DESIGNING FOR COMMUNITY: IN CONVERSATION WITH STORME WEBBER & MIRANDA BELARDE-LEWIS

Wednesday, aPRIL 21ST @ 5:30 p.m. EST
Virtual Conversation | Register here

This event is co-sponsored by AASU, HIDC, The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, and EMR Harvard.

Join the Harvard Indigenous Design Collective for a conversation with Storme Webber, a Two Spirit Black/Sugpiaq/Choctaw artist and community leader and Miranda Belarde-Lewis, a Zuni/Tlingit
curator and professor. Building upon their expansive approaches to artistic expression, curatorial design and information systems design, Webber and Belarde-Lewis co-created the exhibition “Casino: A Palimpsest” at Seattle’s Frye Museum.

Storme Webber is a Two Spirit Sugpiaq/Black/Choctaw poet and interdisciplinary artist. Their work is cross genre, incorporating text, performance, audio and altar installation, archival photographs and collaboration in order to engage with ideas of history, lineage, gender, race and sexuality. They have been named a Seattle Living Legacy for building global awareness of the LGBTQ+, indigenous, Two Spirit, and Black populations of Seattle through their work. Their solo exhibition “Casino: A Palimpsest” draws upon archival documents and personal histories to tell a history of The Casino, a community space and one of the oldest gay bars on the West Coast.

Miranda Belarde-Lewis (PhD) is an endowed faculty fellow of Native North American Indigenous Knowledge at the University of Washington’s Information School. She’s also an independent curator who works with tribal, state, federal and international institutions and organizations to promote Native artists and their work. She is enrolled at Zuni Pueblo and a member of the Takdeintáan Clan of the Tlingit Nation.

BLACK RADICAL SPACE: THE BLACK SCHOOL AND BRYAN C. LEE JR. IN CONVERSATION

TUESDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2021 @ 7:30 P. M.
Virtual Conversation | Register here

Designer and activist Bryan C. Lee, Jr will convene with the founders of The Black School for a conversation about Black radical pedagogical experiments, past, present, and future. GSD community members Toshiko Mori and Tara Oluwafemi will join for the second half of the program.

Based on our commitment to community building and our core principles of Black love, wellness, and self-determination, The Black School’s mission is to promote and extend the legacy of art in Black radical histories by providing innovative education alternatives centered in Black love. Through youth art workshops, community-wide events/programing, and our student-staffed art and design studio, we use art to transform social realities while celebrating Black people’s history and the beauty and ingenuity of our ever-evolving culture.

The Black School (TBS) is an experimental art school teaching Black/POC students and allies to become agents of change through art workshops on radical Black politics and public interventions that address local community needs. TBS was founded by Joseph Cuillier III and Shani Peters in 2016. We are socially engaged artists, designers, and educators with a combined 20 years of relevant experience working at the intersections of K-12/university teaching, art, design, and activism. In five years we have served over 400 students, facilitated over 100 workshops and classes, produced three Black Love Fests, collaborated with more than 40 professional artists, trained and employed 16 design apprentices, and partnered with over 50 organizations. With this foundation of programmatic success, we are now working towards our ultimate goal to build a Black Art School in Joseph’s hometown of New Orleans, LA.

Bryan C. Lee Jr. is the Design Principal of Colloqate and a national Design Justice Advocate. Lee has twelve years of experience in the field of architecture Lee is the founding organizer of the Design Justice Platform and organized the Design As Protest National Day of Action. Bryan has led two award-winning architecture and design programs for high school students through the Arts Council of New Orleans and the National Organization of Minority Architects.

Audience members are eligible for 1.5 AIA Continuing Education Learning Units after attending this event. Please visit the AIA website for more information.

REGISTER TO JOIN THE UBUNTU ARCHITECTURE SUMMER ABROAD PROGRAM

REGISTRATION ENDS APRIL 20, 2021
rEGISTER here

Photo Credit: Wandile Mthiyane

This year the program will be virtual.

Ubuntu Architecture Summer Abroad is an intercollegiate, cross-cultural program; that focuses on immersing students into a historical, socio-economic, and community-driven design experience. We work in partnership with (and under the tutelage of) the Umbumbulu community to tackle spatial justice. Students will design and build dignified and culturally-influenced homes for marginalized families in Durban, South Africa, who were affected by apartheid architecture.

