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The Museum of Modern Art

Reimagining Blackness and Architecture

Architecture structures our daily lives. It shapes our homes, streets, neighborhoods, cities, and more. But who gets to create and occupy these spaces? In the United States, a long history of anti-Black racism has erased the stories of Black architects and communities and created spatial inequalities that are built into the physical environment. Reimagining Blackness and Architecture explores the relationship between architecture and Blackness as an identity and a lived experience. You’ll hear directly from Black artists, architects, scholars, and writers who reimagine their surroundings and highlight the ways Black makers have changed the world. You’ll see how architects are working to transform American cities into more equitable places, using everything from textiles, hip-hop, and fiction to spices and spaceships. And you’ll hear from an international range of artists who create spaces for their communities and make stories of Black life visible in their work. The course is structured around five themes: Imagination, Care, Knowledge, Refusal, and Liberation. Each week, through original films, audio interviews, and readings, you’ll expand your understanding of architecture as a practice that reaches across time, place, and form. Creative activities and prompts for reflection will encourage you to consider your own role in shaping your communities. Course image credit: Dawoud Bey. A Couple at a Main Street Bus Stop, Rochester, NY. 1989. Gelatin silver print, 11 7/16 × 22 1/16" (29.1 × 56 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the generosity of Ruth Nordenbrook. © 2021 Dawoud Bey

Status: Media and Communications
Status: Design Thinking
BeginnerCourse14 hours

Featured reviews

MG

5.0Reviewed Apr 21, 2021

The course designers did a great job including so much important information in six weeks.

FD

5.0Reviewed Nov 28, 2025

I loved the visuals and videos from the many different architects and creators. It was inspiring and instructional. The courses through MOMA have always been grand.

KK

5.0Reviewed Apr 27, 2021

An engaging, well-paced, critical course. Would recommend to all architects.

AW

5.0Reviewed Apr 13, 2021

Great content and good mix of readings and videos. Made me aware of so many artists and architects and activists that I had never heard of before.

AA

5.0Reviewed Mar 31, 2021

This course was better than I ever imagined. Truly appreciative that I had the opportunity to learn about architecture and art from a whole new perspective. Loved every second.

All reviews

Showing: 11 of 11

Mellisa Severino
5.0
Reviewed May 3, 2022
kYmberly Keeton
5.0
Reviewed Jan 7, 2022
Ansel Colaco
5.0
Reviewed Apr 21, 2021
Ashley A
5.0
Reviewed Apr 1, 2021
Frances Diaz
5.0
Reviewed Nov 29, 2025
Aaron Willis
5.0
Reviewed Apr 13, 2021
Michele Gregory
5.0
Reviewed Apr 22, 2021
Karen Kubey
5.0
Reviewed Apr 27, 2021
Alison Mason
5.0
Reviewed Apr 8, 2022
Brandi Green
5.0
Reviewed Jun 26, 2021
Ana Paula Alves Ribeiro
5.0
Reviewed Aug 7, 2021