Image Credit: Hood Design Studio
The Ecology of Our Public Life: a conversation with Walter Hood and Steward Pickett
Thursday, July 30th, 6:00pm EDT
Our cultural moment of reckoning calls for a reinvention of urban space. CALL envisions our cities as communities of true sustenance, where people are connected to the natural world they are a part of, where equity is embedded in everything, and where we prepare for the future together.
On July 30th, join us for an unprecedented virtual conversation between two renowned thinkers: urban designer Walter Hood and ecologist Steward Pickett. The evening will reflect on how urban planning, design, and public policy have impacted our ecosystems and the wellbeing of urban dwellers in disparate and frequently inequitable ways. They will also discuss the ongoing work of changing this dynamic through creative, multi-disciplinary, and inclusive collaboration – and the role of artists and designers in envisioning and implementing resilient, equitable, and sustainable cities.
Tickets $250. All proceeds benefit the further development of CALL’s innovative programs, which bring together artists, scientists, and communities to collaborate on urgent environmental issues including climate, equity, and health. If you can’t make the date, but want to join us in supporting our mission, you can sponsor a ticket for a young professional, or simply make a donation in lieu of registering.
All participants who register by Friday July 17th will receive a pre-order copy of Walter Hood’s upcoming book Black Spaces Matter, to be released in November. In order to facilitate conversation, tickets to this event are limited to 40. This event will be held on Zoom; details will be included in your ticket confirmation.
Walter Hood is an artist, designer, educator, and the creative director and founder of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, CA, a cultural practice focused on urban landscapes. He is also a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and lectures on professional and theoretical projects nationally and internationally. He is a recipient of the 2017 Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, 2019 Knight Public Spaces Fellowship, 2019 MacArthur Fellowship, and 2019 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.
Steward Pickett is an expert in the ecology of plants, landscapes, and urban ecosystems and the founding director of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. He is a Distinguished Senior Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and holds a PhD from the University of Illinois. Pickett’s research focuses on the ecological structure of urban areas and the temporal dynamics of vegetation. His groundbreaking books explore ecological heterogeneity and humans as components of ecosystems, bridging ecology, urban design, and ethics.