A R C H I T E C T U R E

Pandemic Resistant Architecture

Salon Alper Derinbogaz’s project Ecotone is a “pandemic resistant” office designated for Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul. The structure considers communal space, sustainability, public health, and natural disasters. The building integrates nature by employing plants to provide natural ventilation.

A R T

Lwando Dlamini’s Paintings ‘Triumph’

Ebony/Curated is an exhibition space with three locations. In Cape Town, the gallery represents emerging and established African art where Lwando Dlamini’s newest series Triumph is currently showing.

His work addresses violence against Black South African’s and the processes of healing from it. His personal experience with assault has left his vision and memory hindered yet, he shows perseverance in his artwork. Read Amogelang Maledu’s text on Triumph for further context.

RUTH ASAWA FOREVER STAMPS

Ruth Asawa was a California based artist and the daughter of Japanese immigrants. While enduring unimaginable hardship at an internment camp, she focused on drawing and meeting other artists. Consequences of institutionalized racism led her to the famous Black Mountain College where she developed her skills and met her husband, Albert Lanier. She began to gain national recognition in the 1950s and ’60s and is known for creating public art found around her home base of San Francisco. She was a highly regarded teacher, illustrator, and sculpture artist. 

You can now purchase Ruth Asawa edition USPS Forever Stamps. The series features 10 Asawa sculptures and will make for an inexpensive art investment and help to maintain the operation of the United States Postal Service. 

D E S I G N

Middle East and Central Asia Traditional and Modern Crafts

This month Design Milk published an article showcasing the contemporary crafts council, Irthi. Irthi features traditional and modern crafts made by women across the Middle East and Central Asia regions. Irthi has developed five initiatives put into place that create marketing opportunities, offer training, and preserves culture. I highly recommend you browse the virtual gallery space linked here.

Below are my favorite pieces from the 2019 London Design Fair.

Click here to view a complete catalog of the work by Irthi designers.

P E O P L E

Luchita Hurtado

Luchita Hurtado passed away on August 13th, she was a 99-year old experimental abstract painter. Her work is described as spiritual surrealism.

In an interview with Anna Furman last year for The New York Times, she is quoted explaining her ideology of passing on. “It’s not death; it’s a border that we cross. I don’t think I’ll be able to come back and tell you, but if I can, I’ll find a way. If you suddenly see a pink ceiling, that’s me.” Referencing the pink ceiling she remembered waking up to every day as a child.

Sola Olosunde

Sola Olosunde publishes archives of Black history, emphasizing New York City’s. In an article by Iman Stevenson for The New York Times, Olosunde explains that sharing his findings on social media is a way to give nearly anyone a chance to learn. He sources from the New York Public Library, through folks willing to share, and so on. One day he hopes to create a museum, I look forward to that.

Olosunde often sources inspiring creative work by Black artists like Winifred Hall Allen who documented the Harlem Renaissance. On his Twitter, he shares film images and footage that offer an impactful view of the past, in turn informing our future. To help support his efforts, I urge you to contribute what you can to his Cash App $solasystem and his Patreon.

Accompanied by Winifred Hall Allen's photograph Olosunde's post reads:

Winifred Hall Allen was a New York photographer who moved to the city from Jamaica and opened her photo studio in Harlem. She chose not to exhibit her work and burned most of her negatives because she thought they had no value.