https://www.blackimagination.com Black Imagination Sat, 23 Apr 2022 20:47:24 +0000 https://www.blackimagination.com en https://www.blackimagination.com/welcome Wed, 01 Sep 2021 23:37:31 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/welcome html body {width: 100%;height: 100%;padding: 0px;margin: 0px;overflow: hidden;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;color: #6e6e6e;background-color: #000;} #preview-frame {width: 100%;background-color: #000;} #site_menu_wrapper { display:none; } #preview-frame { height: 100% !important; width: 100% !important; position: fixed; z-index: 999999999; left:0px; top:0px; background-color:#000 !important; } .welcome { height: 100% !important; width: 100% !important; position: fixed; z-index: 999999999; left:0px; top:0px; background-color:#000 !important; } //function to fix height of iframe! var calcHeight = function() { //var headerDimensions = 0; //$('#header-bar').height(); $('#preview-frame').height($(window).height()); } $(document).ready(function() { calcHeight(); /*$('#header-bar a.close').mouseover(function() { $('#header-bar a.close').addClass('activated'); }).mouseout(function() { $('#header-bar a.close').removeClass('activated'); });*/ }); $(window).resize(function() { calcHeight(); }).load(function() { calcHeight(); }); var urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search); var myParam = urlParams.get("back"); if(myParam == "true") { document.getElementById("preview-frame").src="https://welcome.blackimagination.com/?back=true"; } https://www.blackimagination.com/oral-history111 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 23:16:42 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/oral-history111 html body {width: 100%;height: 100%;padding: 0px;margin: 0px;overflow: hidden;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;color: #6e6e6e;background-color: #000;} #preview-frame {width: 100%;background-color: #000;} #preview-frame { height: 100% !important; width: 100% !important; position: fixed; z-index: 999999999; left:0px; top:0px; background-color:#000 !important; } .welcome { height: 100% !important; width: 100% !important; position: fixed; z-index: 999999999; left:0px; top:0px; background-color:#000 !important; } //function to fix height of iframe! var calcHeight = function() { //var headerDimensions = 0; //$('#header-bar').height(); $('#preview-frame').height($(window).height()); } $(document).ready(function() { calcHeight(); /*$('#header-bar a.close').mouseover(function() { $('#header-bar a.close').addClass('activated'); }).mouseout(function() { $('#header-bar a.close').removeClass('activated'); });*/ }); $(window).resize(function() { calcHeight(); }).load(function() { calcHeight(); }); https://www.blackimagination.com/Survey Sat, 23 Apr 2022 20:47:24 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/Survey https://www.blackimagination.com/about-1 Mon, 07 Jun 2021 22:08:18 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/about-1 .questions { font-family:"NB-Akademie-Medium"; font-size:1.3rem; line-height:1.5rem !important; } Black Imagination&nbsp; is an act of liberation. Whether in the built environment, urban planning, or social domain, the world we find ourselves in has been designed.&nbsp; By whom?&nbsp; For whom?&nbsp; All design is predictive, meaning the designer assumes the burden of foreseeing the utility of any given system, and rarely is there a modular function embedded for the end user to adjust to their needs. In a world not designed with us in mind, Black people have continually hacked, remixed, and jerry-rigged the spaces, objects, and ideas that we confront, and in that process, have not only brought about our own deliverance, but that of others as well. Origins The Institute is a learning framework, designed to foster critical discourse around the exclusionary nature of design, particularly in the built environment. It originated in 2018 as a library.&nbsp; A library built around an acquisition of over 1,900 books from the personal archives of the great multi-hyphenate artist Geoffrey Holder.&nbsp; As a dancer, choreographer, graphic artist, costume designer, actor, stage director, photographer, musician, composer, singer, sculptor, writer, and producer, Mr. Holder was Black imagination personified.&nbsp; In 2020, the Institute developed a podcast to incorporate Black and Brown voices around the broader concept of design thinking.&nbsp; However, the podcast transcends any one discipline, we each contributor forming a constellation in the galaxy of the Black Imagination.About this platform. What happens when you lose access to your imagination? What future lies ahead when dreaming has become a luxury good? Built by an international team of creators and storytellers, this site was designed to actively engage the user, returning the agency of exploration to the individual. It's an interactive portal into a world of Black vision and thought: ever shifting, ever expanding. Play in the galaxy. Expand the sphere of the podcast player. And keep coming back… there will always be something new for you to discover. Leadership The Institute is a fiscally sponsored organization in a two-year pilot phase.&nbsp; It remains nimble with only two senior members managing the creative vision (Dario Calmese) and business and legal operations (Tiffani Brown). Who is Dario Calmese? Sitting at the nexus of art, fashion, and academia, Dario is an artist, writer, director and brand consultant. He received his master’s in photography from the School of Visual Arts and his bachelor’s in psychology at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.