Showcasing the neighborhood’s history while providing a new way to experience Watts, Woodbury University has teamed with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) and ACE, the Agency for Civic Engagement at Woodbury, on WALK WATTS, an interactive, self-guided walking tour of often overlooked landmarks in South Los Angeles.
Focusing on the community of Watts, the tour includes three components: a downloadable app entitled HOLLA (Hear Our Local Legacy App), featuring voices from the community; a z-fold pocket map; and temporary environmental graphics. The WALK WATTS initiative enlisted faculty from Woodbury’s Schools of Architecture and Media, Culture and Design, including Woodbury faculty Jeanine Centuori, FAIA, Director of the ACE Center and Professor of Architecture, and Professor of Graphic Design Cate Roman, along with students Alex Kim and Briana Pong.
ACE connects students and faculty with nonprofit and governmental organizations that are dedicated to helping underserved communities. Students work collaboratively across Woodbury’s disciplines to combine their skills and test their fields of study on real projects for the public good. Projects include architectural design/build works where students build small tactical structures, business plans for organizations, graphic design including way-finding signage and logos, films and videos promoting a message, journalistic and creative writing, and other services.
“The WALK WATTS tour highlights overlooked stories and events that have shaped this remarkable community,” Prof. Centuori said. “These stories, as told by members of the Watts neighborhood themselves, present visions of hope and positive community engagement, and showcase sites too often eclipsed by the worldwide acclaim of the Watts Towers. Many of the stories were drawn from elders and artists within the community, and they help preserve a rich history that otherwise runs the risk of being lost. The app is a living record that can be extended at any time with new stories as they become available.”
The WALK WATTS printed map is available at key public locations in Watts such as the WLCAC, the Civic Center reception desk, and the Watts Branch Library. Stories that follow the stops on the tour may be heard from the downloadable app. The app can be used in conjunction with the physical tour or accessed from any location.
About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation’s “25 Colleges That Add the Most Value,” according to Money Magazine, was voted “Best Graduate School” in the Los Angeles Daily News 2018 Readers Choice Awards, and is a 2018-19 College of Distinction. Woodbury was a finalist for the General Community Service Award, a part of the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognition program. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor\\’s degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Science in Architecture, Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.
