The Institute of Black Imagination.

E100. What If We Get It Right? with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

dario — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Episode Overview:

In this milestone 100th episode of the Institute of Black Imagination podcast, we sit down with the incomparable Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson—marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and visionary climate futurist. Co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, The All We Can Save Project, and co-creator of the podcast How to Save a Planet, Dr. Johnson is at the forefront of reimagining a climate future rooted in justice, imagination, and care.

In this expansive conversation, we explore how the ocean is central to climate solutions, how storytelling intersects with science, and what’s possible when we lead with joy. From co-authoring the Blue New Deal to her most recent book, What If We Get It Right?, Dr. Johnson invites us to reframe our climate fears into courageous vision.

What We Discussed

Imagination is a political tool for climate justice
Hope is strategy in What If We Get It Right?
Urban Ocean Lab is rethinking coastal cities
Women’s leadership drives climate solutions
Black imagination reshapes the ocean’s narrative

Dispatches from the Archive

E93. Imagining Diasporic Retrofutures with Olalekan Jeyifous Explore speculative architecture and Afro-futurism as artist Olalekan Jeyifous reimagines urban landscapes, challenging conventional notions of beauty and success in architecture.

E38. Toni L. Griffin: The Just City Urban planner Toni L. Griffin discusses the concept of "The Just City," focusing on designing urban spaces that are equitable, inclusive, and reflective of diverse communities.

E48. Sara Zewde: Parks and Liberation Landscape architect Sara Zewde delves into the intersection of public spaces and cultural narratives, emphasizing how parks and landscapes can serve as platforms for liberation and community identity.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture Architect Sekou Cooke introduces the concept of Hip-Hop Architecture, exploring how the ethos of hip-hop culture can inform and transform architectural practices and urban design.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space Urban designer Justin Garrett Moore discusses the importance of imagining and creating Black spaces that honor cultural heritage, foster community, and challenge systemic inequalities.

A Playlist Inspired by the Conversation

Optimistic – Sounds of Blackness – Because joy and action can coexist.
Everything Is Everything – Lauryn Hill – A nod to interconnectedness and time.
Swim Good – Frank Ocean – A deep and symbolic dive into the currents of escape, healing, and emotional truth.
Alright – Kendrick Lamar – The rally cry that keeps communities moving.
Freedom – Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar – For the fierce spirit of climate justice.

Books to Complement This Conversation

What If We Get It Right? – Ayana Elizabeth Johnson A visionary call to imagine and build the world we want to live in, rather than focusing solely on preventing disaster.
All We Can Save – Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine Wilkinson A powerful anthology of essays, poetry, and art by women climate leaders offering climate solutions with heart.
The Climate Book – Edited by Greta Thunberg (featuring Johnson’s essay) An essential compendium of climate insights from global experts, including a compelling essay by Dr. Johnson.
Emergent Strategy – adrienne maree brown – On adaptation as revolution A guide to building movements and futures through adaptability, decentralization, and relational work.
The Intersectional Environmentalist – Leah Thomas – For deeper equity in ecology A foundational text on climate justice that centers marginalized voices and offers inclusive strategies for ecological action.

Resources & Links:

🔗 Urban Ocean Lab

🔗 All We Can Save Project

🔗 Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s Website

🔗 What If We Get It Right Podcast www.getitright.earth/podcast

🔗 Instagram @ayanaeliza

🔗 X @ayanaeliza

Join & Support Our Community

If this dialogue resonated with you, sparked inspiration, or offered a new perspective, we’d love your support! Here’s how you can help us keep these powerful stories alive:

🎧 Subscribe & Review – Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review! Your words help more people discover these conversations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, family, and community. Let’s keep the dialogue going!

💬 Engage With Us – Follow us on social media and join the conversation @blackimagination on Instagram & Twitter. We’d love to hear your thoughts, takeaways, and what topics you want to explore next.

💜 Support the Work – Love what we’re creating? Help us sustain and grow by making a contribution! Whether it’s a one-time donation or becoming a patron, every bit fuels our mission. Click here to support us.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your voice, your presence, and your support make all the difference! ✨

Until next time, stay curious, and keep dreaming.

