Bowtie Project. Image courtesy of ACE/Woodbury School of Architecture.

How can architecture schools better engage with the communities surrounding them? For faculty and students at Woodbury School of Architecture, the words civic engagement are more than just umbrella terms used as curriculum aides for student learning. Instead, they are pillars to facilitate ongoing discourse and action towards helping underserved communities in Southern California. Through architecture, design, non-profit work, and business initiatives, the school's Agency for Civic Engagement (ACE) program uses a multidisciplinary approach to designing for the public.

ACE stemmed from an idea led by a group of dedicated Woodbury faculty members. What began as a visionary project has become an essential public interest program. To learn more about ACE's history and the community-driven projects born out of the program, I spoke with its Director, Jeanine Centuori, FAIA. During our conversation, we also discussed public art and its relationship to architecture, the importance of exposing students to cross-disciplinary practices, and "designing small."

In preparation for my Zoom call with Jeanine, I explored past ACE projects to better understand the program's initiatives. Take their Lath Project, for example. This multi-semester design-build project was done in collaboration with Taking the Reins, an equine social service organization that helps at-risk teenage girls through horseback riding and urban gardening. ACE committed to design and build pavilion structures to be used in various ways, such as eating areas, indoor and outdoor cooking stations, a seed bank, and a storefront for selling produce. Then there's the Bowtie Project, where the ACE architecture studio worked with California State Parks and Clockshop to design structures spread across the grounds for seating and public use. While these are only a few examples of ACE's work, their commitment to blending civic engagement across Woodbury's architecture and design programs provides students the skills to test and explore "real projects for the public good."

The program's origins are tied to the support and collaborative efforts of Centuori and former Woodbury School of Architecture Dean Norman Millar to start. "Norman was really good at advocating for ideas that he thought should happen," Centuori told me. "The thing I love about Woodbury are its collaborative efforts. If there's a project you want to do, you have the sweat equity, and the costs are reasonable, you can do it."

My goal has always been to do a project with the city [...] I've always aimed, through my work and involvement in studios, to bring students into something that was real and tangible. — Jeanine Centuori, FAIA (Director of ACE)

Driven by agency

Jeanine, you've been with the program since its inception. After becoming an important fixture within Woodbury's School of Architecture, how would you describe ACE at its core?

I've been at Woodbury for a long time. When I started teaching, I taught a lot of studios back in our old Hollywood outpost. My goal has always been to do a project with the city, so to speak. Through my work and involvement in studios, I've always aimed to bring students into something that was real and tangible. But to make a long story a little shorter, I'll take you back to the time in Woodbury's history when we had our legendary Dean Norman Miller. When he came into the program, he was very much interested in "the city" and being involved with the city. 

He was interested in concepts of everyday things, similar to Margaret Crawford's "Everyday Urbanism" concept. So with this, he and I brainstormed this idea of a "center" within the University that would be this "fast and dirty," on the ground, type of work that allowed us to build things quickly. 

That's what makes many of these long-standing programs so valuable, their origins, and what it took to get things off the ground and running. 

Yes. I think about Marcel Duchamp and the idea that amazing things can happen when you put an idea in the world and let it go.

Sometimes, creating programs like ACE takes time because of funding, which is unfortunate for schools and architecture departments. 

It's true. We didn't have significant funding. But what we did have was good energy and new ideas. Norman was really helpful in forming this idea. Here at Woodbury, the architecture department is a powerhouse. We have a track record of doing things on our own. We did all the paperwork, budgeting, alliances, and made it an official institute. When we first started, it was called Architecture and Civic Engagement. But then Norman helped broaden this into other departments, and we felt that naming it, Agency for Civic Engagement had the implications of a broader view. 

You see, in the beginning, ACE was this "big" small thing. We didn't have that many resources, but what we did have were dedicated people who wanted to see this through. One person I can't forget to include is Sonny Ward. He was very instrumental to the program's growth. He was a former student of mine back in the Hollywood studio. Since graduating, he's gone off to become a very successful architect running his practice here in Los Angeles, June Street Architecture. I invited Sonny to teach in our ACE Design Studio. He then became a program donor and helped us in projects like our most recent Ojai Project. It wouldn't have happened without him. Last but certainly not least, our former Dean Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter was a big supporter and contributor to ACE. Her work and contributions to the program are paramount.

