Welcome to the Urban Humanities Network
Global (Un)Conference 2

St. Louis, MO. | Oct 16-18

Participants Check-in & Session Selection Info

There will be two opportunities for checking in. The first will be between 8:30a and 9:45a on Thursday, October 16 in the Steinberg Gallery of the WashU Sam Fox School (see map).The second registration opportunity will be between 3:30p and 4:00p at the .Zack Theater, (3224 Locust St.). This registration opportunity precedes the lightning talks which will be in the same space from 4:00p to 6:00p.Sign up for your sessions, and download conference material using the links below

Spotlight Events -- Open to the Public

These events are free and open to public. Please share this with anyone you'd like to invite to the public sessions.
Guests can register using this form for the public events.Thursday, October 16: Lightning Talks
4:00p-6:00p | Location: .Zack Theater (3224 Locust St.)
Lightning-fast talks about innovative projects in the urban humanitiesLightning talks will offer lively glimpses of projects in the urban humanities, including artistic spaces of New York’s SoHo in the 1960s and 70s; fighting evictions and preserving cultural heritage in cities; the audacious live entertainment of Branson, MO; and a dance choreography shaped by Zagreb, Croatia.Light snacks and a cash bar will be available. Registration is required.Friday, October 17: Poster Session
4:00p-6:00p | Location: Steinberg Gallery at WashU Sam Fox School.Posters will cover the latest projects in the urban humanities, including a visual exploration of Rural Gentrification across America’s Western Boom Towns; a study of why and how landfills become public parks in NYC, Toronto and Tel Aviv; an immersive panorama displaying Shenyang, China, 100 years ago; and a series of tufted textiles that storymap families from a mobile home park in Colorado.Attendees are invited to engage directly with poster presenters in an open, conversational format. Light snacks and refreshment will be available. Registration is required.Saturday, October 18: Keynote by Adrienne Brown
4:30p-6:00p | Hillman Hall at WashUIn discussing the work of Arts & Public Life, a neighborhood platform for arts and culture on Chicago’s South Side grounded in cultural stewardship and community partnership, this talk will consider how place-based urban engagement can forge new models of knowledge production, make space for process and experimentation, and convene and steward a different kind of public sphere.

About the keynote speaker
Adrienne Brown is associate professor in the Departments of English and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago and the director of Arts + Public Life, a hub for artistic exploration, expression and exchange that fosters neighborhood vibrancy on Chicago’s South Side. She is co-editor with Valerie Smith of the volume Race and Real Estate (2015) and the author of The Black Skyscraper: Architecture and the Perception of Race, winner of the 2018 First Book Prize from the Modernist Studies Association, and The Residential is Racial: A Perceptual History of Mass Homeownership, published by Stanford University Press in 2024.

Photo provided by Arts + Public Life

Image credits: Moonrise Hotel

Settling in to St. Louis

Arriving to St. Louis
The closest airport is St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), which is around 20 minutes away from WashU.Hotel Accomodations
(Un)Conference has a block at the Moonrise Hotel (6177 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112). Booking with a discount is available through Sept. 22 using this link.Transportation
The Metrolink light rail and bus system are available to get you from the airport to the Delmar Loop. Utilize the Metrolink trip planner for assistance and timing.
Otherwise, airport taxis, Uber, and Lyft are availalbe.Walking to Campus
From the Moonrise, it is a ~20 minute (.9 mi) walk to campus. On a nice day it’s a great walk – otherwise, rideshare services are your friend.Walking Directions -- Exit the Moonrise onto Delmar Blvd. Turn right towards Skinker Blvd. Take a left at the intersection of Skinker and Delmar. Walk straight for approximately one mile. Cross the intersection at Lindell and Skinker. Walk into campus and Weil Hall will be on your left. Look for the glass building with giant wood doors.

On-Campus Info

WashU Campus Address
1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130Parking @ WashU
Paid parking is available in the East End Parking Garage. There are limited visitor spots in this covered, underground lot. Free parking is available on nearby streets and in Forest Park. We recommend carpooling as spots are limited.If using ride share services, mark drop-off location as Sumers Welcome Center, 1 Wrighton Way Washington, St. Louis, MO 63105.Session Locations
The majority of the conference will take place at the Sam Fox School located on the East End of WashU's Danforth Campus. We recommend using this interactive campus map to get situated.WIFI Access
Eduroam WiFi: If you already use eduroam at your home institution, it will automatically connect on campus.
Guest WiFi: Utilize wustl-guest-2.0 on campus, no password needed.

Social Media

Throughout the weekend, you are encouraged to take pictures and videos of your experience.Follow our IG account, @urbanhumanities_network and be sure to tag us in pictures, stories, and posts from the weekend using #unconference2.

Image credit: Laura Perry

Dining, Drinks, & Entertainment

Visit Graham Chapel on the WashU campus, make your way to Forest Park for a barrage of free activities, or bike along the Mighty Mississippi.For recommendations on dining and all things St. Louis, we recommend these resources:
St. Louis Magazine Dining, Get Outside, Recommendations for Local Eats.

Image credits (left to right): St. Louis Art Museum, Explore St. Louis, KSDK News

For questions specifically regarding your mode of participation, please reach out to the following steering committee members:Lighting Talks
Lee Ann Custer | [email protected]Mini-Workshops
Jonathan Stitelman | [email protected]Experiential & Site-Specific Sessions
Matt Bernstine | [email protected]Roundtables
Gus Wendel | [email protected]Poster Session & Exhibition Talk
Jacqueline Barrios | [email protected]
Kenny Wong | [email protected]Pre-Workshops
Laura Perry | [email protected]General inquiries
[email protected]

The Urban Humanities Network Un(Conference) Steering Committee members are:Jonathan Banfill (Champlain College)
Jacqueline Jean Barrios (University of Arizona)
Matt Bernstine (WashU, Engaged City PI)
Lee Ann Custer (National Gallery of Art (formerly Vanderbilt University)
Laura Perry (WashU, Engaged City PI)
Melissa Proietti (Champlain College)
Tila Neguse (WashU, Engaged City PI)
Aaron Shkuda (Princeton)
Jonathan Stitelman (WashU)
Gus Wendel (UCLA)
Kenny H. Wong (University of Arizona)WashU Team
Julia Bernat (Engaged City Intern)
Hariett Krajcovic (Engaged City Intern)
Alexis Larkin (Engaged City Project Coordinator)
Bruce Lindsey (Professor & Engaged City PI)

The UnConference is supported by the Engaged City at WashU as well as the University of Arizona's Public & Applied Humanities, UCLA's Urban Humanities Initiative, UC Berkeley's Global Urban Humanities, Harvard's Mellon Urban Initiative, UPenn's Humanities + Urbanism + Design Initiative, Princeton's Mellon Initiative and Humanities Council, and Vanderbilt's Grand Challenge Initiative.The Engaged City is a project led by the Center for the Humanities, the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2), and the Office for Socially Engaged Practice (Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts) at Washington University in St. Louis. The project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Office of the Provost’s Here and Next initiative.

Image credits: TCLF.org, Sumner StudioLab, HOK, Grand Center Arts District, JSTOR, Missouri History Museum, Explore St. Louis, Miliken Brothers Catalog