Lectures: Black Spaces Matter

2016 Fall Lecture and Event Series

Black Spaces Matter: Exploring the Aesthetics and Architectonics of an Abolitionist Neighborhood

2016-17 Creative Economy Initiative Fund Grant

The seaport city of New Bedford, the home of many pre-Civil War fugitive slaves and abolitionists, provides a lens through which to explore the history of interracial urban zones in the US. This project will highlight the significance of urban neighborhoods that were home to fugitives from the South, including the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The project entitled, Black Spaces Matter: Exploring the Aesthetics and Architectonics of an Abolitionist Neighborhood will include a lecture series, an architecture exhibition and documentary film.

UMassD Professor Pamela Karimi (Art History Department) and Professor Michael Swartz (Visual Design Department) and in collaboration with the community experts Lee Blake (director of New Bedford Historical Society), Don Burton (filmmaker), and Jennifer McGrory (architect) are spearheading this exciting Creative Economy Initiative funded project. Pedram Karimi (architect) and Hannah Gadbois (Art Historian) are assistants to this project.