Is it art? Is it architecture? Or is it both?

Now that we have this painted picture of ACE's origin story, let's talk about the students. How does this program differ from others? What does it teach the students?

When I'm working with my students, and we're discussing projects, I remind them that their client is the public. You're not always going to see them or know them. But because of that, there are so many people their project will reach. When it comes to public projects, you won't always meet the end-user.

These [public] projects are fascinating because it's about the people, psychology, public beauty, public sculpture, etc. Every day, people deserve these acts of beauty, these aesthetic experiences.

I find that public projects are so interesting and broad. It's almost diametrical to a typical residential project, for example. These [public] projects are fascinating because it's about the people, psychology, public beauty, public sculpture, etc. Every day, people deserve these acts of beauty, these aesthetic experiences. Yes, these projects must often be low-budget and safe, but they can also have artistic components, which add tremendous value. For students who take the ACE studio, we also frequently collaborate with the graphic design program at the school. For example, for the Ojai Project, we collaborated with Cate Roman, a professor of graphic design at Woodbury. The public project we did in Ojai had a lot of text elements, and Cate was able to teach the students how to use typography as a design tool. 

It's interesting when students forget about exploring other disciplines adjacent to architecture. 

Yes, architecture students can "do many things," but it's also interesting because students forget they don't know every realm, like graphic design. Or basic lessons about typography, signage, and color. This was where Cate's involvement proved crucial and beneficial. 

Your professional background has this lovely mix of architecture and art. How do you incorporate this into ACE?

Art does come into play with these projects and in the studio. Oftentimes students don't have an extensive background in subjects like art. Here at Woodbury, art history is a required course. Students also learn a lot about contemporary art. Having exposure to these disciplines is valuable. 

Image courtesy of Woodbury School of Architecture.

Scaling simplicity

ACE is not only a center at Woodbury, but it's also a studio course students can take. When I think of these "design-build" studios, one factor that comes to mind is scale. How does scale play a role in teaching students about designing and fabricating "on the ground" projects for the public?

When the students come into the studio, they're used to designing big things. Housing, rooftop housing dwellings, etc. These are all big, large-scale projects. When they come into this studio, the project we will make is small. I'll have to state that we are "on the edge" of calling what we do in this studio "architecture" because of our scale and project turnaround, but what I hope for students to do is find other ways to design and look at the design. 

Are there any examples of this?

I had these two students in the Ojai Studio. Their project was to design a mobile farm stand, and in the beginning, they approached it the typical "architecture think" way. They were overdesigning. It became complex and overly elaborate. It was hard for them to understand that in the beginning. When we had our field trip up to Ojai, we spent a whole day there. When we got back to campus, something clicked for those two students after the visit.

Can you tell us more about the Ojai project? 

Sonny was very involved in this project. He has a ranch in Ojai, and we were reviewing what we should do next in terms of a studio project. We had just come out of our remote learning phase of the school year, and this past Spring semester, we went back to hybrid learning. Some students chose to come to campus, and others decided to work remotely. For those students who were on campus, we wanted to give them the experience of what an ACE project could be. That's how we came up with the brief to design a farm stand for a community in Ojai. 

We wanted to give the students something they could build and a way for them to connect with the people they're building for: the farmers. We wanted to provide students with an opportunity to make something real. Some farm stands were even sold at a local store in Ojai called Wachter's Hay & Grain. The projects that ended up not being sold were brought back to campus and used there.  

Let's go back to studio projects and scale. Those two students who were overcomplicating their project, how did their projects turn out?

Their project became a simple A-frame. It almost became this "non-design" result. But at their review, it got a lot of focus and attention. I think it was a really good lesson for them because they finally understood what they were learning when it came to public design. After the Ojai visit and talking to Sonny, they could pause and step back. This approach helps students think about the simplicity of things.