E99. Blood Memories with Gina Paige Co-Founder of AfricanAncestry.com

dario — Sun, 11 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Episode Overview:

In this episode of The Institute of Black Imagination, host Dario Calmese sits down with Gina Paige, the co-founder of African Ancestry, to explore the transformative power of knowing your roots. For over two decades, Gina has pioneered DNA ancestry tracing for people of African descent, helping countless individuals reclaim their lineage and reshape their identities.

Gina shares her personal journey—what sparked her passion for genealogy, how her work is changing lives, and why ancestry is more than just science—it’s a cultural and spiritual homecoming. If you’ve ever wondered where you come from or how your history shapes your future, this conversation is for you.

What We Discussed

Knowing Your Roots Shapes Your Identity
DNA Can Reconnect Us to Lost Histories
Ancestry is More Than Just Genetics—It’s Culture
Representation in Genealogy Matters
Knowing Your Past Helps Shape Your Future

A Playlist Inspired by the Conversation

1. “I Am Light” – India.Arie- A soulful meditation on self-worth and inner identity, this song beautifully echoes the idea that we are more than just our history—we are light, love, and legacy.

2. “Black Man” – Stevie Wonder- A powerful anthem celebrating the global contributions of Black people throughout history, reinforcing the importance of knowing where we come from.

3. “My People” – Angie Stone - This song is a love letter to the African diaspora, reminding us of our strength, resilience, and connection to one another.

4. “Back to Africa” – Dennis Brown - A reggae classic that speaks directly to the desire to reconnect with one’s ancestral homeland, much like what African Ancestry makes possible.

5. “I’m Coming Home” – The Staple Singers - A gospel-infused track that captures the spiritual and emotional essence of returning to one’s roots and embracing one’s heritage.

6. “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind - LIVE" – Ms. Lauryn Hill - A haunting echo of Gina Paige’s journey—where reclaiming ancestry becomes a path to inner peace, and remembering becomes a form of healing.

Books to Complement This Conversation

1. The Healing Wisdom of Africa – Malidoma Patrice Somé

This book explores African spiritual traditions and the importance of reconnecting with ancestral wisdom to find purpose and healing in the modern world.

2. Roots: The Saga of an American Family – Alex Haley

A groundbreaking classic that traces a family’s lineage from Africa to America, demonstrating the power of ancestral storytelling and reclaiming lost histories.

3. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" – Zora Neale Hurston

Based on interviews with the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade, this book offers a firsthand account of the forced displacement of African people and the longing for ancestral connection.

4. Finding Your Roots: The Official Companion to the PBS Series – Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Inspired by the TV series, this book provides a compelling guide to genealogy research and the cultural significance of tracing one’s ancestry.

5. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration – Isabel Wilkerson

Though focused on migration within the U.S., this book powerfully illustrates the deep impact of displacement, identity, and reclaiming one’s place in history.

Resources & Links:

🔗 Learn more about African Ancestry: www.africanancestry.com (use code black imagination for 10% off your kit)

📖 Follow Gina Paige on social media: @AfricanAncestry

Support the Work:

If this conversation inspired you, visit AfricanAncestry.com to begin your own journey of self-discovery. Take a DNA test to uncover your African roots and connect with your heritage.(use code black imagination for 10% off your kit)

Join & Support Our Community

If this dialogue resonated with you, sparked inspiration, or offered a new perspective, we’d love your support! Here’s how you can help us keep these powerful stories alive:

🎧 Subscribe & Review – Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review! Your words help more people discover these conversations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, family, and community. Let’s keep the dialogue going!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your voice, your presence, and your support make all the difference! ✨

Until next time, stay curious, and keep dreaming.

E98. The Body Politic. A Conversation with Elle Moxley

dario — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Episode Summary:

In this deeply moving and insightful episode, we sit down with activist, organizer, and founder of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, Elle Moxley. Elle takes us on a journey through the heart of activism, the lessons learned from movement-building, and the power of Black trans leadership. She shares her experiences with Black Lives Matter, the founding of her own organization, and her reflections on love, resilience, and desire. This conversation is one of power, truth, and transformation.

