ABOUT
THE ACC
OUR HISTORY.
The idea for the ACC emerged from the President’s Working Group on Sustainability, which recognizes the powerful interplay of art and culture work with research and action around sustainability. The Working Group is made up of faculty, students and staff and charged with developing an ambitious agenda that leverages the university’s resources to take on the pressing challenges of environmental justice and sustainability on and nearby campus, in Southern California and globally.
The call garnered proposals from undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in nine different USC schools: Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Marshall School of Business, Price School of Public Policy, Roski School of Art and Design, School of Cinematic Arts, School of Dramatic Arts, Thornton School of Music and Viterbi School of Engineering. Awards were made to students from Dornsife, Marshall, Price, Roski, Cinema, Theater and Thornton.
The Arts & Climate Collective is a collaboration among USC Arts In Action (a program of Visions and Voices), the USC Office of Sustainability, and USC Annenberg Innovation Lab.
OUR TEAM.
Hannah Findling
Sustainability Program Administrator
Office of Sustainability and Office of the President
Maria Galicia
Education & Programs Coordinator
USC Fisher Museum
Monty Hughes
Producer
Arts & Climate Collective
Ellen Dux
Associate Director
Office of Sustainability
Lucy Zepeda
Lead Producer
USC Arts In Action
Au Chung
Community Engagement Coordinator
Arts & Climate Collective
Sydnee Yu
Programs Coordinator
Arts & Climate Collective
Colin Miles Maclay
Executive Director
Annenberg Innovation Lab
Belinda Lee
Web Designer
Arts & Climate Collective
Erin Jebavy
Marketing Specialist
Office of Sustainability
OUR GOALS
EncouragE Commitment
Generates social movement around environmental justice and sustainability at USC.
Compelling Artmaking
Fosters a creative space to utilize art and culture as powerful forces for making change.
InspirING
CommunitY
Promotes collaborations internally and externally to break down silos across USC and the community.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE ACC
“The ACC has provided not only a powerful spirit that has inspired my work, it's put me into the orbit of wonderful and talented individuals with whom I feel a sense of community - a group fundamentally bonded by a desire to change the world in ways that make the saving of our planet more possible.”
Jaime Lopez
"I believe that the voice of folks with lived experience is always most important when discussing an issue. However, our podcast usually doesn't incorporate that voice, because we do not have funding to pay folks to speak with us. ACC allowed me to reach out to, and pay folks with lived experience and lived expertise and to foreground their voice among folks with other types of expertise.”
Jordy Coutin
"I haven't had the chance to build relationships with graduate students, staff and faculty before ACC. ACC has created such a beautiful family made up of diverse, passionate and resilient individuals. I am so grateful for the community, support systems and the financial help. Without these, I wouldn't have taken the risk to direct, write and act in such a vulnerable film."
Natasha Nutkiewicz
"I truly feel that organizations like this are crucial on campus and for students in general. We need more ways to incorporate the talents of artists into global issues like this, and it's through the support of organizations like the ACC that our voices can start to be heard.”
Gwenan Walker
"ACC helped me to find a community around my two seemingly disparate passions of music and the environment! I had always thought about combining my two loves, but ACC gave me the push and provided the support to realize my dream! For this I could not be more thankful. As a result of my USC ACC project, I am planning to continue to work on The Resilience Project and apply for grant funding from my graduate program at UCSB to continue my work."
Cam Audra
"I've really enjoyed getting to know a group of students and faculty members at USC that are so passionate about the intersection between the arts and sustainability.”
William Higbie
"The ACC enabled us to form a meaningful relationship with our community partner Las Fotos Project. Being able to compensate and partner with young artists from LFP has enriched our project. Compensating artists is so important and this funding enables us to complete our work ethically."
Cassandra Flores-Montano
OUR ALUMNI.
Diana Salinas Vargas
Program Coordinator
Arts & Climate Collective
Natasha Nutkiewicz
Events Producer
Arts & Climate Collective