The Church: Urban Anthropologist Setha Low on Her Book, ‘Why Public Space Matters’, 3.18

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URBAN ANTHROPOLOGIST SETHA LOW

SPEAKS ON HER LATEST BOOK,

WHY PUBLIC SPACE MATTERS

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SATURDAY, MARCH 18^TH | 6:00 PM

TICKETS: $10

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Parks, beaches, plazas, and boardwalks; these are just a few examples of public spaces– vital spaces in society that are currently threatened by accelerated urban development, privatization, and neglect. Author, speaker, researcher, teacher, and advocate Setha Low provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the state of public space in her newest book, Why Public Space Matters. Throughout her book, Low demonstrates the essential role that public space has in fostering democracy and sustaining urban life. Readers will recognize public space as a tool to repair many of the glaring fissures within American society, from homelessness to spiking heat. Low shines a bright light on these increasingly endangered sites where people from all walks of life meet, work, play, think, and protest, encouraging readers to protect and advocate for these spaces that are often labeled as extraneous. In Why Public Space Matters, Low draws on more than 35 years of fieldwork in parks, plazas, streets, and beaches across the Americas, from New York to Costa Rica.

Low will be interviewed by The Church Executive Director, Sheri Pasquarella, on her book and her research on urban anthropology.

A Q&A will follow, and the evening will conclude with a book signing.

Photo courtesy of Setha Low.

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SETHA LOW

Setha Low is an internationally recognized expert on the social justice aspects of public space. She is the author of Why Public Space Matters (Oxford University Press, 2023), an analysis of public space today, as well as many other publications. As Distinguished Professor of Environmental Psychology, Geography, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies, and Director of the Public Space Research Group at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Low lectures internationally and partners with the UN Habitat Global Public Space Programme in promoting public space as part of the New Urban Agenda. She is the recipient of fellowships and awards from The Getty Center, National Endowment of the Humanities, the Hays-Fulbright Commission, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

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The Church was established in 2019 by artists Eric Fischl and April Gornik. Housed in a deconsecrated 19th century church, its doors were opened in April 2021. Our mission is to foster creativity and to honor the living history of Sag Harbor as a maker village. The East End represents an exceptional artistic legacy, spanning the practices of indigenous art of several centuries ago, Abstract Expressionists of the mid 20^th Century, and the many celebrated writers, makers, musicians, and visual artists of the recent past and current moment. Core programming includes visual art exhibitions, concerts and events, educational programming, workshops, lectures, and an artist’s residency.

The Church, 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor, NY, 11963

www.thechurchsagharbor.org

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