By: Andy Alvarez --- Reflections from Open Engagement 2017 – JUSTICE It was my first time ever being in the Midwest and I was amazed at the type of city that Chicago is. This vast, diverse, and progressive metropolitan city has a completely different feel to my home...
By: Christopher Barahona --- Reflections from Open Engagement 2017 – JUSTICE In all honesty, I had a preconceived notion of what the Midwest was going to be like. That notion was of a city, Chicago, with a lack of diversity and lack of prominent cultural landmarks to see....
By: Omar Vargas --- Reflections from Open Engagement 2017 – JUSTICE This April, the Urban Futures Lab Fellows had the opportunity to present on our fellowship at Open Engagement, a conference in Chicago. Open Engagement is an annual artist-led conference dedicated to expanding the dialogue around socially engaged...
By: Shirley Ramirez --- Reflections from Open Engagement 2017 – JUSTICE “You are about to enter a space that is unjust.” A stern-faced man wearing an officer badge is standing outside the door with the sign. He says that we’re not allowed inside until exactly 2pm. As soon...
CRITICAL INQUIRY + REPRESENTATION: Interrogating Appearances, Building Professional Identities, Crafting Campaigns /// Urban Futures Lab Module 4 asked Fellows to come with questions. Not just any questions, but better, more informed questions. In order to develop the skills of asking tough questions and excavate the roots of...
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017, the Fellows hosted their seventh Urban Futures Lab Supper Club with special guests DMA, President of Planet DMA, and McCrae A. Parker, Technology and Social Equity Strategist at McP & Associates Consulting. This dinner was a culmination of Module 4,...
On Tuesday, January 31, 2017, the Fellows hosted their sixth Urban Futures Lab Supper Club with special guests Jon Christensen, Professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and David Sloane, Professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. This dinner was a...
By: Christopher Barahona --- NVTIVE/ NON NVTIVE is a photo essay telling the narrative of water and its relationship to Los Angeles, understanding that water is central to the establishment of LA as a city. The essay also has undertones of personal reflection on what it means...
By: Shirley Ramirez --- With each module, Fellows dig into readings, exercises, site visits, and conversations around a theme. Module 3's theme = Los Angeles: The City in Context + History. For Module 3, each Fellow was asked to use photography to create a visual essay about...
By: Omar Vargas --- "We often miss aspects of Los Angeles from our cars or when passing by neighborhoods that make up the city's diverse history. Through walking, I began to see LA through different perspectives, as a daily commuter and a city native. Through my experience,...