The Nexus

The core of environmental practice is a resonance with the land at the register of the self and with concern for sustaining the productivity of the land for generations to come. Across the Black Belt South and Appalachia, Black women have been stewarding the cultural practice of memory and kinship to their daughters and children to come. The generations of learning have fortified Black approaches to land management and pra...

“Architecture as a cultural expression” informs the intangible pull for many Black architects, less concerned with the building and recontextualizing architecture as cultural heritage. Narratives, stories, archival work, and politics animate the interests of Cousin-Wilson’s practice of architecture. The parallelism of architecture and curation can be understood in how these disciplines distill, select, and co-manage the pr...

The discipline of graphic design has been a fundamental, but often siloed, facet of design practice. Stylistic typography, color choice, and composition have spoken in the stead of Black designers. Graphic design has co-created any traceable history of the Black aesthetic into the material. Conceptualizing the intricacies, logics, intentions, and visual modes of Black graphic designers works to define and make reference to...

When considering the exemplars of the vernacular, not often is the sonic a legitimate domain of design. For Blackness, it has been a crucial method of imagining, visualizing, storytelling, humanizing, or making sense of the world we inhabit. The translation of the experiences within life into comprehensible sonic pleasures is a ritual across the Diaspora. From the township’s birth of Amapiano, and the project’s birth of Hi...

Music remains one of the most intact genealogical records of Blackness. Across the diaspora, music has been a critical asset in maintaining culture, preserving experiences and communicating a sonic epistemology derived from the material condition of being Black. The celebratory, reflective, impassioned, and downtrodden moods throughout the canon of Black music articulate a unique spectrum of the ways that Black people have...

Educators and curators Mpho Matsipa and Antawan Byrd delve into Pan-Africanism, counternarratives, and the transformative power of art and archives. Matsipa’s “African Mobilities” challenges conventional representation, while Byrd explores diaspora narratives. They discuss the impact of mobility and knowledge, innovative archiving, and the broader implications of Pan-Africanism in shaping diverse voices within the art and ...

The practices of Akil and Seth Scafe Smith from RESOLVE Collective and filmmaker Ama Gisèle explore the fascinating realm where design transcends boundaries, drawing inspiration from a myriad of artistic disciplines and visual cultures. As they redefine ‘local’ in architecture, they engage with profound questions of identity and representation.  Through Gisèle’s experimental documentary, “Convergence,” and Akil and Seth’s ...

Kennedy Yanko, a sculptor, and installation artist and Camille Bacon, a Chicago-based writer, explore the intersections of art, spirituality, and abstraction. Kennedy’s innovative use of found metal and paint skin pushes the boundaries of visual perception, while Camille’s writing delves deep into the world of Black feminist practices and their connection to aesthetics. Join them They discuss the transformative power of ab...

Nifemi Marcus-Bello, an industrial designer known for his community-led approach and Curry J. Hackett, a transdisciplinary designer, and public artist, explore the intricate relationships between culture, narrative, and place in design. They delve into the significance of mobility and its connection to Black identities, while also discussing their engagement with urbanism, landscape, and materiality. Through the lens of hi...

Sean Canty’s architectural practice is deeply rooted in and draws from other artistic disciplines and visual cultures. By expanding his source of references beyond the field of Architecture, Canty draws from visionaries like Basquiat to integrate questions of identity and representation in subtle ways. His work pushes us to ask how we can create spaces that honor and reflect on tragic moments in the past while bringing joy...

Lesley Lokko questions the efficacy of a problem-based architectural education and suggests a new pedagogy that liberates the students’ relationship to design. Looking to fiction, metaphor, analogy, Africa, and industries in the larger design sphere, we discuss the possibilities to expand the bounds of the field of Architecture.

Lesley Lokko graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University...

Dana McKinney describes her time at the GSD as a balancing act of being a student and an activist. She shares the journey that started the African American Design Nexus, the Black in Design conference, and other initiatives she was essential to founding at the GSD. We learn how she has continued her work as an activist in her architectural practice.

Dana is an architect and urban planner, who is an out...