Big City Forum at Armory Center for the Arts

Armory Center for the Arts is pleased to welcome Big City Forum in residence starting immediately and extending through June 2012. During its residency at Armory, Big City Forum will present Mapping LA, a series of four discursive events that will feature speakers from a similar creative practice. Each event will feature a panel of speakers who share a specific creative practice, which will provide the framework for a lively discussion around livability, sustainability, community, and the politics of place in Los Angeles.

Fast Forward: Los Angeles on the Verge
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 7pm
145 North Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91103

This panel explores new directions for urban planning and architecture with the following Los Angeles-based architects, theorists, and planners:

• Dana Cuff, Director of cityLAB, a think tank within UCLA’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

• Roger Sherman, Co-Director, cityLAB; principal, Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design.

• Jessica Varner, Co-Editor, No More Play (Hatje Cantz, pub.); founder, SmallerLarge, a publications studio focused on ideas about architecture, urban studies, art, and culture.

• Edward Soja, postmodern political geographer and urban planner; Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA; Visiting Professor, London School of Economics.

• Linda Taalman, Principal, TaalmanKoch Architecture; Assistant Professor of Architecture, Woodbury University.

• Ava Bromberg (Moderator), Project Director, Atwater Crossing (ATX); Doctoral Candidate, School of Urban Planning, UCLA.

The Armory Center for the Arts, in Pasadena, California, believes that an understanding and appreciation of the arts is essential for a well-rounded human experience and a healthy civic community. Founded in 1989, the Armory builds on the power of art to transform lives and communities through presenting, creating, teaching, and discussing contemporary visual art. The organization’s department of exhibitions mounts over 25 visual arts exhibitions each year at its main facility and in locations throughout the City of Pasadena. In addition, the Armory offers studio art classes and a variety of educational outreach programs to more than fifty schools and community sites.