Watts House Project (WHP) is a collaborative artwork in the shape of a neighborhood redevelopment. WHP responds to the numerous social and environmental challenges of the Watts district, including a dilapidated public and private infrastructure and lack of economic activities and services. By generating a physical and social framework for creativity, including artist- and architect-led house remodels, exhibition and studio spaces, and grassroots economic opportunities, WHP seeks to revitalize the area immediately surrounding the Watts Towers through community pride of place, establishing partnerships that can lead to real solutions, hope, and change. WHP emphasizes creativity and the impact art and beauty can have on daily lives, and social, economic, and ecological sustainability and responsibility.
WHP was founded in 1996 by artist Rick Lowe; Los Angeles artist Edgar Arceneaux became director in 1999. WHP is a unique response to the conditions of Watts, but several projects nationwide share its values and philosophy, including Project Row Houses (Houston; http://projectrowhouses.org ), Sustainable South Bronx (New York; http://www.ssbx.org), and Heidelberg Project (Detroit; http://www.heidelberg.org).
