Urban Visions - Art as Social Practice

Urban Visions: Art as Social Practice is a three-part series exploring the ways in which certain ubiquitous elements of city life somehow seem invisible. At a time when the arts as social practice is becoming increasingly institutionalized, can artists continue to promote ethical and meaningful public engagement? Participants are invited to experience interactive and immersive media art, talk with artists about how they reimagine urban space, and explore nearby neighborhoods with a guided arts tour.

Speaker:
Rick Lowe
Founder, Project Row Houses

Discussant:
Annette M. Kim
Associate Professor, USC Price
Director, Spatial Analysis Lab (SLAB)

Artist Rick Lowe, a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius Grant,” is known for his pioneering work combining art practices with urban renewal to revitalize neglected neighborhoods. In a lecture, he will present an overview of his own work, including the celebrated Project Row Houses, a community-based arts and culture organization in one of Houston’s oldest African American neighborhoods. Project Row Houses turned a block and a half of rundown homes into a vital cultural center that now houses arts programs for youth, exhibition spaces, artist residencies, a mentorship program for young mothers, an organic garden, and an incubator for designs for low-income housing in the surrounding neighborhood. From Houston to New Orleans to L.A., Lowe’s visionary work shifts the view of art from traditional studio practice to a focus on engaging with and transforming the social environment. After his talk, Lowe will lead a workshop that involves brainstorming with participants about ways to connect art to neighborhood revitalization and community engagement.