What We Discussed

Finding Community in Black Love
Navigating Activism and Identity
The Birth of Black Lives Matter & Elle’s Role
Reflections on Organizing & Movement Building
The Creation of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute
Desire, Politics, and the Hidden Truths
Lessons from Love & the Future We Imagine

A Playlist Inspired by the Conversation

"Brown Skin Girl" by Beyoncé, SAINt JHN, WizKid, and Blue Ivy Carter – An empowering anthem celebrating Black beauty and heritage.
"Peng Black Girls Remix" by ENNY featuring Jorja Smith – A vibrant track highlighting the diversity and strength of Black women.
"Alright" – Kendrick Lamar - A revolutionary anthem of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.
"Stand Up" – Cynthia Erivo - A powerful ballad from Harriet that speaks to perseverance and justice.
"Golden" – Jill Scott - A song about embracing joy, self-love, and living life on your terms.

Books to Complement This Conversation

"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde – A powerful collection of essays and speeches exploring Black identity, feminism, and the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.
"The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart" by Alicia Garza – A deeply insightful memoir and guide from one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, examining the power of collective organizing.
"The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice Is Justice for All" by Shon Faye – A bold and necessary examination of the systemic issues facing trans people and how true justice benefits all of society.
"Black Futures" by Kimberly Drew & Jenna Wortham – A stunning collection of essays, art, and reflections that explore the possibilities of Black culture, activism, and imagination.
"Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson" by Tourmaline (upcoming release) – A forthcoming deep dive into the first definitive biography of the revolutionary activist Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most important and remarkable figures in LGBTQIA+ history, revealing her story, her impact, and her legacy.

Resources & Links:

🔗 Marsha P. Johnson Institute – marshap.org

🔗 Virtual Exhibitions - Ellemnop Art

🔗 Follow Elle Moxley on Social Media

IG: Elle Moxley (@elle_moxley)

FB: Elle Moxley

TikTok: Elle Moxley (@elle_moxley) Official

Support the Work:

If this conversation inspired you, consider supporting MPJI through donations, advocacy, or simply spreading awareness. Every action, big or small, helps carry the movement forward.

Join & Support Our Community

If this dialogue resonated with you, sparked inspiration, or offered a new perspective, we’d love your support! Here’s how you can help us keep these powerful stories alive:

🎧 Subscribe & Review – Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review! Your words help more people discover these conversations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, family, and community. Let’s keep the dialogue going!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your voice, your presence, and your support make all the difference! ✨

Until next time, stay curious, and keep dreaming.

E97. SEAMLESS. with Oscar Winning Costume Designer, Paul Tazewell

dario — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Episode Summary:

In this monumental 97th episode—our first-ever live recording—we welcome legendary costume designer and visual storyteller Paul Tazewell, just one week after his historic win as the first Black man to receive the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Wicked. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Space 001, the Institute’s newly opened physical space, Paul and host Dario Calmese delve into a deeply moving, expansive conversation about storytelling through clothing, the power of design, Black imagination, and the long road to recognition.

From his early days sewing dashikis and puppets in Akron, Ohio, to crafting iconic looks for Hamilton, The Wiz Live!, Harriet, West Side Story, and now Wicked, Paul shares the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual layers that shape his work. This episode is a masterclass in creative process, artistic evolution, and how style becomes a vessel for history, identity, and transformation.

What We Explore:

A Historic Win: Paul reflects on becoming the first Black man to win an Oscar for costume design.
Roots & Influence: His upbringing in Akron and support from his two moms shaped his creative path.
Finding His Lane: He learned to trust design as his true calling while navigating multiple talents.
Design as Story: Paul reveals how costumes—like those in Wicked—carry emotion, science, and symbolism.
Legacy & Access: He honors Black creative lineage and shares his vision for mentoring future storytellers.

Quotables:

“Clothing is never just about what you wear. It’s about the story you tell.”

— Paul Tazewell

“Being visible, taking up space, allows you access to investigate what’s next.

— Paul Tazewell

“Beauty is the antidote to the ugliness in the world.”— Paul Tazewell

About the Guest:

Paul Tazewell is a Tony, Emmy, BAFTA, and now Academy Award-winning costume designer whose breathtaking work has helped shape the visual identity of contemporary theater and film. From Hamilton to Wicked, his designs transcend aesthetics—they are blueprints for character, history, and emotion.

