Eero Saarinen, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) under construction, 1965. Photo by Arthur Witman. Arthur Witman Photograph Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri. Open in Lightbox

Join community leaders, municipal leaders, and scholars in dialogue around topics related to the Design Agendas exhibition. Organized by WashU’s Kemper Art Museum, College of Architecture, and the Office for Socially Engaged Practice, the panels embrace the pluralistic ideas of the exhibition to explore the impact of past and present design agendas through lived, professional, and civic stories, as well as strategies for participatory futures that embed identity, culture, and memory in the built environment.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; registration is required. 

The symposium aims to be a space to:

• Embrace multiple perspectives including lived, experienced, professional, and civic administrative
• Engage the St. Louis community in dialogue on the impact of and vision for the built environment of the St. Louis region
• Share the collective depth of research and expertise of the Sam Fox School and community leaders within the St. Louis region

Read the press release

Program | Saturday, Oct 26

All programming will take place in Weil Hall located on WashU's Danforth Campus.

8:30–9 am | Check-in + Coffee & snacks

9 am | Municipal Agendas: What's Happening Now

Hear from representatives who are actively shaping the future of St. Louis agendas while responding to its current status. The panelists will share their views, considerations, and aspirations for the St. Louis region.

• Patty Heyda, WashU
• Sarah Arnosky, Greater St. Louis Inc.
• Brian Phillips, WashU Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation

11 am | Civic Architecture: Roles and Presence of Public Architecture in St. Louis

An extended conversation to reflect upon a period in which architects and designers, in St. Louis and nationally, responded to the shortcomings of public architectural projects during a time of political instability and economic and racial segregation by redefining their practice and approach to the built environment.

• Eric P. Mumford, WashU; co-curator of Design Agendas
• Michael E. Willis, MWA Architects; co-curator of Design Agendas
• Shantel Blakely, Rice University
• Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois

12:30 pm | Lunch (provided with registration)

1:30 pm | Preservations: Centering Culture, Memory, and Identity

Urban renewal dismantled and systematically removed buildings and physical artifacts of vast areas and communities within the St. Louis region (and nationally under the broader urban renewal programs). This panel will expand on the terms and approaches to Preservation, seeking ways to embed Culture, Memory, and Identity as viable preservation criteria in addition to conventional notions of historic preservation that privileges architectural design.

• Heidi Aronson Kolk, WashU
• Vivian Gibson, Author of The Last Children of Mill Creek
• Gwen Moore, Missouri History Museum
• Rayshad Dorsey, Clemson University

3:30 pm | Participatory Futures: Movements Toward Collective Design Agendas

For current and future design agendas, how can a multiplicity of perspectives be heard? Reflecting on an era in which design agendas have been produced from top-down processes, what are contemporary methods for a participatory future? Can future design agendas move toward a more inclusive process?

• Linda Samuels, WashU
• Lois Conley, The Griot Museum of Black History
• Peter Tao, TAO+LEE
• Stefani Weeden-Smith, St. Louis Anchor Action Network
• Aaron Williams, 4TheVille; Sumner High School Advisory Board

5 pm | Closing reflections

Keynote Address | Friday, Oct 25 

Learn more about the symposium keynote address by Toni L. Griffin, professor in practice of urban planning at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

ASL Interpretation

American Sign Language interpretation can be arranged for public events upon request. This service is free, but we ask for two weeks’ notice. Requests can be made by contacting kempereducation@wustl.edu

Parking & Location

Free parking is available in the East End Garage after 5 pm and on the weekends. Enter at the intersection of Forsyth Blvd and Wrighton Way. View a map and complete parking information here.

Support

Generous support provided by WashU’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity (CRE2), and WashU’s ten-year strategic vision, Here and Next, designed to mobilize research, education, and patient care to establish WashU and St. Louis as a global hub for transformative solutions to the deepest societal challenges.