I think that's a great way to think about civic design. Reminding yourself, it's not about you. It's about the community you're designing for. Sometimes with architecture school, it's easy to get so absorbed in a project, or students forget they can take a step back. 

Exactly. The idea of saying, "Okay, let's take a step back" is key. In the ACE Studio, our students have to remember to do this. 

The community of Watts

I would be remiss if I didn't talk to you about Walk Watts, a project I have heard a lot about. Can you talk more about it and your experience?

This was a program that unfolded in two parts. Cate Roman and I, along with a team of Woodbury students, did this project in Watts as an extracurricular class. This "ACE Project," as we called it, involved collaboration with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC). A very important group for the City of Watts. They serve a lot of people in the community. Cate had this interest in storytelling, and together, we dreamed up this project called Walk Watts. It's about noting or marking the untold cultural stories of Watts. 

I think most people have outdated perceptions of Watts. 

Most would associate Watts with Watts Towers and the riots of 1965. Many people visit the towers, but not many people walk around the area because of this idea from the '65 riots and safety. Because of this, we came up with this interactive walking tour.

The project became part app, part environmental graphics within the community. We created a project that allowed for an augmented reality image to pop up when walking through various areas to help tell its history. We did this as a test pilot. We put up temporary graphics for the test and taped signage on different places around Watts. While we were able to get this beta test off the ground, it wasn't at its fullest, completed form. 

When Cate and I did our first Walk Watts iteration in 2017, we were able to get voice interviews from people within the community. For example, we got audio recordings from locals like Aqeela Sherrils. He was the owner of Locol, a restaurant in Watts started alongside well-known chef Roy Choi. We also collected oral narratives from local artists, musicians, educators, and elders from the Watts community. Cate and I thought that we could combine these soundscapes with environmental graphics to have these stories come to life.

Later we decided to resurrect this idea and get it off the ground. So along with Cate and myself, we invited Echo Theohar, an assistant professor at Woodbury who helped us expand our augmented reality feature for the Walk Watts app. Echo's expertise is in art and media technology. So with Cate as the graphic designer, Echo as the media technologist, and myself as the architect, we're putting together the second iteration of Walk Watts and creating a class that we're aiming to run this coming Fall. 

More than a design-build studio

After speaking with Jeanine, it was clear that what makes ACE a true example of civic engagement is its attention to providing students with the opportunity to see architecture as a vehicle for social change. As the name suggests, this "agency for civic engagement" connects students and faculty with real-life organizations and clients from underserved communities in the Los Angeles and Southern California area. While Walk Watts and the Ojai Farm Stand projects are merely two examples I discussed with Jeanine, ACE has also spearheaded other important design-build projects. Examples include the Mobile Units project in collaboration with National Health Foundation (NHF) to assist homeless individuals and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, a hands-on, site-specific course through the Urban Studies program at Woodbury.

From my conversation with Jeanine, what was most valuable wasn't just her personal accounts of the program's start and growth but her commitment and work ethic to fostering an academic environment. Along with dedicated ACE collaborators and community allies, Jeanine has facilitated a place where students and faculty can transform their design perspectives. Beyond her work in academia as Director of ACE and faculty at Woodbury, Jeanine also runs an architecture and public art practice called UrbanRock Design with Russell Rock. 

What I want ACE to be known for is the alternative for students to learn about architecture. Architecture is about people. — Jeanine Centuori, FAIA

In my last question to Jeanine, I asked her what she hopes ACE will be best known for. She shared: "I'm not afraid of legacy. I think what I want ACE to be known for is the alternative for students to learn about architecture. Architecture is about people. In a funny way, even though the projects we've done through ACE are small, they still have the ability to teach students about social change. Although we focus on ‘design-builds,’ I think once students go through this program, they can think of it not just as the design-build studio but as a vehicle to expand on architecture for the public."

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ACE provides Mini Grants to support civic engagement work by Woodbury faculty and staff, both as part of the curriculum as well as outside of the classroom. Projects include architectural design work where students build small tactical structures, creating business plans for organizations, engage in graphic design work, including way-finding signage and logos, producing films and videos promoting a message, journalistic and creative writing, and other services. Learn more about ACE and previous projects here.