Follow Paul on Instagram: @paultazewell

Resources & Mentions:

Space 001 – A concept store, research lab, and living archive in the Oculus, NYC
Geoffrey Holder – Legendary Black artist and costume designer for The Wiz
Wicked (Film) – Now featuring Oscar-winning costume design
North Carolina School of the Arts, NYU, and Pratt Institute – Key touchstones in Paul’s training
Mellon Foundation – Supporting imagination and justice through the arts

Soundtrack: Inspired by Paul Tazewell’s Journey & Genius

"Home" – Stephanie Mills (from The Wiz) - A soulful ode to identity, memory, and belonging—an emotional anchor for Paul’s early influence and connection to The Wiz.
"Defying Gravity" – Cynthia Erivo (from Wicked) - A triumphant anthem of transformation, resistance, and rising above—mirroring Paul’s groundbreaking win and Elphaba’s journey.
"Back to Life" – Soul II Soul - An Afro-futurist groove echoing Paul’s ability to breathe story into garments—rooted in culture, yet futuristic.
"Optimistic" – Sounds of Blackness - A call to persevere, perfect for honoring Paul’s long and winding path through doubt, brilliance, and breakthrough.
"Mood Indigo" – Nina Simone - A textured, moody classic that reflects the complexity and emotion Paul brings to characters through costume and color.

Join & Support Our Community

If this dialogue resonated with you, sparked inspiration, or offered a new perspective, we’d love your support! Here’s how you can help us keep these powerful stories alive:

🎧 Subscribe & Review – Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review! Your words help more people discover these conversations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, family, and community. Let’s keep the dialogue going!

💬 Engage With Us – Follow us on social media and join the conversation @blackimagination on Instagram & Twitter. We’d love to hear your thoughts, takeaways, and what topics you want to explore next.

💜 Support the Work – Love what we’re creating? Help us sustain and grow by making a contribution! Whether it’s a one-time donation or becoming a patron, every bit fuels our mission. Click here to support us.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your voice, your presence, and your support make all the difference! ✨

Production Credits:

Host & Creator: Dario Calmese
Producer: KT Thompson
Executive Producer: Chrystal Genesis
Engineering & Original Music: Adam Radice
Presented by: The Institute of Black Imagination, with support from The Mellon Foundation

Until next time, stay curious and keep dreaming.

E96. Towards A New Architecture. with Dr. Lesley Lokko OBE

dario — Sun, 26 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

About The Guest

Today we're honored to introduce our guest, Professor Lesley Lokko. A distinguished Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, and bestselling novelist, Dr. Lokko most recently served as the Curator of the 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture, becoming the first Black-identified person to hold the position. She’s also the founder and Director of the African Futures Institute (AFI) a pioneering postgraduate school of architecture in Accra, Ghana.

Dr. Lokko is also a best-selling novelist with 12 titles under her belt. Her novels have been translated into sixteen languages dealing with themes of love, loyalty, class, race, and cultural identity, transforming the “beach-read” genre into an extension of her architectural, world-building practice. For her contributions to the fields of Architecture and education, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2023 and 2024 won the Gold Medal Award, by the Royal Institute of British Architects, one of the highest honors in the world of architecture.

And in many ways, that’s where today's conversation with Prof. Leslie Lokko begins. The reality of appearing to be at the top, juxtaposed against the sweat and elbow grease required in institution-building and well… being a human being. Prof. Lokko joyfully and deftly takes us on a journey of triumph, career pivots, culture shock, womanhood, and becoming.

Key Links

Darren Walker - president of the Ford Foundation

African Futures Institute - a new model for architectural education centered on three areas: teaching, research and public events.

La Biennale di Venezia - Venice Biennale - an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation.

Officer of the Order of the British Empire ( OBE )- This is awarded for having a major local role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.

Mellon Foundation -Mellon makes grants to support communities through the power of the arts and humanities.

Key Readings

Biennale Architettura 2023: The Laboratory of the Future - Lesley Lokko

Saffron Skies - Lesley Lokko

The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection - Jennifer Rittner (Editor) Lesley-Ann Noel (Editor) Kelly Walters (Editor) Anne H Berry (Editor) Kareem Collie (Editor) Penina Acayo Laker (Editor)

What to listen to

One World - Guy Warren

Ghana - Becca

Canopy - Kuami Eugene

Into The Future - Stonebwoy

No Competition - Okyeame Kwame

Previous IBI Episodes to check out

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

E90. Space Agency. with Brigette Romanek

E95. Designing In Place. with Nifemi Marcus-Bello

E60. Kevin Bethune: Dreams, Design and Life.