&nbsp; Classically trained in the performing arts, he uses his knowledge of movement, gesture, and psychology to create complex characters and narratives that explore history, race, class, and what it means to be human. In 2020 he made history as the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for Vanity Fair in it’s 106-year history with his portrait of Oscar-winning actress, Viola Davis. 2020 also saw the launch of his widely-acclaimed podcast, The Institute of Black Imagination, featuring conversations from the Pool of Black Genius through the lens of design. Dario serves on the global advisory board for Estee Lauder Companies and is a professor at The New School’s Parson’s School of Design in New York City. He is currently a NYC Urban Design Forum Fellow and his show direction for the fashion brand Pyer Moss has been consistently hailed in Vogue and The New York Times as the “Best show of Fashion Month.” For&nbsp; any question or potential interview requests, write to: info@blackimagination.org https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-01 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 21:29:44 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-01 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } Today’s episode is with TJ Walker, one of the co-founders of the pioneering streetwear brand, Cross Colours.&nbsp; Cross Colours blasted onto the urban fashion scene in the late 80’s, and their bright colors, loose silhouettes, and inspiring message, “Clothing Without Prejudice” presaged the launch of a string of urban streetwear brands like Karl Kani, FuBu, and Phat Farm.&nbsp; Cross Colours came to define the 90s, worn by every musical icon of the era like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, Mary J Blige, TLC, and most famously Will Smith while on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The brand has had a resurgence recently, especially after Bruno Mars and Cardi B wore Cross Colours during the 2018 Grammy Awards. In this episode we discuss TJ’s path from a farm in Mississippi to designing for one of the most profitable Black businesses of his time (2:34), how he actually got those clothes on Will Smith (16:30), why their slogan, “Clothing without Prejudice” still resonates 2 decades later (29:07), and a new initiative he’s started with costume designer Ruth Carter, who most recently won the Academy Award for her costume design for Marvel’s Black Panther(38:10). Thank you so much for listening, and if you enjoyed this conversation,, shout us out on social, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, which is super helpful! please share it out over social media. and let him know your favorite part of our conversation together. Thank you all so much for tuning in today, I hope this show brought a lot of value to you.&nbsp; If you enjoyed, please share it out over social media with your friends and loved ones. Tag me at @blackimaginationpodcast on instagram, and shoutout our boy TJ Walker @tjwalkerofficial. We have so many amazing episodes coming your way, so be sure to subscribe wherever you receive your podcasts, and be sure to rate us over on iTunes, which helps out a lot! Keep Dreaming! Support this podcast https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-02 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:23:14 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-02 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar Today’s episode is with architect, designer, and scholar, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson. Doing double-duty as a Professor of Architecture and as Associate Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, both at Columbia University, Dr. Wilson is not your traditional designer of buildings. Her trans-disciplinary practice extends well beyond the built environment in to the worlds of curation, performance, art, and cultural history. In today’s episode we discuss how Mabel’s problems fitting in as a young architect led to designing her own path to success (5:40), her advice for young architectural students (9:00), what Beyonce stole from her (21:30), the ways in which design and structures have been used to create the concepts of both blackness and whiteness (26:26), the radical change needed for an equitable America (32:27), the invisibility of Black women (35:00) and how mass incarceration not only tied a generation of Black men to a failing capitalist state, but left a generation of Black women without partners (49:40). Links we mention in the episode: Mabel's Instagram: @studio_and Her new book: Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support Image credit: Mabel O. Wilson, Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia GSAPP. Courtesy Dario Calmese Support this podcast https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-10 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:39:14 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-10 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } Tarell Alvin McCraney on living freely: “I’m starting a new chapter where I try to live and be as free as possible rather than be chained to survival mode.” What makes a person become a writer? An Academy award-winning, playwright, actor and co-writer of the 2016 film ‘Moonlight,’ Tarell Alvin McCraney likens writing more as a survival instinct, rather than a calling. Growing up with a constant feeling that change was imminent, Tarell found a way to take hold of that narrative, and rewrite it. <img width="600" height="400" width_o="600" height_o="400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6cce0524be56efe95c59d9452a694a930ae273eb48b676f0c93b5082fd917cb7/image.jpeg" data-mid="110786832" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/600/i/6cce0524be56efe95c59d9452a694a930ae273eb48b676f0c93b5082fd917cb7/image.jpeg" /> Tarell began writing the first draft of ‘In Moonlight black boys look blue’&nbsp; which later became the source material for the Oscar-winning movie, “Moonlight” with director Barry Jenkins.