We were humbled to have worked alongside MoMA in its historical critique of our built environment, and celebration of reimagining of architecture and public space in Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America. RAVA produced nine educational modules about the Black Reconstructions Collective, a group of architects who focus on challenging racism in America’s architecture, public space, and cityscapes. In this series, the team focused primarily on post-production and archival storytelling, and we took a deep dive into historic archives to bring to life the past, present and future of each city in question, contextualizing the collective’s inspirations and motivations behind each project.
WALTER J. HOOD How do you build better futures? Architect Walter J. Hood discusses his project “Black Towers/Black Power,” architecture’s potential to empower people, and ways to design spaces that support a community’s needs.
YOLANDE DANIELS What do we find when we revisit the past? Designer J. Yolande Daniels discusses her project “Black City: The Los Angeles Edition” and the stories she uncovered while researching Black inhabitants throughout the history of Los Angeles.
OLALEKAN JEYIFOUS What if we gave a community everything they needed to thrive? Artist and architect Olalekan Jeyifous discusses his project “The Frozen Neighborhoods” and a vision for a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York where the community develops sustainable practices that support people and the planet.
EMANUEL ADMASSU How do we reclaim the story of a place and the people who made it? Architect Emanuel Admassu discusses his project “Immeasurability” and the story of Atlanta, Georgia as a place that has been shaped by the ordinary spaces of Black life.
MARIO GOODEN What does liberation look like? Architect Mario Gooden discusses his project “The Refusal of Space” and the ongoing histories of Black people in Nashville, Tennessee who occupied the city’s spaces, demanded freedom, and taught us that liberation is a spatial practice.
GERMANE BARNES What do the kitchen, the front porch, and the water surrounding Miami, Florida all have in common? Architect Germane Barnes discusses his project “A Spectrum of Blackness: The Search for Sedimentation in Miami” and the ways Black people in the city shape these different spaces from past to present.
SEKOU COOKE How can we empower people through public space? Architect Sekou Cooke discusses his project “We Outchea: Hip-Hop Fabrications and Public Space” and his vision for transforming a public housing site in Syracuse, New York.
AMANDA WILLIAMS How can we imagine new ways of being? Artist Amanda Williams discusses her project “We’re Not Down There, We’re Over Here,” the history of African American innovation, and the inspirations she found in Kinloch, Missouri to imagine the tools Black people might need to arrive at free Black space.
FELECIA DAVIS How do you build something with your community? Architect Felecia Davis discusses her project “Fabricating Networks: Transmissions and Receptions from Pittsburgh’s Hill District” and the importance of mutual aid in creating free spaces.