The experience will aim to expose students to design problems stemming from systemic racism in a place beyond their own contexts. As apartheid architecture was used to segregate and oppress, community-centered design will focus on bringing people together and enabling equitable opportunities for all. At the end of the program, participants will be equipped with the tools necessary to implement change in their own communities.

CHALLENGE OUR ROOTS: ADVOCACY IN THE DESIGN PROFESSION DIANE – JONES ALLEN, TONI L. GRIFFIN, AZZURA COX, AND PASCALE SABLAN

FRIDAY, MARCH 12th @ 11:00 A.m.
Join here

Co-organized with AASU, AfricaGSD, Notes on Credibility, and Womxn in Design 

Challenge our Roots: Advocacy in the Design Profession will bring student and professional leaders together to discuss avenues for change within the design profession. The panel will uplight anti-racist work taking place both within and outside of the GSD, with the hope of inspiring collaborations and further action. During the conversation, each expert will highlight their work and discuss common themes of engagement and empowerment. 

AASU AND AFRICAGSD MEMBERS JOIN MEMBERS OF THE BLACK RECONSTRUCTION COLLECTIVE FOR Q&A

CARL M. SAPERS ETHICS IN PRACTICE LECTURE: BLACK RECONSTRUCTION COLLECTIVE, “BLACK RECONSTRUCTION”

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Ten Responses to One Question: What does it mean to imagine Black Reconstruction today?

The Black Reconstruction Collective (BRC) provides funding, design, and intellectual support to the ongoing and incomplete project of emancipation for the African Diaspora. The BRC is committed to multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary work dedicated to dismantling systemic white supremacy and hegemonic whiteness within art, design, and academia. Founded by a group of Black architects, artists, designers, and scholars, the BRC aims to amplify knowledge production and spatial practices by individuals and organizations that further the reconstruction project.

The BRC engages the public through an annual process of reviewing proposals and providing critical and financial support to projects that have been selected by the committee. This work will manifest in built commissions, research funding, exhibitions, events, and publications, that will collectively imagine transformations to the built environment in the Black Radical Tradition.

After this lecture, respondents from the African American Student Union (AASU) at the GSD and AfricaGSD joined members of the Black Reconstruction Collective for a discussion and Q&A.

CARL M. SAPERS ETHICS IN PRACTICE LECTURE: BLACK RECONSTRUCTION COLLECTIVE, “BLACK RECONSTRUCTION”

Tuesday, November 17th @ 7:30 p.m.
Lecture (ONLINE ONLY) | Register here

Photocopy of Historic Photograph, Photographer and Date Unknown: EARLY AREA HOMESTEAD – Nicodemus Historic District, Nicodemus, Graham County, KS

Ten Responses to One Question: What does it mean to imagine Black Reconstruction today?

The Black Reconstruction Collective (BRC) provides funding, design, and intellectual support to the ongoing and incomplete project of emancipation for the African Diaspora. The BRC is committed to multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary work dedicated to dismantling systemic white supremacy and hegemonic whiteness within art, design, and academia. Founded by a group of Black architects, artists, designers, and scholars, the BRC aims to amplify knowledge production and spatial practices by individuals and organizations that further the reconstruction project.

The BRC engages the public through an annual process of reviewing proposals and providing critical and financial support to projects that have been selected by the committee. This work will manifest in built commissions, research funding, exhibitions, events, and publications, that will collectively imagine transformations to the built environment in the Black Radical Tradition.

After this lecture, respondents from the African American Student Union (AASU) at the GSD and AfricaGSD will join members of the Black Reconstruction Collective for a discussion and Q&A.

Register to attend the lecture here. Once you have registered, you will be provided with a link to join the lecture via Zoom. This link will also be emailed to you.

The event will also be live streamed to the GSD’s YouTube page. Only viewers who are attending the lecture via Zoom will be able to submit questions for the Q+A. If you would like to submit questions for the speaker in advance of the event, please click here.

This is a live event only. Live captioning will be provided during this event. A transcript will be available roughly two weeks after the event, upon request.

Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office at (617) 496-2414 or events@gsd.harvard.edu.

POSTER AS PROTEST: ARTIST TALK WITH LO HARRIS AND MONYEE CHAU

Tonight @ 6 p.m.
Virtual Conversation | Register here

This event brings two Harvard GSD communities, APIA and AASU, with the two artists in conversation about their work.

