J. Max Bond Jr. Lecture, “Monumental Matters | Public Space & Collective Memory”
- Max Bond Jr. Lecture, “Monumental Matters | Public Space & Collective Memory”
WHEN: Friday, October 20th, 2017, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: Center for Architecture, 536 Laguardia Place, New York, NY 10012
RSVP: Click HERE to RSVP
Join the New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (nycobaNOMA) and the AIANY Diversity and Inclusion Committee for “Monumental Matters | A Conversation about Public Spaces & Collective Memory” presented as the 2017 J. Max Bond Lecture an annual series of design talks in memory of J. Max Bond Jr., FAIA, NOMA. Monumental Matters with a focus on movements and public space, this will be an open dialogue about how our sense of history changes and how we live with multiple narratives around that history.
Speakers:
Rodney Leon, AIA, NOMA, Founder and Principal of Rodney Leon Architects
Kamau Ware, Founder & Lead Creative of Black Gotham Experience
Bryan C. Lee Jr., Founder/Director at Colloqate Design
Karyn Olivier, Award winning Artist
Moderator: Ifeoma Ebo, Senior Design Advisor, Mayors Office of Criminal Justice
Rodney Leon, AIA, NOMA, founder and principal of Rodney Leon Architects PLLC has an architectural background as a designer on a diversity of building types including housing, churches and transportation projects in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Leon is the designer of the African Burial Ground Memorial in New York City which is the only National Monument in the United States dedicated to the contributions of people of African descent. Mr. Leon has focused his professional efforts and developed an expertise in modern “Culturally Contextual” design, Master Planning and Mixed Use Housing Development for faith based and international development organizations.Current projects include the Gospel Assembly Church, the King Emmanuel Baptist Church Senior Housing and Community Center and the historic Convent Avenue Baptist Church expansion. In addition, Mr. Leon has developed and is partnering with manufacturers to design and implement sustainable “Green” housing development models for emerging global economies. The first such project is the 24 acre, mixed use “Belle Rive” Residential Development in Jacmel, Haiti. Mr. Leon is also currently developing a Master Planning solution for Haiti centered upon the concept of Memorialization and Re-forestation entitled “The HiBIscus Project.” In addition, Mr. Leon is involved in a professional collaboration with 3 other architects on efforts to provide transitional housing for displaced families in Haiti through an initiative entitled the “Haiti SOFTHOUSE.”
Mr. Leon received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1992 and his Masters of Architecture from Yale University in 1995. He has also been a Visiting Design professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture from 1998 to 2003. He has served as 2nd Year Design Coordinator for Pratt in 2003 and is currently serving as an Adjunct Professor of Advanced Design since 2009.
Kamau Ware, Black Gotham Experience is the flagship project of Kamau Studios LLC – a storystyle photography lab based in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We specialize in narrating powerful photography-based visual stories for families, artists, brands, and non-profit organizations. This includes studio sessions, special events, and short films. Creatives on the Kamau Studios team include founder Kamau Ware, Geneva L. White, Kenneth Dixon, Justin J., Berry, Tann Parker, and Studio Assistant Laikyn Fishburne.
Bryan C. Lee Jr., Bryan is a Designer and Design Justice Advocate. He is the founder/Director of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit multidisciplinary design practice dedicated to expanding community access to design and creating spaces of racial, social and cultural equity. Lee most recently served as the Place + Civic Design Director for the Arts Council of New Orleans and prior to that at the 2014 AIA National Firm of the Year, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (Architecture) in New Orleans.
Bryan is the founding organizer of the Design Justice Platform and organized the Design As Protest National day of Action. Additionally, he has led two award winning architecture + design programs for high school students through the Arts Council (local) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (national), respectively. He serves on several boards; most notably as the Design Education Chair National NOMA board and on the National AIA Equity + the Future of Architecture Committee. He was selected as the 2014 NOMA member of the year, 2015 Next City Vanguard Fellow, 2015 International British American Project Fellow. In 2016, Bryan was selected to give a TED Talk and to Keynote at SXSW Eco on Design Justice.
Organized by: AIANY Diversity and Inclusion Committee and New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (nycobaNOMA)
Price: Free for students, AIA and NOMA members; $10 for the general public