Center for Urban Pedagogy

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

1997– present

The New York City-based Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) produces visually based educational tools—including ongoing programs and media—designed to improve the public’s participation in urban planning. he organization’s Making Policy Public program is a series of fold-out posters that use graphic design to explain policies and the extended network they influence. Posters have thus far addressed political redistricting, immigration rights, social security, and the globalized shipping network, among other issues.

 

Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency, Oush Grab (“Crow’s Nest”)

BEIT SAHOUR, PALESTINE

2008

Based in Beit Sahour, Palestine, Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency (DAAR) is dedicated to the reuse and reimagining of existing architecture in the occupied territories. For its Oush Grab project, the group focused on the fortress of this name that sits atop a hill at the edge of Beit Sahour. The hilltop also served as an ideal stopover for migrating birds, thus DAAR punctured the structure with holes, transforming it into an observatory and nesting place as well.

 

Broken City Lab, Cross-Border Communication

WINDSOR, CANADA; DETROIT, MICHIGAN

2009

Produced by the Windsor, Canada-based collective Broken City Lab—an artist-led interdisciplinary research group—Cross-Border Communication was a performative public art project that took place in November 2009 between the cities of Windsor and Detroit, which are separated by the Detroit River. For three nights, Broken City Lab projected a series of messages across the river which were visible in Detroit. The messages were direct and sincere: “We’re in this together,” “We’ve missed you,” “Want to be friends?” and “We need to talk,” to name a few. The action was a pivotal moment for the group, which has often utilized language and dialogue in their practice since then.