“Remaking Memory” by Mia Rodriguez (BSArch ‘24) @iliketekkamaki for SP 24 ARCH_4020: Migration[s] + Cultural Narrative[s] with Isaac Alejandro Mangual Martínez For Hispanic immigrants across the globe, feelings of “fear, trauma, and sadness” associated with their social isolation taint their new lives. (Pike and Crocker 2021) They are told to “put aside [their] history, assimilate, be grateful” for having the opportunity to leave, while still mourning the loss of a country, identity, and network of support. (Chang, Osorio Herrera, and Villa León 2021). This thesis project focuses on the Venezuelan migrant experience as they move away from large ethnic enclaves found in states – like Florida and Texas – and toward smaller cities – like Richmond, Virginia – in the wake of economic and political turmoil caused by the current government. (Schleef and Cavalcanti 2009). Although Richmond has a relatively large population of Venezuelans, the tightly woven fabric of relationships is not the same. This project uses the lens of selective acculturation, an additive process of assimilation where a migrant maintains key aspects of their identity while taking on enough of the new culture to participate in both, to begin to meld the two cultures in a way that claims space for remembering the past without isolating and looks toward a joyful future without forgetting. (Trice Cowart 2019). (fb)

Placemaking in East Boyle Heights by Bethany Michels (MArch ‘25) @michels_arc for SP 24 ARCH_7020: East Los Ángeles: Carlos Almaraz Chicano Art Center coordinated by Inés Martín Robles, led by Peter Stec This project aims to provide the diverse neighborhood of Boyle with an adaptive public space that can strengthen the connections be­tween people and their neighborhood. The basis of this project is heavily infrastructural, as it provides open-air spaces with large interiors, which can take shape as the needs of community mem­bers change over time. However, in its first form, the project will consist of various open-air and enclosed spaces for art displays, workspaces, and private residences for artists. Boyle Heights, a predominately Chicano neighborhood, has a long and profound history of public art-making. Therefore, this project affords and encourage the continuity of this lively and meaningful tradition. The spaces are designed for the implementation of these programs while taking into consideration potential needs for alteration. The vault-like forms plays with the fusion between contemporary formal expression and Latin American-inspired vernacular material culture through repeti­tion and masonry retaining walls that shape the public landscape. #uvaschoolofarchitecture (fb)