The American Academy in Rome’s spring exhibition, “June Jordan, The Poetry of Design,” opened with a Conversations/Conversazioni on equity and justice in design, which Jordan helped catalyze by foregrounding the rights and voices of disenfranchised communities. Sean Anderson (2005 Fellow), associate professor of architecture at Cornell University and former Museum of Modern Art curator, and the architect J. Yolande Daniels (2004 Fellow, 2023 Resident), associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discussed the African diaspora’s impact on cities, the role of literature in architecture, and how Jordan paved the way for greater inclusivity in design today, among other topics.

Interim Andrew Heiskell Arts Director Lindsay Harris (2014 Fellow) moderated the discussion, which followed an introduction by AAR President Mark Robbins (1997 Fellow). Attendees also heard remarks from Whitfield Lovell (2019 Resident), whose portrait of Jordan, a gift to the Academy, inspired the exhibition and is a centerpiece of its installation.

This event, presented in person at the Academy as well as on Zoom, was open to the public.

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation generously supports Conversations/Conversazioni at the American Academy in Rome.

“June Jordan, The Poetry of Design” is curated by Lindsay Harris with Lexi Eberspacher, Programs Associate for the Arts. The opening reception for the exhibition took place after the conversation.