Founded in 1997, Wowhaus is a trans-disciplinary art and design team whose work spans public art, strategic planning, design and architecture. A collaboration between Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable, Wowhaus explores the common denominators of everyday life, the central question of how things, places and relationships acquire meaning. We embrace a systems-based, community-engaged approach, finding inspiration in the cultural, historical and ecological factors that shape a sense of place. Our projects connect individuals and communities to their current ecological and societal realities, aiming to strengthen the mutually beneficial potential of each.
Scott Constable is the founder and principal of Wowhaus, a multi-disciplinary art/design collaborative whose award-winning work over the past two decades spans public art, social practice, architecture and furniture design. Constable is also the founder and author of Deep Craft, a popular weblog that draws from his ongoing craft-based research and observation. Constable has taught and lectured at diverse schools and institutions, including the California College of the Arts, where he was the 2010 Wornick Distinguished Professor of Wood Arts. Scott has been artist in residence at Grizedale Arts, Mildred’s Lane, and the Kohler Arts Center, and has been awarded many honors and distinctions, including an Investing in Artists Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation. A native of Philadelphia’s Main Line, Constable studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned his degree with a concentration in Sculpture/Generative Systems. His partner in life and work is Ene Osteraas-Constable, with whom he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa.
The daughter of an Estonian immigrant, Ene Osteraas-Constable accompanied her parents at age eight while they collected oral histories in West Africa. This formative experience contributed to her interest in cultural identity and oral traditions such as gardening and cooking. Ene has worked in a variety of media, including photography, audio and civic art to explore how narrative – the stories we tell each other and ourselves – help shape our understanding of place, community and the environment. The recipient of two Creative Work Fund Grants as well as an Oakland Individual Artist’s grant, Ene received her BFA from the University of Massachusetts. She was the first Program Coordinator for the Edible Schoolyard, contributing to the establishment of the seminal organic gardening and cooking program founded by Alice Waters. A native New Yorker, Ene’s work is also informed by her time in New York City at the Public Art Fund, co-producing the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, and producing the Bryant Park Festival.
Aili Osteraas-Constable received her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles. In her role as Project Strategist, Aili supports Wowhaus operations, ranging from marketing and communications to information design, research and development. She also assists with fabrication. Aili is a graduate student at San Francisco State University, where she is pursuing a teaching credential in Social Studies as well as a Master’s in Education.
