Urban Art Mapping is a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and students
based at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Todd Lawrence

Todd Lawrence is a faculty co-director of the Urban Art Mapping project and Associate Professor of English at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN where he teaches African American literature and expressive culture, folklore studies, and cultural studies. 

Paul Lorah 

Paul Lorah is a faculty co-director of the Urban Art Mapping project and Associate Professor at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN where he currently directs the Geography and Environmental Studies programs. His interests range from conservation planning to mapping street art. 

Heather Shirey 

Heather Shirey is a faculty co-director of the Urban Art Mapping project and professor of Art History at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, MN. Currently she teaches classes on the history of street art and the history of photography. 

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Liz Allie

Liz Allie is an undergraduate student at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN. She is a third-year student who is majoring in Art History and minoring in Social Welfare. Currently, she is a research assistant for the Urban Art Mapping team.

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Owen Larson

Owen Larson is a junior at the University of St. Thomas, where he studies Journalism and English, with a Creative Writing Emphasis. He serves as an Archiving Assistant for the database. In addition to that, Owen is a reporter for the student news organization TommieMedia, and the host of a radio show on KUST, the student-run internet radio station on the St. Thomas campus. 

Khadro Mohamed

 Khadro Mohamed (She/Her/Hers), is a third-year at St. Thomas. She is studying Data Analytics and Marketing Management. Khadro is interested in the creative expressions of activism, business and its impacts on BIPOC communities, and disparities between different socioeconomic statuses.

Shakira Mwakitawa

Shakira Mwakitawa [she/her/hers] is a freshman at the University of St. Thomas majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Digital Media Arts. Shakira works for the Urban Mapping Project and has an interest for how human interactions shape spaces and the inverse.  

Ellie Patronas

Ellie Patronas (she/her/hers) is currently in her junior year at the University of St. Thomas where she studies Business Law and Compliance. She works to manage our social media pages as well as archive works into the database. Besides working for Urban Art Mapping, she is interested in Creative Placemaking, Queer Street Art, and Urban Planning.