Emma Burke Newman (in memoriam)

Emma in painting class at Seoul National University, summer 2018  (Voir la version française ci-dessous.) This grant supports the realization by a young adult of a concrete personal art or place-making project in memory of the life and values of Emma Burke Newman. Rationale: This grant is given in memory of Emma Burke Newman, a second-year architecture student at The Mackintosh School of Architecture and a designer at New Practice, both in Glasgow. Emma was tragically killed by a lorry driver on Jan. 27, 2023, while cycling to the university. Association EBN has created the grant to promote Emma’s values of compassion, community, and creativity as well as her zest for life and learning. She had an infectious laugh, a compassionate hug, marvelous personal flair, and a great sense of adventure. Emma was always looking for the next concert to attend, route to cycle, or skill to learn. She had plans to learn the banjo, take a DJ workshop, and walk the Munros of Scotland! Emma, born and...

  As the second anniversary of Emma’s death approached on Jan. 27, we made plans to go to Glasgow. While we could speak to her anywhere, it was there we went, pulled by the happy launch of the second annual Residency for Ideas at the Mackintosh School for Architecture on Jan. 28. (For more on the Residency, see this post .)  On the 27th, we stopped by the ghost bike for what may be the last time. We hope that the next time we visit Glasgow, John and I instead will see a brand-new and much safer intersection on the Broomielaw. The ghost bike will have to go, but there is talk about Glasgow City Council installing a plaque in its place. You can see the plans here . Thank you, New Practice, for your involvement as a key consultant to the project!  After that, we headed to the grave at Binning Wood by train to East Linton via Waverly in Edinburgh—a quick way to get there on weekdays especially. What a beautiful place, even in the depth of winter.   While in Glasgow,...

And what do you do when it makes no sense? For us, it is remembering, commemorating, dedicating. Here's more private, heartfelt moments from our trip to Scotland in early October —in addition to the more public events we posted about previously in Making Sense (of it all) .  Marker at Binning Wood. We visited Emma’s grave at Binning Wood to see, for the first time, the marker installed on Sept. 26. The plaque incorporates a rendering of Emma’s first tattoo—the polka-dotted woman. Interestingly, the design originates from a Dadaistic sketch of a dancer by French artist Francis Picabia (1879-1953). For the typography, we settled on a font resembling her unique handwriting, Dreaming Outloud Pro (bold)--very Emmaistic! Thank you to those who gave us comments about the marker, an aged bronze plaque like all in the wood, mounted on a locally sourced stone. To find Emma’s grave, try https://what3words.com/lordship.elevates.fidgeted The white ghost bike and Emma’s black bike. We visit...

We’re still trying to make sense of it all. What’s heartening to experience all the ways that Emma’s life has moved her friends and others to do something. John and I clearly saw that inspiration on our recent trip to Glasgow. Let me share just a few highlights, with more to come. First, we participated in the events for the first iteration of the #Residency_for_Ideas Oct. 3-6, where a group of architecture students from the @Mackintosh School of Architecture received a grant to explore a subject of their choosing. That was called “Making Sense,” and so apt in the many meanings of the word. This Emma-inspired effort has, in the words of her Mack School tutor Luca Brunelli, “knitted together” a convivial community. Emma would have liked that metaphor. Go here for more on Instgram: https://bit.ly/4fh6iFJ Second, the #Shawlands_Bike_Bus greeted us in the schoolyard of Shawlands Primary School, which is located in Emma’s back yard in the south side of Glasgow. On Mondays and Fridays, paren...

“I still see her in the classroom, her hand raised,” says Pauline Popa-Jones, the head of section for Emma’s years in middle and high school, from 2010 to 2017. I had a chance to speak to Mrs. Popa-Jones in her classroom as she was getting ready to retire in just a few days. Indeed, one of Emma’s besties says her classmates would poke fun at her for this, hand twisting in the air. Was it impatience? Did she really know the answer BEFORE the question was out? Perhaps an insatiable quest to learn. Once after a class trip to Scotland, Emma was quick to give the organizer feedback: “That was fun, but a little short on content.” Emma was an ace of a student, in an amazing class of students. They were brilliant, creative, and fun-loving. It wasn’t perfect. There were sometimes painful teenage issues over the years. But generally, the students comprised a happy class. This class was the first class of a new “international section” at the school. The other state school in Paris housing s...

While in Scotland last year, we were able to follow in Emma’s architectural footsteps on a trip to Bo’Ness, a river town near Glasgow, where she went on a class trip to do fieldwork. Before we went, her tutor, Luca Brunelli, shared the project with us as well as photos. They give us a glimpse into Emma’s mind and architecture of the near future.  Because of her prior classwork and studies, Emma entered the renowned Mackintosh School of Architecture as a second-year student, which is unusual. Also atypical, she opted for the part-time mode, which would allow her to work in an architectural practice at the same time. We learned that for our daughter, work was more important than school. When asked about her “side gig” at the firm New Practice, she replied, “No, my side gig is university!” Cautious about taking on ANOTHER bachelor’s degree, Emma told us she would test the waters at the Mack School. As the term went on, Emma told us she enjoyed alternating school and work—and reserving...

      It’s been nearly a year of remembering Emma. Among the most recent were in Glasgow and Paris. They were about ideas, where they come from and how they make their way into the world. They were about places, where Emma created her own special moments, and the people she spent them with. The first moment was the launch of the Residency for Ideas in Glasgow at the Mackintosh School of Art on Nov. 16. ( See this for details .) About 100 of us met in the Vic Bar, a space little used since Covid for many reasons. So firstly, thank you to Emma for reviving that space to mix and mingle! After the introductions, we all grabbed a drink and segued into talking about some intriguing thoughts. Even after a long day of review in the studio, students appeared energized by the prospect of creating their own project.  John and I enjoyed meeting the students, now in stages 3 and 5, who knew Emma. We felt we were connecting with her through them. As I write this, the proposals are...