Nupur Mathur

Nupur Mathur is a Brooklyn based digital media artist, designer and educator. She works at the intersection of social practice art, research and visual media. In her work she uses archives both analog and digital to create works that reveal hidden histories, complicate myths and challenge our assumptions around borders, femininity, sexuality and identity. As a designer she works with individuals, cultural or academic institutions on large multimedia projects and exhibitions that bring awareness or criticality to the challenging social issues of our times. As an educator she works with young people to use art and design to tell stories using a variety of media such as video, photo, collage, and drawing.

Nupur is founding member of the artist collective ‘Radha May,’ and an alumna of the Rhode Island School of design with an MFA in Digital + Media.

Jenn Anne Williams

Jenn was CUP’s Youth Education Program Manager. With a strong belief that all youths deserve equitable access to the arts, Jenn has developed inclusive programs, published curriculum guides, and trained educators in how to use the arts as a tool for understanding, development, and social change with over 100 New York City public schools and community based organizations.  Jenn continues her pursuit of art as a tool for empowerment as a practicing artist, designer, educator, and administrator implementing high-quality, interdisciplinary art programs. You can follow her creative pursuits at artjawdesigns.com.

Joshua Breitbart

Joshua Breitbart is the Director of Field Operations for the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute. Through participatory media, collaborative design, and open source tools, OTI and its partners are building an Internet that people can shape to meet their needs and dreams. In his job, Josh uses the lessons he has learned as a founding board member of CUP and as a collaborator on projects like “The Internet is Serious Business” and “What the Cell?"

Helki Frantzen

Helki Frantzen received her BFA and MFA degrees from Bard College. For the last five years, she has worked as a teaching artist and filmmaker, creating educational and collaborative new media projects with teens in Brooklyn, working with organizations such as the NYC Parks and Recreation department, Adobe Youth Voices and the Center for Urban Pedagogy.  She worked as a teaching artist with CUP to produce “The Internet is Serious Business” and “What the Cell?”

Students from Internet is Serious Business

Kristian Roberts, Joanna Pajuelo, Darnell Lubin, and Brian Garrido, all from City-as-School, collaborated with CUP and Helki Frantzen on “The Internet is Serious Business.”

Valeria Mogilevich

Valeria is a visual storyteller who creates tools for participation in collaboration with social justice organizations. She also consults with cultural institutions, education non-profits, and others on community engagement and youth education. Valeria was formerly the Deputy Director of CUP, where over the course of eight years she created popular education tools with community-based organizations and developed curricula to help public high school students change the way the see their own neighborhoods. She has shared her thoughts on project-based learning, collaboration, and design for social impact at places like the New Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt, Pratt Institute, and institutions from Indianapolis to Rotterdam. Valeria holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Modern Culture and Media.

Rosten Woo

Rosten Woo is a cultural producer living in Los Angeles. He makes work that helps people understand complex systems and participate in group decision-making. He produces that work in partnership with local and national groups ranging from the American Human Development Project to the East Los Angeles Community Corporation. His work has been exhibited at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Triennial, the New Museum, the Venice Architecture Biennale, Netherlands Architectural Institute, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, on the internet, and in various public housing developments, tugboats, shopping malls, and parks in New York City and Los Angeles. His first book, “Street Value,” was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2010. He is co-founder and former executive director of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP). His website: www.wehavenoart.net

Christine Gaspar

Christine is the Executive Director of CUP. She has over fifteen years of experience in community design. Prior to joining CUP, she was Assistant Director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she provided architectural design and city planning services to low-income communities recovering from Hurricane Katrina. In 2012, she was identified as one of the “Public Interest Design 100.” She holds Masters in Architecture and in City Planning from MIT, and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University.

She’s been a CUP fan since 2001, and a staff member since 2009.

Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center

is the premier nonprofit industrial developer in New York City. Since its inception in 1992, GMDC has rehabilitated seven manufacturing buildings in Brooklyn for occupancy by small manufacturing enterprises, artisans and artists. GMDC currently owns and manages five of these properties, the newest among them being the recently completed redevelopment project at 1102 Atlantic Avenue. GMDC creates and sustains viable manufacturing sectors in urban neighborhoods through planning, developing, and managing real estate and offering other related services.

Anusha Venkataraman

Anusha Venkataraman is an urban planner, writer, artist, and activist. She is presently the Director of the Green Light District initiative at El Puente, a community human rights institution in Brooklyn, NY. She has worked with numerous community groups in local organizing efforts, and as a visual artist both individually and with collectives. In 2010, she edited Intractable Democracy: Fifty Years of Community-Based Planning, a book celebrating New York City’s legacy of grassroots neighborhood-based activism. Anusha was the Youth and Outreach Director at the Steel Yard in Providence, Rhode Island. She holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brown University. She served on a 2013 Public Access Design jury.

Maggie Acevedo and Edwin Rodriguez

Maggie Acevedo and Edwin Rodriguez, from City-as-School, were part of the Water Underground crew in 2006. 

Ruben Arroyo

Ruben Arroyo, from City-as-School, was part of the Water Underground crew in 2006.

Naoki Fujita

Naoki Fujita has worked on “The Water Underground.”

Valeria Mogilevich

Valeria is a visual storyteller who creates tools for participation in collaboration with social justice organizations. She also consults with cultural institutions, education non-profits, and others on community engagement and youth education. Valeria was formerly the Deputy Director of CUP, where over the course of eight years she created popular education tools with community-based organizations and developed curricula to help public high school students change the way the see their own neighborhoods. She has shared her thoughts on project-based learning, collaboration, and design for social impact at places like the New Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt, Pratt Institute, and institutions from Indianapolis to Rotterdam. Valeria holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Modern Culture and Media.

Damon Rich

Damon Rich is a designer, artist, and the founder of CUP. In his exhibitions, graphic works, and events, sometimes produced in collaboration with young people and community-based organizations, Rich creates fantastical spaces for imagining the physical and social transformation of the world. His work represented the United States at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale, and has been exhibited at PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, Storefront for Art and Architecture, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Netherlands Architecture Institute. In 1997, he founded CUP, and was Executive Director for 10 years. Damon currently serves as the Urban Designer for the City of Newark, New Jersey, where he leads design efforts with public and private actors to improve the city’s public spaces.

Hot Sundae

Hot Sundae is 50% Amelia Irwin and 50% Nicole Killian. They met a year ago while working their design day job at Nickelodeon. After realizing they both had the same beliefs over Degrassi Junior High they decided to join forces to create a new super-powered design duo. Amelia had already been trained at Cranbrook Academy of Art and Nicole decided to do the same. 50% of Hot Sundae is from the trails of Appalachia and the other half is from the snow piles of Buffalo. 100% of them like kittens, ice cream, drawing, typography, and pizza. Hot Sundae is currently working with CUP on the Keeping Parks Public MPP.

Amber Yared

Amber Yared is an artist and educator. She received a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University in Montreal, a BEd from OISE/UT in Toronto, and an MAAE from SAIC in Chicago. She has experience in museum education, community arts, and high schools. In 2006 she interned with CUP and worked on The Water Underground and What’s Poppin’ at Fulton Mall.

Kate Zidar

Kate Zidar is an Environmental Planner with a professional focus on solid waste, open space, urban agriculture and stormwater management. As Executive Director of the Newtown Creek Alliance, she works to strike a balance between waterfront access, environmental health and economic development for the city’s most polluted waterway and one of it’s strongest centers for manufacturing and industrial jobs. Kate serves as Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (S.W.I.M.) Coalition, an organization dedicated to ensuring swimmable, fishable waters around New York City through Green Infrastructure. Kate is CUP’s biggest fan.