BUREAU of CHANGE (2012-2018)
Founded in 2012 on the first floor of a New Orleans Victorian camelback house, BUREAU of CHANGE is my alternative higher education project in collaborative digital media as a form of social practice. Improvised outside of the education system and co-created with college students and recent grads, BUREAU evolved into an atelier akin to a miniature university where an interdisciplinary group—college students, recent grads, scholars and community experts—interacted to create socially engaged work. BUREAU developed partnerships with area colleges for paid work-study apprenticeships, and attracted students seeking an immersive educational environment with faculty that supported progressive political expression. Under my mentorship as lead faculty, projects emphasized digital media theory and technique, development of civic voice, and real-world experience through the professional presentation of public installations, museum exhibitions or publications.