Design Thinkers Archive

Yes Barbara Laurie once was my student–many moons ago–when I taught at Howard University’s School of Architecture. She even imitated me once at a Faculty Roast- wearing my trademark fluorescent orange polka dot stockings and dragging a briefcase full of plans behind her. Bright, classy, smart— a real go-getter with a wry sense of humor. Students loved her tenacity and faculty admired her ambition.  Barbara was always polite and crisply dressed. This, coupled with her inquiring mind and highly disciplined manner, made her a role model to many aspiring young architects.  When she graduated from Howard, her next goal was to learn how to put a “real” building  together. With Deverouax and Purnell Architects, she found true mentors who believed in her value and who embraced her every professional desire. For Barabra, D+P was a dream come true. And with D+P’s  staunch yet unwavering support, Barbara quietly and studiously climbed the ranks of the firm from student intern to full partner, seemingly overnight!

It was not lost on us that when Marshall Purnell, FAIA became the first African American President of the American Institute of Architects– surely Barbara Laurie was being groomed to become the first Black female president of that same organization. Not only did Barbara climb the ladder to success within the firm, but she also was a keen proponent of outreach and community service. She gave back to Howard University, her Alma Mater, in innumerable ways. Always grateful for the education it had imparted to her.

Once upon a time, in 1988, Ms. Laurie actively participated in the first National Conference on Black Women in Architecture: A Sense of Achievement. I, as faculty advisor to women, directed this ground breaking conference under a grant from AIA with support for Dean Harry G. Robinson III. There, she met keynote speaker Norma Sklarek (one of the first black women to be licensed in the USA). She also met 200 other black women in architecture 13 states and 3 foreign nations. Barbara never forgot that experience and years later, she and Kathy Prigmore FAIA, picked up the mantle to create the Vortex Program once again encouraging black women to pursue their grandest dreams in architecture and design. Fully equipped with graphs, charts and many smiles, she kept keen statistics on Black women and their contributions to the profession of architecture, cross country.

Over the years, I loved seeing Barb at NOMA conferences–Once we met each other on an elevator and that one coincidence turned into a four hour conversation about the profession and the roles each of us wished to play in making change to the profession. What fun, what humor, what dedication. I recently spent quality time with Barb once again at the Detroit NOMA Conference, witnessing an entourage of students wildly seeking her advisement. When last in DC, she scooped me up-so that we could chat about old times and new ideas. Today, I wish her a loving farewell with great sadness–but soon she will go forth with white crisp angel wings to build even more award winning castles in the sky. May the Creator, forever, be pleased with the kindness of her soul and the goodness of her work.

Sincerely,

Renee Kemp-Rotan

‪As the largest racial minority group in the United States, the influence of African-Americans on the nation’s culture is pervasive‬. With a collective buying power estimated to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015, Black consumers remain at the forefront of social trends and media consumption, according to the new African-Americans: Still Vital, Still Growing 2012 Report—the second installment to The State of the African-American Consumer Report released last year, a collaboration with Nielsen and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

Read More here:

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/report-african-americans-still-vital-and-growing-in-the-us/

by Kenzie Bryant

Tracy Reese is a crazy busy designer these days. She’s put out yet anothercollection for Anthropologie’s Made in Kind capsule, she just finished theTarget/Neiman Marcus Holiday collab-o-pocalypse, and she’s fielding a massive spike in sales since Michelle Obama donned her colorful fit-and-flare frock for the Democratic National Convention. So what has she learned from the whole whirlwind adventure? That e-commerce holds the secret to everything. Sort of. Reese explains it better after the jump.

Read the recent of the article here:

http://racked.com/archives/2012/10/05/what-michelle-obama-taught-tracy-reese-about-ecommerce.php

This fall, BDNN decided to stream the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Shows in New York. It’s our first leap into video, so ENJOY.

We will like to thank:

Black Design News Network (BDNN) seeks writers and bloggers

Black Design News Network (BDNN) is the premier black design content website and voice of black designers world-wide features four key service components: a news bureau, online publication, digital library and ‘workspace’ hub for designers.

We cover:

• Architecture
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Writers and bloggers must have experience, a point of view and ability to locate and access to innovative black designers globally. BDNN is about thinking, critically. BDNN is about reporting, collectively. BDNN is about communicating, digitally.

BDNN is the new, hip, hot, black design clearinghouse. BDNN is a news bureau that only collects intellectual capital to invest in projects that bring fair return on cultural imagination as our greatest investment. BDNN is about the power of design ideas to change global attitudes, impact lives and  sustain cultures.

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