Past Projects

Ferguson 365

2014 grant recipient “Ferguson 365” is a documentary about Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, MO, and the subsequent unrest, protests, and broader implications that came to light in the year following. A GUSF grant funded equipment necessary for the year’s worth of footage. See a trailer for “Ferguson 365” here: https://vimeo.com/134908121, as well as “Ferguson: 100 Days | 100 Seconds,” here: https://vimeo.com/112466141.

Bubble Butt Bike Blowout

GUSF funded the 2013 Bubble Butt Bike Blowout, which brought 20 Washington University students outside of their campus bubble to bike around St. Louis, meet St. Louisans, and have conversations about citizenship and community.

FOOD ROOF

FOOD ROOF was created by Urban Harvest STL, is St. Louis’s first rooftop farm, utilizing industrial downtown space while increasing the organic-based food system in the area, and providing a local Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) program for area residents. GUSF funded a 2013 fundraiser to get FOOD ROOF off the drawing board and into reality. http://www.urbanharveststl.org/food-roof-farm/

Issues Magazine

A 2012 GUS Foundation grant helped spark a successful Kickstarter campaign for Issues Magazine, a publication focusing on the intersection between architecture, design, and social issues. In Fall 2012, the magazine published and distributed hundreds of copies of its first issue, available to for the public to read here.

nextSTL’s 2011

nextSTL’s 2011 Open/Closed Conference convened a diverse group of St. Louis stakeholders and community residents to discuss and brainstorm creative responses to prevalence of vacant land in the city. As of 2011, the rate of vacancy in St. Louis was the second highest in the nation, behind New Orleans. The conference was held again in spring 2012.

 inSTilL Adventure

Funded by a GUS Foundation grant in March 2011, students from Washington University organized an audio adventure to explore the city through inSTilL Adventure. “Mark Twain” was the guide of the adventure, which spanned from the Big Bend Metrolink stop to downtown St. Louis.

WU/City

WU/City was a 2010 art installation project that engaged Washington University students to explore the hidden gems and needs of St. Louis. The project was set up on the University’s main campus and included large photo prints of St. Louis sites and a five-minute video with footage of St. Louis neighborhoods and interviews with citizens. The organizers also engaged participants through a website devoted to highlighting hidden gems in St. Louis.

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture was inspired by the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Students invited Professor Kit Wellman from the Philosophy Department at Washington University in St. Louis to give a talk in Graham Chapel on what really matters in life. The event was well-attended and inspirational for the students and community members who attended.

Senior Awards Dinner

The Senior Awards Dinner was created in May 2009 to honor graduating seniors for contributions to the university that may have gone unpraised during their tenure at Washington University in St. Louis. Hosted by Risa Zwerling-Wrighton with a keynote address by Professor Henry Schvey. Honorees had an opportunity to engage their peers in meaningful conversations about their years at Wash U as well as their future plans. Honorees remarked that “it exposed the prejudice I have about thinking that all people who do good do only community service. Really, they do good by pursuing what they love.”