&nbsp; He describes it as an effort of piecing together the scapes of memories that he had about who he was, who his mother thought he was, and who he could become. In January of 2019, his Tony and Drama Desk award-winning play, Choir Boy debuted on broadway, and later that year, he made his television debut as writer and executive producer of the critically acclaimed series, “David Makes Man” on Oprah’s OWN network. In 2020, it won the prestigious Peabody Award, a first for the network. And lest he stops to catch his breath, Tarell also serves as the chair of the playwriting department at the Yale School Of Drama. Here are some highlights… On His Super Hero Story: “When you grow up knowing that, that shift, that change is ever-present and can fall one way or another, it’s sorta something you begin to survive rather than live” (7:37) On the Internal Journey: “If you look around and see change happening all the time and you can’t imagine yourself in it, then you begin to write yourself into stories” On the Power of Word and Text: “Words are powerfully limiting in that we are often grasping, throwing, pulling at, shaking up vocal sounds, to form, to shape, sometimes the unimaginable, the unquantifiable, the unpalatable things that are ephemeral feelings” On the way, Spirit informs the Diaspora: “Because capitalism is the zeitgeist or spiritual animism of the United States, it interferes with a real look at spiritual and the understanding and investigation of that which is free” On the Power of Naming Yourself: “That’s what all religion, history, methodology, cosmology, are about trying to put some order to the world we live in through theses ideas of stories” On the Idea of The Wounded Healer: “Empathy, If you too have been wounded, you know why it is necessary to heal” On Advice to Young Writers: “There’s moment’s where you have to be still enough in what you’re doing recognize when you are doing what’s right for you and your work and your path” Links we mention in the episode: Tarell's Instagram: @octarell_again David Makes Man on OWN: www.oprah.com Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small. Support this podcast https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-11 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 20:09:18 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-11 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } What is a Fiber artist? Currently represented by the galleries Various Small Fires in LA, and Jack Shainman in New York, Diedrick is, and I quote” best known for his woven tapestries that explore allegory and narrative through the artist’s autobiography, broader themes of African American and queer identity, as well as American history. Brackens employs techniques from West African weaving, quilting from the American South and European tapestry-making to create both abstract and figurative works.” In 2018 Diedrick was awarded the prestigious Studio Museum Wein Prize, and made his New York Institutional debut in 2019 at the New Museum with his Exhibition, “darling Divined.” His current body of work, “Blessed are the MOsquitos” explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on the black queer community. Here are some highlights… On his origin story: “My parents were just like- packrat, that’s how they saw it. But I was like, no I’m like making things, building stuff, I’m kind of creating this little universe - I always was just like fascinated by my own thoughts and ideas about how the world worked or what kind of fantasy I could construct out of this junk” (5:49) On his first encounter with creativity: “I think I knew that I was going to write very early, and I wanted to write creatively. And I think somehow as I went along, I just was in these spaces where I don’t think you’re encouraged to write as a child, you have to know how to write, you have to write this essay like you’re writing for a particular type of information, you’re not writing as a tool of self-expression. So I think there was no avenue as a small child that cultivated that thing so I moved into art” (9:11) On how he approaches a new piece: “For me, it comes out of thinking about my experiences of the world and what I have lacked or been rewarded with. How to make an image out of that” (24:34) On the advantages and disadvantages of growing up without mentors: “Mentors and I also wanna say like fathership; mentors who serve a specific role around like what is it going to look like in 30 years, or what should I be doing right now, or how do I navigate the world that I live in right now” (26:02) On his relationship with his father: “I think of that both in the role of a biological father but like this person who has actually lived it. And I remember my dad would always saying, ‘There’s nothing new under the sun, I mean now I’m like maybe Links we mention in the episode: Diedrick's Instagram: @deedsweaves Link to Diedrick's work: https://jackshainman.com/artists/diedrick_brackens Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small. Support this podcast https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-13 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 21:55:50 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-13 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } Today’s episode is with titan of American fashion, André Leon Talley. Raised in