Who to follow

W: African Futures Institute

IG: Lesley Lokko (@lesleylokko)

X: Lesley Lokko (@LokkoLesley) / X

This conversation was recorded on March 26, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Archivist & Research: Cyle Warner

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E95. Designing In Place. with Nifemi Marcus-Bello

dario — Sun, 12 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. I'm your host, Dario, and today, we have the pleasure of chatting with Nifemi Marcus-Bello, a visionary design director and founder of Nmbello Studio. Renowned for his community-centric and ethnographically-conscious design ethos, Nifemi’s practice exemplifies how obstacles are merely opportunities in disguise.

In this conversation, we explore the journey of a designer deeply rooted in his Nigerian upbringing. Nifemi shares how he overcame societal pressures that attempted to sway him from his creative path, how reimagining local materials and processes expanded his own design language, and we even get into blood memory and ancestral wisdom. Yeah, it’s one of those episodes.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. Now, beaming in from across the Atlantic, design director and industrial designer, Nifemi Marcus-Bello.

Key Links

nmbello Studio - is a design studio currently based in Lagos, Nigeria. Our design ethos is rooted in empathy.

Ethnographic Museum of Trocadero - first anthropological museum in Paris

Kwali - acts as a portable shop, weaving through Lagos traffic

Kerry James Marshall- American artist

Salone del Mobile Milano -The global benchmark event for the furnishing and design sector.

Anna Karnick - Design Miami Curator 2023

Tavares Strachan - a Bahamian-born conceptual artist

Tahir Carl Karmali - Artist

Samuel Ross - Fashion designer

What to Read

Dieter Rams: Ten Principles for Good Design - Cees W. de Jong (Editor)

Dieter Rams: The Complete Works - Klaus Klemp

What to listen to

Tested, Approved & Trusted - Burna Boy

Drogba (Joanna) - Afro B

Kontrol - Maleek Berry

All Over - Tiwa Savage

Ginger - Burna Boy

Previous IBI Episodes to check out

E38. Toni L. Griffin: The Just City.

E48. Sara Zewde: Parks and Liberation.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

Who to follow

W: nmbello Studio

IG: Nifemi Marcus-Bello (@nmbello1)

X: nmbello Studio (@nmbello_Studio) / X

This conversation was recorded on April 30, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Archivist & Research: Cyle Warner

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E94. The Black School with Co-Founders Shani Peters And Joseph Cuillier, III

dario — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 10:45:00 -0400

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of black genius. Today, we're thrilled to present Shani Peters and Joseph Cuillier III, the co-founders of The Black School—an innovative art institution dedicated to teaching radical Black politics through experimental approaches to art and design education.

Both artists and organizers in their own right, Founded by Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters, they're mixing art with talks about Black politics and community projects. Inspired by past community-run schools, like those from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, they're making a difference today.

The Black School has three parts: the School itself, the Festival where students show off their work, and the Studio, where students learn about design and get job training. It's all about helping students understand their neighborhoods, make art that matters, and get ready for the future.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. Join us as we explore how organizations like The Black School are changing the game in education and beyond. Now, let's warmly welcome Shani Peters and Joseph Cuillier, the Co-Founders of The Black School, to our conversation.

Key Links

Joseph A. Cuillier Career Center - We are a school dedicated to providing an education that empowers our students to succeed in the workforce and beyond.

bell hooks - American author

Alma Thomas - American artist and teacher

Rosenwald/Booker T. Washington Schools- Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck, built state-of-the art schools for African American children across the South.

Augusta Savage -American sculptor

Harlem Community Art School - The Center was a place for the Harlem community to receive education in the arts for free or little charge.

Oakland Community School - was a Black Panther-run liberation school that operated in Oakland from 1973 to 1982.

Emory Douglas - The former Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist for the Black Panther Party

Black Love Festival- presented by The Black School, is an art and music festival promoting a cultural movement for Black love.

Project Row Houses - a community platform that enriches lives through art with an emphasis on cultural identity and its impact on the urban landscape.

