Design as Protest
From newly freed slaves' encampments along busy train lines to a taco truck wall around Trump Tower, designed protests play an important role in shaping American democracy. Our group of designers and citizens came together to identify worries and hopes for the future; then tackle one through design.
My group's Design as Protest project was to illuminate voting districts that unfairly deprive people of representation; making those invisible lines visible and showing their absurd, provocative shapes. Our next step is to work with Design as Protest artists to turn these concepts into public art.

Team: Julia Sevin, Naomi Doerner, Morgan Maiolie, Sarah Woodward, Bob Snead

Project Pipeline
Project Pipeline connects architect mentors with New Orleans high school students in semester-long classes and summer camps. The National Organization of Minority Architects started Project Pipeline in 2009 to address the issue that few minorities pursue architecture degrees, which leads to an imbalance in representation in a discipline that shapes all of our lives.

I work with a team of four in the spring semester of 2016 to develop strategy, curriculum, plan final critiques, oversee volunteers, and mentor students.

Front Yard Initiative Toolkit
Paving front yards in New Orleans is a widespread practice that aggravates localized street flooding, contributes to the urban heat island effect, pollutes water, and creates an environment that disincentivizes walking. It is also illegal, but many people aren’t aware the practice is problematic.

To encourage homeowners to design new, permeable yards and qualify for public funds to do so, my team donated our time on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to design this toolkit. It starts with considerations like how much sun your yard gets and how much maintenance you're willing to do, continues to different strategies that match those considerations, and concludes with example plans from previous projects. We worked with homeowners who had previously received grants to convert their yards to understand pitfalls and opportunities from their unique experience.

Community Art Critiques
I curated art at a New Orleans coworking space to incite discussion about social issues in our community. Some of our artists studied environmental degradation on the Gulf Coast, food sovereignty across the US, the history of social memory, and the urban spaces of New Orleans. We held art opening discussions to talk about the art and the topic the art addresses.