside collaborated with Landscape Architecture Bureau (LAB) for a one-day activation for DC’s PARK(ing) Day event.

Noting the intense gentrification trends in the city (the Black population peaked at 75% in the 1970s), DiasFlora used plants to visualize the dispersal of Black residents in the region.

A 30-foot infographic “fence” mapped DC's Black population since 1790, which served as a backdrop to a field of grasses and flowers. The public was then invited to take the plants home to simulate the movement of Black folks in this regional “diaspora”.

Photographs by LAB.

DiasFlora

Research,

Installation,

2020

Courtside partners with founders to build standout & scalable businesses.

Why the name? The long story, short:

Courtside is commonly used to describe seating or a vantage point that is close to the action on the court, providing an up-close view of the game.

The studio considers courtside as both metaphor and methodology as it conveys the idea of being actively engaged in the creative process and having a front-row perspective on talent and brand development in the entertainment world.

About Gabriela CHapa:

Gabriela Chapa is an award-winning entrepreneur, business advisor, and brand strategist.

With over 10 years of experience across business and working for prominent media companies such as NBCUniversal, Chapa has worked with distinguished brands on major event sponsorships, including the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and the Super Bowl.

In 2021, Chapa was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Consumer Technology. She has been featured on panels including the Gallatin Business Society at New York University. Chapa is also a former NCAA athlete.

capabilities

· Brand Strategy & Visual Identity
· Web Design & Development
· Personal Brand Coaching
· Go-To-Market Strategy
· Business Advisory

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Courtside is a branding & startup studio led by Gabriela Chapa.

We work with the world’s most ambitious founders to reach their full potential as brands & leaders.

DC High Water Marks

Swept Yard

DryLoNgso: An Ode to the Southern BLack landscape

OnOLive HousiNg Competition

Howard Theatre Walk of Fame

DiasFlora

Courtside partners with founders to build standout & scalable businesses.