Woodbury Educators Win International CODA Merit Award
Jeanine Centuori,听director of the university’s听Agency for Civic Engagement听(ACE) and professor of Architecture, along with Cate Roman, professor of Graphic Design, have won a merit award in the sixth annual international . Their collaborative civic engagement project, Walk Watts, was selected from among 426听entries from 30听countries, picking up honors in the Landscape category. The CODAawards recognize collaborations that result in outstanding projects that successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces.
听Showcasing the Watts neighborhood鈥檚 history while providing a new way to experience the community, ACE teamed with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) on Walk Watts, an interactive, self-guided walking tour of often-overlooked landmarks in South Los Angeles.
Walk Watts combines three integrated components involving sound, sight, and touch: a downloadable app entitled HOLLA (Hear Our Local Legacy App), which features voices from the community; a z-fold pocket map; and temporary environmental graphics. Each component may be experienced separately while serving as a prompt to explore the other two. The Walk Watts project enlisted faculty and students from Woodbury鈥檚 Schools of Architecture and Media, Culture & Design.
鈥淭his collaboration between 麻豆社区app and the Watts Labor Action Committee underscores our mission to educate our students in making a real difference for the public good.鈥� says Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, dean of the School of Architecture. 鈥淐ongratulations to Jeanine and Cate, and students Alex Kim and Briana Pong, for their efforts in designing this experientially transformative interactive walking tour of South L.A.鈥�
Sue Vessella, dean of the School of Media, Culture & Design adds, 鈥淭he Walk Watts project is an example of Woodbury鈥檚 rich tradition of both cross-disciplinary and civic engagement initiatives. The project amplifies the community鈥檚 rich history as well as the contemporary artistic and cultural artifacts that make Watts such a distinctive destination. What Cate, Jeanine, their colleagues and our students have accomplished with Walk Watts is inspiring.鈥�
ACE听connects students and faculty with nonprofit and governmental organizations that are dedicated to helping underserved communities. Students work collaboratively across Woodbury鈥檚 disciplines, using their skills to make a real, positive difference for public good.