The role of posters as protest has acquired renewed urgency in the midst of a global pandemic and continuous protests movements surrounding social justice initiatives across myriad landscapes. Activism-based visual arts have been paramount to coalition building and personal expression. As artists of color, Monyee Chau and Lo Harris respond to conventional depictions of Asian-American and African-American communities respectively, using their artwork to sublimate stereotypes and empower underrepresented voices. This event brings together two Harvard GSD communities, APIA and AASU, with the two artists in conversation about how their works champion a more-equitable and just world.

Lauren (Lo) Harris is an Alabama-raised, Brooklyn-based, self-taught digital artist who specializes in illustration and motion design, and is currently an associate Animator at NBC News Digital. Her vibrant work aims to illustrate a more just and kind world through bright palettes, strong figures, and relational compositions showcasing confidence, humanity, and joy. Her designs centered on editorial projects, campaigns and environmental designs for lifestyle, technology, and beauty brands, as well as social justice initiatives. Lo has produced work for a number of clients including Amazon, Cosmopolitan, The Black Curriculum, Adobe, and The Ellen Show, and has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Marie Claire, and HuffPost.

Instagram: @loharris_art

Website:http://loharris.com/

Monyee Chau is a Seattle-based, Taiwanese-Chinese-American artist exploring their own cultural roots through sculptures, paintings, photography and poster-making. She received a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2018 and her work is far reaching: not only are they exhibited at various museums, such as Wing Luke Museum and Bellevue Arts Museum, they are plastered across American Chinatowns and popularized on social media. Chau’s work on Chinatown resilience responds to the resurface of racism with Covid-19, with her illustration, ‘Yellow Peril Supports Black Power’ becoming a powerful representation of racial solidarity.

Instagram: @monyeeart

Website:https://www.chinesebornamerican.com/

POSTER AS PROTEST: ARTIST TALK WITH LO HARRIS AND MONYEE CHAU

Wednesday, November 11th @ 6 p.m.
Virtual Conversation | Register here

This event brings two Harvard GSD communities, APIA and AASU, with the two artists in conversation about their work.

The role of posters as protest has acquired renewed urgency in the midst of a global pandemic and continuous protests movements surrounding social justice initiatives across myriad landscapes. Activism-based visual arts have been paramount to coalition building and personal expression. As artists of color, Monyee Chau and Lo Harris respond to conventional depictions of Asian-American and African-American communities respectively, using their artwork to sublimate stereotypes and empower underrepresented voices. This event brings together two Harvard GSD communities, APIA and AASU, with the two artists in conversation about how their works champion a more-equitable and just world.

Lauren (Lo) Harris is an Alabama-raised, Brooklyn-based, self-taught digital artist who specializes in illustration and motion design, and is currently an associate Animator at NBC News Digital. Her vibrant work aims to illustrate a more just and kind world through bright palettes, strong figures, and relational compositions showcasing confidence, humanity, and joy. Her designs centered on editorial projects, campaigns and environmental designs for lifestyle, technology, and beauty brands, as well as social justice initiatives. Lo has produced work for a number of clients including Amazon, Cosmopolitan, The Black Curriculum, Adobe, and The Ellen Show, and has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Marie Claire, and HuffPost.

Instagram: @loharris_art

Website:http://loharris.com/

Monyee Chau is a Seattle-based, Taiwanese-Chinese-American artist exploring their own cultural roots through sculptures, paintings, photography and poster-making. She received a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2018 and her work is far reaching: not only are they exhibited at various museums, such as Wing Luke Museum and Bellevue Arts Museum, they are plastered across American Chinatowns and popularized on social media. Chau’s work on Chinatown resilience responds to the resurface of racism with Covid-19, with her illustration, ‘Yellow Peril Supports Black Power’ becoming a powerful representation of racial solidarity.

Instagram: @monyeeart

Website:https://www.chinesebornamerican.com/

Meet the 2020-2021 Executive Board!

Jaline McPherson
President

GSD Program: Master of Landscape Architecture 2021
Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Science in Architecture | University of Virginia 2015
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Hobbies/Research Interests: Painting, writing, and crushing the patriarchy, along with landscapes of erasure
Fun/ Weird Fact: I wish I had my own comedy show

Damian Bolden
Vice-President

GSD Program: Master of Architecture II 2021
Undergraduate Degree: Architecture and Interior Architecture | Auburn University 2013
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Hobbies/Research Interests: Competing, Designing, Basketball, Roller Skating, Biking / COLOR, Cities, Graphic Design
Fun/ Weird Fact: I find people falling or tripping absolutely hilarious

Caleb Negash
Treasurer

GSD Program: Master of Architecture I 2022
Undergraduate Degree: Architecture | Princeton University 2015
Hometown: Marietta, GA
Hobbies/Research Interests: I’m interested in examining the structural impacts of race on modern architecture, decolonizing representations of Blackness, and studying African diasporic building practices on their own terms. When I’m not counting duckets for AASU, I also spend my time here writing about Black designers and co-hosting a podcast for the African American Design Nexus, a library initiative that launched last year.
Fun/ Weird Fact: Outside of school and work, I’m also an illustrator, steadfast Megan Thee Stallion disciple, and DJ (hire me!)

