Hinterglasmalerei

Christina Lanzl, PhD, Director of the Urban Culture Institute, is a placemaking practitioner, cultural historian, educator and author synthesizing the fields of art, culture, architecture and public place design. She has taught urbanism/placemaking, culture, history and theory of architecture in the Department of Architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology. In 2008, she founded the Placemaking Network of the Boston Society of Architects/American Institute of Architects, for which she served as co-chair through 2019. Her work and research are focused on the convergence of diverse cultures, the environment and community building through a holistic approach, transforming civic spaces into meaningful, dynamic places. A culturally engaged society, public health and a commitment to fostering our urban environment as well as our natural resources are central to her work. Her profound immersion in multiple fields of creative inquiry have led to a comprehensive, unifying approach that correlate and link the complex relationships between people and places. Her professional practice has resulted in several books and numerous essays on the arts, creative placemaking and kinetics. A sought-after consultant and presenter to professional and academic audiences, Christina received a number of awards, including Best Woman-Run Arts and Culture Initiative in the Northeastern United States in 2017 and, as a founding member of the South Bay Harbor Trail Coalition, a Boston Harbor Heroes Award in 2018. Prior, she received awards from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, National Accolade Competition, The Nan Foundation, Brookline Arts Center, Manhattan Arts and Artprint Magazine. Christina completed her doctorate in art of the present tense with a focus on public art at the University of Munich, Germany, and received her Master of Arts in art history from Boston University.