COSMO DESIGN FACTORY - Key Persons
Julia Sedlock is founder and president of Cosmo Design Factory. Her work leverages design thinking as a tool for community development and activism, working with neighbors and local government to imagine and create a more equitable and inclusive environment in their small rural village. In addition to collaborations with existing local organizations Julia has co-founded new organizations such as Philmont Community Action Network (P-CAN), Purpose Coworking, and Philmont Land Opportunity Trust (PLOT). Her forthcoming book publication, Creatures are Stirring, is the product of an ongoing collaboration with Joseph Altshuler of Could Be Architecture. Julia holds an M.Arch and M.A. in Design Criticism from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and selected writing has been published in PLAT, MAS Context, Soiled, Conditions, and Log.
Mark Rowntree is a partner in Cosmo Design Factory. In addition to his multiple collaborations with Julia in client and community work, he was instrumental in the extension of Purpose Coworking to create a community makerspace with formal and informal programming for village youth. In the makerspace he offers weekly ceramics classes for village youth, facilitates a BOA working group focused on the redesign of the Philmont Community Center located on Summit Lake, and mentors high school aged at-risk youth by teaching design software skills. As founding member of PLOT, Mark is committed to supporting and advancing the creative and entrepreneurial ambitions of village youth and young adults by lowering the bar to entry for high-skill job training and business incubation. Mark is also a member of the Philmont Volunteer Fire Company. He received a B.A. (Hons) in Ceramic Design from the Glasgow School of Art, and an M. Arch from University of Illinois at Chicago.