Durham North Carolina by his grandmother, Andre’s love for fashion began at an early age, with his discovery of magazines like Vogue and Harper Bazaar, giving him access to worlds and visions beyond the segregated Jim Crow South. A star student, Andre received a full scholarship to Brown University to study French literature, after completing his undergraduate degree at local HBCU, North Carolina Central University. Although he came from humble beginnings, André’s meteoric rise through the editorial mastsheads of fashion's most prominent publications, speak not only to his fine-tuned intellect, but also a keen... social intelligence; navigating the dominantly white front rows of the fashion industry for decades. Beginning with an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with legendary fashion editor and life-long mentor, Diana Vreeland, he went on to work at Andy Warhol’s Factory and Interview magazine. Later stints at Women’s Wear Daily, W Magazine, and the The New York Times, prepared him for his influential role atop the masthead as creative director of American Vogue in 1988, making him the highest ranking Black person in fashion journalism. In 2003 He published his first memoir, ALT, and his current book, “The Chiffon Trenches,” which offers a candid window into his professional and personal struggles, was released May of 2020. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and his documentary, “The Gospel According to Andre” by director Kim Novak, was released in the US in 2018. This conversation with Andre was recorded just two day ago, but felt so relevant and pressing that we decided to release part one for you today.&nbsp; We speak of Andre’s life in the Jim Crow South, his introduction into America’s upper class at Brown University, how fashion served as armor to shield him his serial childhood sexual abuse, and I, for the first time publicly, speak of my own. Please enjoy Part ONE of this wide-ranging interview with my friend and Mentor, Andre Leon Talley. Links we mention in the episode: Andre's Instagram: @andreltalley His Latest Book: The Chiffon Trenches Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small. Support this podcast https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-14 Tue, 08 Jun 2021 20:24:21 +0000 Black Imagination https://www.blackimagination.com/episode-14 .caixa2 { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; cursor:pointer; } .caixa2:hover { border: 1px solid #fff; padding:40px; margin-bottom:10px; background-color:#fff; color:#000; cursor:pointer; } Today’s episode is with American dancer and choreographer, Kyle Abraham. Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, into a home of loving and supportive parents, Kyle’s family instilled in him the sense that he could do and achieve anything. He discovered his love for dance in his late teens after being cast in his highschool musical, Once on This Island, later receiving his Bachlors of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase and his Masters in Fine Arts from New York University. This all sounds lovely and quaint, but Mr. Abraham is a force to be reckoned with. After performing with a number of prestigious companies, including the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, he founded his own namesake company in 2006: Abraham in Motion, now known as AIM. And it is here, where Kyle has created many of his critically acclaimed pieces including ‘The Radio Show’ and ‘Pavement’ which, inspired by John Singleton’s 1991 film, Boyz In The Hood,truly exemplifies his seemingly eclectic style. Like a writer of prose, Kyle weaves together memories of his childhood in Pittsburgh along with the impact of violence within black communities , with a dash of WEB Dubois, with a dose of Jacquel Brel and Johann Christian Bach. He’s choreographed for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet. He’s worked with Misty Copeland and Beyonce. He’s a Princess Grace Statue award recipient, and a Doris Duke award recipient, and a Bessie Award recipient, and a United States, Artist Fellow, and a Macarthur “Genius” Fellow and, well, you get the picture. Recorded safely and remotely, this conversation explores Kyle’s journey to dance, how he deals with his own insecurities, what it’s like being fired by one of your heroes, how to balance empathy and ambition, and his journey back to dance after an extended hiatus. It is with great pleasure to introduce to you, a master of his craft, Kyle Abraham, to the IBI podcast. Here are some highlights: On his relationship with dance: “Dance is actually my longest relationship, sometimes an unhealthy one but um I think I’m actually in love with dance in some way.” On the question dance answers for him: “It’s really a question of who I am and how I feel um because we hold so much history in our bodies and along with that history we can hold so much joy, sure, but a lot of sadness for someone like me um and a lot of struggle and I think you can see that when you watch me dance, the struggle.” On how he deals with insecurities: “For me, it’s honoring my parents and those aunts and uncles that, you know, aren’t blood relatives but you still call them aunt and uncle. And so thinking about how they interacted with each other in the early to mid 80’s um just trying to live in the richness of kind of ownership that they possessed um so you can’t really be insecure and do that successfully.” Kyle's Instagram:&nbsp; @kyle_abraham_original_recipe A.I.M. Website: aimbykyleabraham.org Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend&nbsp; @blackimaginationpodcast. Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small. Support this podcast