Announcing the Sukkot at the Ranch Design Competition
Statewide Sukkah Design Contest
Encinitas’ Leichtag Foundation announces launch of the Sukkot at the Ranch Design Competition; design submissions begin July 2; deadline is August 18
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. (July 7, 2014) – The Leichtag Foundation announces the launch of the second annual Sukkot at the Ranch Design Competition today. Designers of all backgrounds throughout California, as well as Jerusalem, are invited to participate and reimagine the ancient structure known as a Sukkah, which has been built during the Jewish harvest of Sukkot since biblical times. Design submissions are being accepted now through August 18.
A panel of celebrated architects, designers, and critics will select three finalists from the pool of submissions to be constructed by volunteers in a visionary village at The Ranch, located at 441 Saxony Road in Encinitas, Calif., on October 5, 2014. The three structures will serve as center stage for a weeklong celebration of Sukkot at the Ranch from October 8-17, 2014. The Sukkah is traditionally erected for one week each autumn to commemorate the holiday of Sukkot, in celebration and gratitude of the harvest. It is customary, within the impermanent walls of the Sukkah, to share meals, entertain, and rejoice.
Three finalists will be chosen from the pool of submissions. The finalist teams will receive a $2,500 materials budget. Judges will award $3,600 to the winning design team, selected by public vote.
This year’s themes are release and renewal, and the canvas to express these themes is the Sukkah. Each Sukkah is required to adhere to a list of guidelines including the structure must be temporary; it must have at least two-and-a-half walls; it must be big enough to contain a table and most of a person’s body; and it must have a roof made of shade-providing organic materials through which a person can see the stars. For the entry form and full contest details, visit http://tinyurl.com/sukkahdesign.
“The Sukkah’s religious function is to honor the temporary structures that the Israelites resided in during their migration from Egypt,” explains Rabbi Andy Kastner, director of the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship, a Leichtag Foundation initiative. “We’re interested in exploring how this space can express and advance ideas of community engagement, social justice, and sustainability.”
The Ranch was purchased by the Leichtag Foundation in December 2012; it is a 67.5 acre property that amplifies the strategic focus areas of the Foundation and is a nexus to bring them all together.
About the Leichtag Foundation:
The Leichtag Foundation honors the legacies of Lee, Toni, and Joli Leichtag and their commitment to lasting social impact. The Foundation ignites and inspires vibrant Jewish life, advances economic self-sufficiency, and supports grassroots social change in coastal North County San Diego and Jerusalem.
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