FRESNO FUTURE PROJECT’S SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE: GLOBAL, SUSTAINABLE, DIVERSE

October 24, 2012 Updated Oct 24, 2012 at 6:33 PM PDT

FRESNO FUTURE PROJECT
www.fresnofuture.org

FRESNO FUTURE PROJECT’S SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE
GLOBAL, SUSTAINABLE, DIVERSE
Fresno Art Museum
November 2-3, 2012

Under the theme “Global, Sustainable, Diverse,” the Fresno Future Project holds its Second Annual Conference at the Fresno Art Museum on November 2-3, 2012. The Conference is organized and moderated by Dr. A. Sameh El Kharbawy, Professor at California State University, Fresno, and it brings together leading design experts and art enthusiasts, academics, writers, government officials, community and industry leaders across disciplines to discuss the economic, social, cultural future of Fresno.

Sessions of the Conference will feature, on its first day, a plenary forum on sustainable development, titled “Green/Growth: Toward a Sustainable Future for Fresno.” The forum will cover a range of issues including:

- Fresno’s 2035 General Plan, as a blueprint for the cultural, social and economic development of Fresno;
- Fresno’s Historic Urban Landscapes, as a primary ingredient in the preservation of Fresno’s heritage, requiring continuous dialogue and partnership between institutions of culture, government, and education, on the one hand, and the community’s stakeholders on the other.
- Landscapes of Culture and Spirituality, and the role of institutions of culture and faith in raising awareness about the environment, sustainability,
- Justice, and the responsibility to address the historical legacies, as well as the stubborn persistence of many forms of injustice today- in ways that promote a culture of inclusiveness, diversity, empowerment and an equitable society.
- Economic Sustainability: business development, innovation, free enterprise, and entrepreneurship.

On the second day, the Conference will feature a Symposium on global design, titled “Global Design Perspectives.” The Symposium will focus on the role of art and architecture in challenging the barriers and defying the (ideological, social, economic and political) biases that have separated peoples, cultures and civilizations. The Symposium will feature some of the innovative work being done at Fresno State's Interior Design (graduate) program (by professors and students); an artful blend of East and West, past and present, tradition and modernity, myth and history, old visions and new realities.) The Conference concludes with a special performance by the traditional Tamazight (Berber) music group, AZA.

AZA describes its music as traditional Tamazight (Berber). The Berbers, or “Imazighen” (preferred term), are the indigenous people of North Africa whose recorded history dates back to 3300 years ago. The founders of AZA, Fattah and Mohamed, "are Berbers, native to the High Atlas mountain region of Morocco, where they played and studied music for over twenty-five years, and are recognized as master musicians." They struggle to keep alive an indigenous culture that has been marginalized for centuries. Their performance will be their first in Fresno.

The conference is organized and moderated by:
Dr. A. Sameh El Kharbawy
Professor; California State University, Fresno
Founder; The Fresno Future Project

Speakers include:
Loren Aiton
Vice President; United States Green Building Council, USGBC Architect; TETER Architects/Engineers

Kate Borders
President/CEO of PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno

Arthur Dyson
Principal; DKSJ Architects
Director of Education
American Institute of Architects, SJ

Kiel Famellos-Schmidt
American Institute of Architects
Principal; ArchHop Fresno

Paul Halajian
Principal; Halajian Architects
CC Delegate; American Institute of Architects, SJ

Andy Hansen-Smith
Vice Chair; Creative Fresno

Sabrina Kelley
Principal; Neighborhood Revitalization
Habitat for Humanity

V. Gregory Melnacon
Executive Director; African American Historical & Cultural Museum

Anthony Miranda
Executive Director; Habitat for Humanity

Silvana Polgar
Instructor; California State University, Fresno

Jake Soberal
Principal; The Boomerang Project Walter & Wilhelm Law

For more information, please contact info@fresnofuture.org, or visit: www.fresnofuture.org/conference/

About the Fresno Future Project

The Fresno Future Project is devoted to ideas that contribute to a better future for Fresno and the Central Valley. It aims to inform and promote public discussion on the fundamental questions that pertain to who we are; who we should be; how we should live; how we can innovate, and how we can, or should, contribute to the challenges facing our communities, neighborhoods and cities.

The Project was founded, in 2011, by Dr. A. Sameh El Kharbawy, Professor at California State University, Fresno as a gathering of experts from an array of disciplines: from economic and fiscal policy, to architecture, planning, the arts, health and social policy, as well as education. The Project’s scope, reach and ambition have since grown significantly. Along with its annual conference, the Project organizes public forums, policy dialogues, briefings, film screenings, seminars and symposia today. It also puts out publications on relevant public issues.

The Project’s growing list of partners and friends includes institutions and policy experts, scholars at California State University, the University of California as well as other academic institutions, national consultants, art enthusiasts, industry specialists, government, and community leaders.

For more information, visit:
www.fresnofuture.org
www.facebook.com/fresnofuture
www.twitter.com/fresnofuture