For an architectural studio, my class created a traveling exhibition educating people on the life and importance of the noted Black historian: Carter G. Woodson. This exhibition "Blue//Black" invited visitors to explore different narratives and experiences of Woodson’s life. By doing so, "Blue//Black" acted as a platform to bring to light the racial politics and inferiority complexes inset in our society today.
My class ran the exhibit at the University of Virginia Architecture School, inviting guests from Buckingham County to join us. My personal exhibit is now on permanent display at the UVA Equity Center main office.
My individual exhibit highlights the importance of education as a means of empowerment. The visitor sees platforms that grow from stepping stones to a podium, underscoring that the growth of proper education frees Blacks from a system that enslaves and steps upon them to a system that empowers and enables them to advance and lead in society.
The visitor is invited to sit, read, and reflect on the words of Carter G. Woodson and other prominent Black leaders engraved on the sides of the boxes. Visitors are able to take sections of The Mis-Education of the Negro from the podium bookcase and read them. Lastly, the visitor is able to ask questions and share stories with other visitors in order to reflect on their own education.
I built my final construction primarily with poplar wood and slate. Both materials are local to Buckingham County, the birthplace of Carter G. Woodson. I replicated the memorial stone at Woodson's birthplace for the top of the podium. I divided Woodson's book into its 18 sections and reproduced them to live within my exhibit.
