I Hope the Wind Don’t Blow was a look into the nine month process of interactions between a graduate class of eight students of Otis College of Art and Design Graduate Program in Public Practice, and the communities of Sun Village, Littlerock and surrounding areas of Antelope Valley.

I Hope the Wind Don’t Blow is one outcome of the Outpost partnership between Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Antelope Valley communities of Sun Village and Littlerock, MOAH and Otis College of Art and Design, partnering local community members with artists to develop public expressions of community concerns and identity. As an educational component of such a rich and complex partnership, this class met weekly to develop skills of social engagement through principles of listening, eliciting, play, dialogue, sharing food, music, film, local tours, and a host of other social and aesthetic tools. Each student chose a focus - economic, historical, environment, youth development, and culture, developing collaborative and artistic forms of interaction to represent many local voices and social conditions. The many community events connected in this presentation included:

Henderson Blumer - local voices digital archive

Jeanette Degollado - community eco murals

Margarethe Drexel - goat cheese making event

Mark Farina - film as portrait of Antelope Valley

Jennifer Kane & Beth Ann Morrison - mobile trailer as platform for community exchange

Shefali Mistry - youth development

Catherine “Scoti” Scott - Sun Village cooking circle for artisanal foods

Behind this class of eight students has been the support of four key teachers Dorit Cypis (Lead Teacher and Managing Director), Misael Diaz, Tracee Johnson and Sara Daleiden. Suzanne Lacy, Director of Otis College of Art and Design Graduate Public Program, is key in developing the Outpost partnership and overseeing this program.