Booker T. Washington - American educator and author

What to Read

Salvation: Black People and Love - bell hooks

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations - Toni Morrison

Character Building: Education that Educates - Booker T. Washington

What to listen to

DNA. - Kendrick Lamar

Seize The Time- Elaine Brown

This Is America - Childish Gambino

F.U.B.U. - Solange Knowles

We The People - A Tribe Called Quest

Previous IBI Episodes to check out

E2. Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar

E26. A Revolutionary Life with Black Panther Chairman, Elaine Brown

E86. Sketching a Revolution with Emory Douglas

E53a. Frank Wilderson III: On Afropessimism I

E53a. Frank Wilderson III: On Afropessimism II

Who to follow

W: The Black School

IG: Joseph Cuillier (@josephcuillier)

IG: Shani Peters (@shanipeters)

Linktree: The Black School

This conversation was recorded on March 21, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Archivist & Research: Cyle Warner

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E93. Imagining Diasporic Retrofutures with Olalekan Jeyifous

dario — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. I am your host, Dario. Today, we're excited to introduce Olalekan Jeyifous, an innovative artist and architect whose world-building practice reimaginations the relationship between community, urbanity, nature, and time; It’s very much giving Main Character Energy, and citizens of the Black Atlantic take centerstage.

In today's conversation, Olalekan and I discuss how architecture alone is rarely sufficient in solving problems in the urban landscape, we reimagine what the continent of Africa COULD have looked like if colonial powers were expelled post-independence, and Lek challenges conventional notions of beauty and success in architecture and why storefront churches and bodegas deserve a shoutout.

Key Links

Lebbeus Woods - American architect and artist

Silver Lion - an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998.

Saul Williams - American singer-songwriter and musician

The Apocryphal Gospel of Oakland- A discussion between artist, Olalekan Jeyifous and UC Berkeley assistant professor of Geography, Dr. Brandi T. Summers on the generative power of collaboration and the potential for speculative architecture as a means to develop comprehensive constructions of urban Utopias/Dystopias that engage with a variety of social, political, and environmental realities.

Black Reconstruction Collective -American architecture collective

Black Quantum Futurism - A literary and artistic collective

Amanda Williams - Visual Artist

Justin Garrett Moore- a transdisciplinary designer and urbanist.

Torkwase Dyson - Interdisciplinary artist

Norma Merrick Sklarek - American architect

Grace Wales Bonner - London-based designer

Venice Biennale - an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy

What to Read

Now You See Me: An Introduction to 100 Years of Black Design - Charlene Prempeh

Mickalene Thomas: All about Love - Mickalene Thomas

Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry - Camille T. Dungy (Editor)

What to listen to

A Possibility (Back Home) - Wanda Robinson

Wake Me When I'm Free- Babatunde Olatunji

Viva Nigeria - Fela Kuti

All Over - Tiwa Savage

Sittin On Top Of The World - Burna Boy

Previous IBI Episodes to check out

E8. Torkwase Dyson, Artist.

E38. Toni L. Griffin: The Just City.

E48. Sara Zewde: Parks and Liberation.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

Who to follow

W: V5

IG: kidcadaver - Olalekan Jeyifous

LinkedIn: Olalekan Jeyifous - Designer, Artist, Illustrator - Vigilism

X: Olalekan Jeyifous (@OJeyifous) / X

This conversation was recorded on March 20, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Archivist & Research: Cyle Warner

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E92. The People's University with Dr. Carla Hayden

dario — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Hey explorers, it's Dario. Welcome to the IBI podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. Today, we browse the mind of Dr. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama. Dr. Hayden is the first woman and the first African American to hold this position at the National Library. As an actual librarian, Dr. Hayden is known for advocating for the privacy of library users and for her initiatives to promote broad access to public libraries and their resources.

Our dialogue today, much like the Library of Congress itself, is a treasure trove of literary jewels. We discuss how the Library of Congress is not your mother’s library, containing priceless artifacts like the Bayard Rustin papers, and a handwritten letter from Nina Simone to Hazel Scott. We talk American literacy rates, how parents can engage reluctant readers, and we even get personal, as Dr. Hayden and i discuss the health challenges black women face in the workplace, especially in positions of power.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. So grab your library card and a snack… It’s time to check into the people’s university, with Dr. Carla Hayden.

Key Links

Library Of Congress - the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.

Nina Simone - American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist.

Hazel Scott - Jazz pianist and singer

Enoch Pratt Free Library- the free public library system of Baltimore, Maryland.

American Library Association - largest membership association in the world for the library industry.

