It was interesting to visit the website of AREA Chicago, because back last semester in our Eth-Ped class, we had someone (his name escapes me now) come in and talk to us about the organization and its mission. So now it's interesting to see how that lines up with how they represent themselves virtually. I would say they line up pretty well. It is definitely a great resource with lots to offer art education and activism. The search feature was great in terms of search (thesis) topics of interest and linking that with local events and people. Good stuff.
It is clear that they are going for a no-nonsense aesthetic...very simple, b&w, no frills. I think this is a fine approach, and it is actually kind of refreshing considering how flashy some websites can get. I also imagine they don't have a huge budget to devote to fancy web design, so it is understandable that it is bare bones. I wouldn't be opposed to an accent color here and there, or the links changing color for clarity's sake. I feel like a broken record, but I do not appreciate scrolly home pages, and unfortunately AREA's is (like many) very scrolly indeed. I think it is totally appropriate for the news archive pages to be scrolly; it was actually nice to have every article in the issue displayed right there on the left hand sidebar.
I found it a little confusing that "ART/RESEARCH/EDUCATION/ACTIVISM" appeared at the top but it is not a menu bar. It would be silly, of course, for these to be separate menu items since they're all related, but in any case, it's a little confusing...other than that, g'job AREA.
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i've heard from a few folks that you all had encountered AREA already, and I'm glad that this gave you all an opportunity to revisit it. They are a very cool organization and worth getting to know, especially if you're interested in staying involved in the art/activism scene here in chicago
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