PRESENTERS: EPIcenter + LAND ART GENERATOR INITIATIVE
A presentation about making renewable energy beautiful, about how we made the world’s 1st Solar Mural installation (La Monarca being unveiled at Luminaria the night of November 10th) and where La Monarca will live.
JILL H. VASSAR, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS, EPIcenter
Jill H. Vassar is Director of Development and Partnerships at EPIcenter, a new asset in San Antonio that will be the hub for clean energy technology innovation, education and community engagement, and entrepreneurial incubation and ideation. She has served as economic and organizational development consultant for clients including the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Good Samaritan Community Services, TIP Development Strategies, State Representative Elizabeth Ames Jones and the City of Floresville. She is a former Vice President of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Vassar has served on several Boards including the Witte Museum, the Charity Ball Association and St. Luke’s Episcopal School. A graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, she currently serves as President of the National Charity League–San Antonio Rose Chapter and St. Luke’s Episcopal School Permanent Endowment Fund; and is Treasurer of the Charity Ball Legacy Foundation.
ROBERT FERRY + ELIZABETH MONOIAN, CO-FOUNDERS, LAND ART GENERATOR INITIATIVE
http://www.landartgenerator.org
Robert Ferry is Founding Co-Director and Board Chair of Land Art Generator Initiative. He is also a registered architect and LEED accredited professional with two decades of professional practice experience on both consultant and client sides. Following a decade of design and project management on sustainable new urbanist developments in the United States, he spent four years as a consultant on large commercial projects in Abu Dhabi, where his focus shifted to ways in which buildings can move beyond net-zero and contribute to the energy needs of the surrounding city. His concept designs pushing the envelope of building-integrated renewable energy technology have been published widely. Through the Land Art Generator, he is able to help support the critical role of architecture and urban design as part of a comprehensive solution to climate change. Robert is a partner at Studied Impact Design, and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.
Elizabeth Monoian (MFA, Carnegie Mellon University) is founding director and Chief Executive Officer of Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI). She is also the founder and Executive Director of Society for Cultural Exchange (SCE), an organization that is developing global partnerships between private and public entities around interdisciplinary projects that address issues of climate and sustainability through the lens of creativity. She works closely with cities, universities, corporations, arts organizations, and community groups to design customized approaches to renewable energy installations.
Under SCE she co-founded the Land Art Generator (LAGI), an international initiative activating interdisciplinary teams to conceive of large-scale public artworks for specific sites that artfully provide utility-scale clean energy to the city grid. The project combines renewable infrastructure design with international cultural exchange and community educational outreach. The project has been featured in articles in numerous international press outlets, including The New York Times, Huffington Post, the Guardian, and Dwell magazine.