Rick Lowe and Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Rick Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses in Houston and Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Executive Director of Community Coalition in South Los Angeles, will discuss the possibilities for reimagining and rebuilding our urban environment. Drawing on each of their experiences, they will discuss how art and organizing individuals can alter lives and landscapes. Audience and participants will end the evening with food, drink and discussion.

Rick Lowe is a Houston based artist/activist. In 1992, he founded Project Row Houses, an arts and cultural community located in a historically significant and culturally charged site in Houston. In 1997, Project Row Houses was awarded the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence. This project has served as a catalyst for realizing meaningful community and social development in its neighborhood.

Rick's work has been included in exhibitions and programs nationally and internationally. Rick was the year 2000 recipient of the American Institute of Architecture Keystone Award. He is currently working with Rem Koolhaas, architect of the new Seattle Public Library, as chief arts planner.

Marqueece Harris-Dawson has been a dedicated activist for more than twenty years. He completed his Bachelor?s degree at Morehouse College. Currently, he is the Executive Director of Community Coalition, a community-based organization in South Los Angeles. Marqueece is the second Executive Director of Community Coalition, following its founder, current California State Assembly Member, Karen Bass. The organization is best known for leading grassroots campaigns to close over 200 liquor stores and other nuisance businesses in South Los Angeles and winning the struggle to obtain College Prep courses for all LAUSD high school students.

For five years, Marqueece ran the Community Coalition youth project, South Central Youth Empowered thru Action, as Program Director. During that time, he led a campaign to expose the poor learning conditions at South Los Angeles High Schools. Student members of South Central Youth Empowered thru Action entered their schools, armed with disposable cameras and documented the conditions they were facing on a daily basis. They then trained to advocate for the badly needed repairs at their campuses, including leaking bathrooms and faulty lighting systems. As a result of Marqueece?s focused leadership and the students? tenacity, they won $153 million in repairs for their schools.

In addition to his work at Community Coalition, Marqueece has extensive experience in electoral politics and is a key participant in the Progressive Movement in Los Angeles. Marqueece was a delegate to the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (2001, Durban, South Africa) and the World Festival of Students and Youth (1997, Havana, Cuba) and serves on a myriad of boards, committees and organization affiliations. Recently, Marqueece received a certificate in non profit management from Stanford?s Graduate School of Business.