UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The College of Arts and Architecture recently launched a Racial Justice, Anti-Discrimination and Democratic Practices grant program, and an exhibition of projects by the first recipients is on display in the Borland Project Space (BPS) through April 20. A panel discussion with grant recipients, facilitated by B. Stephen Carpenter II, Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean in the College of Arts and Architecture, will be held Monday, April 17, 1-2:30 p.m. in BPS. Located in 125 Borland, BPS is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The grant program invited proposals for projects seeking to understand racial and social inequities and structural injustice in the United States and beyond, with the purpose of mitigating or ending racial injustice and discriminatory practices.
Grant recipients and their projects are:
- Peter Stempel, associate professor of landscape architecture, “Re-Narration of History to Improve Public Engagement in Coastal Resilience Planning” (poster display)
- Alex Spangler, assistant professor of landscape architecture, and Lauren Sosa, assistant teaching professor of landscape architecture, “Expansive Representation: An Analytical Framework for Landscape Graphic Precedent from the Environmental Justice Movement” (poster display)
- Wanda Knight, assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Penn State Harrisburg and professor of art education, African American studies, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, and Patricia Kucker, former interim director of the Stuckeman School and professor of architecture, whose project focused on the studio learning environment in art and design education (poster display)
- Michelle Bae-Dimitriadis, assistant professor of art education and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, “Decolonial Graphic Novel: Anti-Racist Ecological Tale from Margin” (poster display)
- Heather McCune Bruhn, assistant teaching professor of art history. PowerPoints in the exhibition represent two case studies from the first lesson in Art History 101: An Introduction to Global Art History that introduce certain key materials (feathers, silk, jade, iron, etc.) and their use and significance across cultures. Art History 101 is being developed as an online course with the Office of Digital Learning.
- Alexandra Straub, professor of architecture, “Design Consequences: Taking Responsibility for Our Ideas” Symposium (iMac will be showing presentations from the symposium)