August Wilson - American playwright

André Leon Talley - American fashion journalist

Citizen DJ - Make music using the free-to-use audio and video materials from the Library of Congress

Jessye Norman - American opera singer

What to Read

Seven Guitars - August Wilson

A Library - Nikki Giovanni

Library of Congress "Books That Shaped America"

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants- Robin Wall Kimmerer

Behind the Scenes: Or Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House - Elizabeth Keckley

A History of Reading - Alberto Manguel

Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum - Antonia Hylton

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson

What to listen to

Wild Is The Wind - Nina Simone

Round Midnight - Hazel Scott

Amazing Grace - Jessye Norman

Process - Samora Pinderhughes

Previous IBI Episodes to check out

E2. Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar.

E7. André Leon Talley, Fashion Icon (part one).

E7. André Leon Talley, Fashion Icon (part two).

E56. Rita Dove: The Pleasure of Text.

E79. Liberation Through Libraries. with (Reginald) Dwayne Betts

Who to follow

W: https://www.loc.gov/

IG: Library of Congress (@librarycongress)

TW: Carla Hayden (@LibnOfCongress) · X

This conversation was recorded on January 30, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E91: From Dancehall to the World with JAWARA

dario — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination, where we beam in conversations with iconoclasts from the galaxy of Black genius. I am your host, Dario. Today, we're thrilled to welcome Jawara, a cutting-edge visionary in all things hair, fashion, and beauty. His work graces the pages of British Vogue, American Vogue Italian Vogue, OK, all the Vogues.., i-D Magazine, T Magazine, and W Magazine… all the lettered magazines. Not to mention the runways of Burberry, Gucci, Chanel. You understand what I’m saying.

In today’s conversation, Jawara discusses the historical challenges within the industry around the styling and care of black women's hair, how the rituals of haircare can allow us a bit of reprieve from an ever-increasing pace of life, some practical styling tips, and how hair indeed can bring you closer to God.

Key Links

Sister Carol- Jamaican musical artist

Kingston, Jamaica- Capital city and chief port of Jamaica

Dancehall - genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)- Public college in New York City with focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry.

Tyler Mitchell - American photographer, best known for his cover photo of Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue.

Micaiah Carter - American photographer/director

What to Read

Crowns: My Hair, My Soul, My Freedom: Photographs - Sandro Miller

Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America - Ayana Byrd

On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker - A'Lelia Bundles

You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain- Phoebe Robinson

What to listen to

Dread Natty Congo - Sister Carol

I Am Not My Hair - India.Arie

Black Cinderilla (Album) - Sister Carol

Don't Touch My Hair - Solange feat. Sampha

Kontrol - Maleek Berry

Who to follow

IG: JAWARA (@jawaraw)

LinkedIn: Jawara Wauchope

This conversation was recorded on December 19, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E90. Space Agency. with Brigette Romanek

dario — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the IBI podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. Today, we explore the mind of Brigette Romanek, one of LA’s foremost Interior designers. As the founder of Romanek Design Studio, some of her notable clients include Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Demi Moore, and even the queen herself, Beyonce. (a fact we can neither confirm nor deny). Known for her “Livable Luxe” Gucci meets Gap aesthetic, Brigette's illustrious career affirms the power and value of the black feminine gaze, and that space is indeed the place.

Our conversation today is full of gems, like simple, affordable tips on sprucing up your space, and discovering your design aesthetic, to more existential questions about what it looks like to refuse the expectations of others, and how to know when it’s time to move on.

Key Links

Paulette McWilliams- American Jazz Singer

Mark Romanek- American filmmaker and photographer

Harvey Nichols - British luxury department store chain

Romanek Design Studio- Interior designer in Los Angeles, California

Carpenters Workshop Gallery - a contemporary art gallery, focused on redefining the boundaries between art, sculpture, and design.

The Future Perfect - a leading platform for collectible contemporary design that curates' unique pieces from global designers.

