Since 2016, the Luce Foundation has awarded four grants totalling $730,000 to UC Merced’s Public Humanities Design Studio to support collaborative work between humanities graduate students and local organizations to benefit Merced’s local communities.

Two recent fellows discuss their work in this short film, “Our Town: Past & Future of Merced.” Working with the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Merced County Courthouse Museum, Anaïs Guillem helped develop “Merced Historic Places,” an open, online database that invites town residents to contribute to the architectural heritage of Merced. Camille Paladino Ponce collaborated with community partners to survey and interview Merced residents in an effort to foster local buy-in and ensure a feeling of inclusion in the potential development of an arts and culture district in Merced.

Watch the video