{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"James Meraz on creating a path through unimaginable loss ","description":"James Meraz joined the faculty of ArtCenter\u2019s Environmental Design department in September of 2001, shortly before 9\/11. In the wake of that tragedy he wavered about how to proceed with his planned curriculum. How would it all be relevant? In the end, he resolved to lean into the uncertainty of that \u201ccataclysmic moment,\u201d realizing that the only way out of the pain, chaos and confusion was to go through it.  Above all he discovered the value in staying present and connecting with others when things fall apart. Of course, he had no way of knowing how much he\u2019d come to rely on those same skills when another catastrophe struck much closer to home.  In June of 2019, James\u2019 twenty year-old son, Luke, died. James and his wife were immediately thrust into every parent\u2019s worst nightmare. But as they were pummeled with wave after wave of agonizing grief, James eventually felt called to move toward the pain in order to understand the lessons that might benefit him and others \u2013 all of which we cover in our Change Lab interview that cycled through tears to moments of transcendence. James\u2019 journey has been an arduous one. The pain of loss remains an ever-present burden he\u2019s dubbed \u201cthe backpack.\u201d But by bringing his creativity to bear on an unbearable situation, James has discovered opportunities for reinvention and even a kind of rebirth in the projects he\u2019s undertaken to support young artists and vulnerable communities in Luke\u2019s honor.  Like the skilled designer he is, James has continued to ask himself the hard questions and has found renewed meaning in the simple act of showing up, even when part of him wants to give up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm\/adchoices ","author_name":"Why AxS from ArtCenter","author_url":"https:\/\/www.artcenter.edu\/connect\/podcasts\/why-axs-podcast.html","html":"