Taelor Malcolm
Internal Relations Chair

GSD Program: Master of Urban Planning 2021
Undergraduate Degree: Economics and International Business | University of North Carolina Charlotte 2019
Hometown: Fayetteville, GA
Hobbies/Research Interests: Reading, Scuba Diving, Tennis/Affordable Housing, International Development, Economic Development
Fun/Weird Fact: My high school graduating class had four people, including me.

Oluwatosin Alliyu
External Relations

GSD Program: Master in Design Engineering 2021
Undergraduate Degree: B.S. in Computer Science w/ Peace Justice and Human Rights | Haverford College 2018
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Research interests: Urban development, smart cities & digital government in West Africa
Hobbies: listening to music (everything between Afro-beats, neo-soul, r&b, etc.), cooking (&eating), baking cookies
Fun/ Weird Fact: I road tripped to all 10 (now 16) regions of Ghana in 2 weeks.

Tara Oluwafemi
Media Chair

GSD Program: Master of Architecture I | 2022
Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and French | Amherst College 2018
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Hobbies/Research Interests: I am very serious about my naps. I also watch a lot of cartoons and love candles and pillows.
Fun/ Weird Fact: I shaved off my eyebrows the day before fifth grade because I wanted a new look.

Cecley Hill
Social Chair

GSD Program: Master of Urban Planning 2021
Undergraduate Degree: Columbia University 2019
Hometown: Yonkers, NY
Hobbies: I’ve trained as a dancer and drummer for as long as I can remember, though I’ve recently expanded on my hobbies by taking up watercolors (big quarantine energy).
Research Interests: At the GSD, I’ve centered most of my research around urban design in low-income communities across the US and East Africa. I’m currently in the process of figuring out how to complete remote work for a joint research project focused on infrastructure conditions in Zanzibar, Tanzania with a fellow MUP!
Fun/ Weird Fact: I’ve flown a plane ✈️

AASU Presents “House Party: Black History Month at 50”

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Black History Month in the US, the AASU organized a series of events.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Piper Auditorium
Description: Black History Month at 50 – Design in the Diaspora

The focus of this conversation will be taking stock of the legacy of Black History Month (BHM) fifty years after its founding at Kent State University in 1970, especially as it pertains to the arts and design. Celebration of BHM in the United States has tended toward uncritical praise of a select group of African-American historical figures. While the achievements and contributions of monumental individuals like Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others cannot be overstated, these figures are often framed quite narrowly, without acknowledging their connection to global movements in the arts and activism in their own times and beyond. 

Kobena Mercer has described diaspora as a cultural force that manifests a “dialogical doubleness,” critiquing modernism’s dependence on purity. Given the significance of the concept of diaspora to the formation of Blackness, how have Black activists, artists, and designers historically forged connections across national and ethnic lines? What impacts have Black cultural movements had across these national and ethnic lines (and vice versa)? How has this interconnectivity been significant to the development of modern art and architecture?

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Location: Gund 510
Description: Navigating Multidisciplinary Spaces with Fitgi Saint-Louis

Join Fitgi Saint-Louis from Gensler for a workshop on working in a multidisciplinary design environment. 

Lunch will be provided.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Time:  6:30 pm
Location: Gund 517
Description: Movie Night with QueersinDesign: Pariah

Alike is a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents and younger sister in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity–sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.

Snacks will be provided.

Thursday, February 20, 2020
Time: 6:30
Location: 42 K
Description: Pray Daddy, A Multimedia Performance

In Pray Daddy, father, son and spirit commune at the crossroads of the body, to exchange letters of love and becoming.
Made in community with Omotara Oluwafemi, scored by Tomal Hossain with the support of the Immersive Realities Lab for the Humanities.

Friday, February 21, 2020
Time: 8:30
Location: 42 K
Description: Pray Daddy, A Multimedia Installation and Afterparty