Dear friends, it is with a sense of shock that I share the news that the IFF has been devastated by a fire. The event happened last friday and we’ve been dealing with its destruction ever since. The fire was in a unit behind our space and we were overwhelmed with toxic smoke and soot which have done a great deal of damage. We’ve had to move out of the building and everything in the IFF has been removed for remediation, which will be a long and expensive process. Much has been damaged or lost and we do not know if/when we can move back into the space.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt and there is a lot that can be saved. However the beautiful collection of bamboo-geometric sculptures that our Science+Art Resident, Jake Dotson, was building in the space have been destroyed. Those of you who attended his workshops will appreciate the magnitude of this loss.

As word is getting out, people are asking “What I can do to help?” Our plan is to spend the rest of this year dealing with the fire, then focus our energies in early 2014 on the book of the Crochet Coral Reef, which will celebrate so much of what the IFF stands for – physical and material play, coupled with deep mathematical and scientific content, in a shared environment of community practice.

Right now the best thing you can do to assist is to help us meet our Kickstarter goal for the book. Your contribution will not only help the IFF financially in this time of need, it will ensure you a copy of the book.

The coming months will be a time of regrouping for the IFF. We will keep you informed on Facebook and on the IFF website. Thank you all for your belief in the Institute.

With regards

Margaret Wertheim, Christine Wertheim, Anna Mayer

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