Black Radical Space: The Black School and Bryan C. Lee Jr in conversation

A group of people standing in a circle in a gallery space, with two people at the center working with a geometric structure made of wooden dowels.

The GSD’s Spring 2021 Public Programs are all virtual and require registration.

Scroll down to find complete registration instructions and additional information about accessing the GSD’s programs.

Event Description

Designer and activist Bryan C. Lee, Jr will convene with the founders of The Black School for a conversation about Black radical pedagogical experiments, past, present, and future.  GSD community members Toshiko Mori and Tara Oluwafemi will join for the second half of the program.

Audience members are eligible for 1.5 AIA Continuing Education Learning Units after attending this event. Please visit the AIA website for more information.

Screenshot from a virtual event. Bryan C. Lee Jr. appears in a small square on the right and wears a black shirt. A larger rectangle contains his PowerPoint presentation, which shows three colorful data graphs on paper. Bryan and the PowerPoint are surrounded by a green background.

Screenshot from a virtual event. Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters appear in a small square on the right. A larger rectangle contains their PowerPoint presentation, which shows preliminary designs for their Black Schoolhouse. Shani, Joseph, and the PowerPoint are surrounded by a green background.

Screenshot from a virtual event. Three rectangles show Tara Oluwafemi, Bryan C. Lee Jr., and Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters (together). They are all surrounded by a green background.

Speakers

Based on our commitment to community building and our core principles of Black love, wellness, and self-determination, The Black School’s mission is to promote and extend the legacy of art in Black radical histories by providing innovative education alternatives centered in Black love. Through youth art workshops, community-wide events/programing, and our student-staffed art and design studio, we use art to transform social realities while celebrating Black people’s history and the beauty and ingenuity of our ever-evolving culture.

The Black School (TBS) is an experimental art school teaching Black/POC students and allies to become agents of change through art workshops on radical Black politics and public interventions that address local community needs. TBS was founded by Joseph Cuillier III and Shani Peters in 2016. We are socially engaged artists, designers, and educators with a combined 20 years of relevant experience working at the intersections of K-12/university teaching, art, design, and activism. In five years we have served over 400 students, facilitated over 100 workshops and classes, produced three Black Love Fests, collaborated with more than 40 professional artists, trained and employed 16 design apprentices, and partnered with over 50 organizations. With this foundation of programmatic success, we are now working towards our ultimate goal to build a Black Art School in Joseph’s hometown of New Orleans, LA.

Bryan C. Lee Jr. is the Design Principal of Colloqate and a national Design Justice Advocate. Lee has twelve years of experience in the field of architecture Lee is the founding organizer of the Design Justice Platform and organized the Design As Protest National Day of Action. Bryan has led two award-winning architecture and design programs for high school students through the Arts Council of New Orleans and the National Organization of Minority Architects.

How to Join

Register to attend the lecture here. Once you have registered, you will be provided with a link to join the lecture via Zoom. This link will also be emailed to you.

The event will also be live-streamed to the GSD’s YouTube page. Only viewers who are attending the lecture via Zoom will be able to submit questions for the Q+A. If you would like to submit questions for the speakers in advance of the event, please click here.

Live captioning will be provided during this event. A transcript will be available roughly two weeks after the event, upon request.

Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Public Programs Office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected] in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for American Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance. Please note that the University will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.

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