What to Read

Livable Luxe - Brigette Romanek

Iconic Home: Interiors, Advice, and Stories from 50 Amazing Black Designers - Black Interior Designers Inc, June Reese

The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes - Justina Blakeney

Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces- Hilton Carter

What to listen to

Mellow Madness - Quincy Jones, Paulette McWilliams

Live Recording in Amsterdam (Album) - Paulette McWilliams & The Beets Brothers

Work It - Missy Elliott

It's Your Thing - The Isley Brothers

Respect - Aretha Franklin

Who to follow

W: https://romanekdesignstudio.com/

IG: Brigette Romanek (@brigetteromanek)

FB: Brigette Romanek

This conversation was recorded on February 01, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E89. Perfection is an Illusion with Kirk Franklin

dario — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 09:25:00 -0400

Welcome to Semester 6 of the IBI podcast, your Tribe of Mentors, from the Pool of Black Genius. Speaking of Black genius, today’s guest needs no introduction, but we will go ahead and introduce him anyway. Y’all it’s Kirk Franklin. Yes, THAT Kirk Franklin. 19 Grammy Award-winning Kirk Franklin. Contemporary Gospel innovator Kirk Franklin. .. The gifted singing, songwriting, piano-playing, producing, and yes, a rapping, Mr. Kirk Franklin! In case there was any confusion.

We talk about personal pain and trauma. We dismantle the Black church and the traditions that keep us fractured and apart, we wrestle with the notion that life is composed of both moments of happiness and sorrow, but with the unwavering presence of God, regardless of the circumstances, anything is possible.

Key Links

Thomas A. Dorsey- Widely regarded as the father of gospel music

Good Words with Kirk Franklin- Kirk Franklin Podcast welcomes people, from all walks of life, seeking inspiration and empowerment.

The Dead Sea Scrolls - ancient, mostly Hebrew, manuscripts (of leather, papyrus, and copper) first found in 1947 on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.

Southern Baptists Apologize For Slavery Stance - NPR, August 28, 2009

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NIV) - Biblical Scripture reference

Dr. Charles Stanley - American Southern Baptist pastor and writer

Father's Day: A Kirk Franklin Story - YouTube · Kirk Franklin Sep 15, 2023

What to Read

The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life's Storms - Kirk Franklin

The Evolution of African-American Worship: From the Thomas Dorsey to Kirk Franklin Era - Dr. Antonia Arnold-McFarland

Church Boy - Kirk Franklin

What to listen to

Precious Lord, Take My Hand - Thomas Dorsey

Now Behold The Lamb Live - Kirk Franklin & The Family

Bless Me - Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin

Could've Been Me - Kirk Franklin ft J.Moss & Tye Tribbett

Joy - Kirk Franklin, Donald Malloy

Kirk Franklin Discography

Who to follow

W: https://www.kirkfranklin.com/

IG: Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin)

X: Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin)

TikTok: Kirk Franklin (@thekirkfranklin) Official

This conversation was recorded on January 09, 2024.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E88. The Best of 2023 - IBI Team Favorites

dario — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Well friends, we made it. 2023 had its share of joys and challenges, individually and collectively, but we are here. Together. In community. This special podcast edition is our final episode of the year, and you’re in for a treat! Not only will you hear from me, but you will also hear from 6 IBI team members, in their own words, as they introduce a snippet from their favorite episode of 2023.

We begin with a conversation from Choreographer and Director Camille A. Brown.

Followed by Former Minister of Culture, Black Panther Party Emory Douglas

Up next will be Chorographer & Producer George Faison

Then a chat with Director and writer Milisuthando Bongela

Next, we hear from Producer, writer, and actress Lena Waithe

Followed by Photographer and artist Andre D. Wagner

And conclude with Dancer, Choreographer, and Artistic Director Robert Battle.

Featured Episode Links

E59. Camille A. Brown: For Colored Girls

E86. Sketching A Revolution with Emory Douglas

E82. Dancing Through the Archive with the Legendary George Faison

E66. Inside Apartheid's Wish with Milisuthando Bongela

E85. Mastering Your Story - Lena Waithe

E84. Life on the Streets with Andre D Wagner

E62. Robert Battle: The Power of Community

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E87: Catching The Spirit with Chester Higgins, Jr.

dario — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with the legendary photographer, Chester Higgins. I’ve admired Chester’s work for years… he’s a master of his craft, and a technician to the Nth degree. But it’s one thing to appreciate the work of an artist, it’s another to delve into their worldview: the work we see simply being an artifact of a greater pursuit. Well, that’s what today’s holds. What appears to be captured images, is actually Chester’s attempts at in all actuality, capturing God.

In today’s episode, Chester reflects on the near-death childhood experience at the age of 9 that opened his eyes to a parallel reality, introducing him to the spirit that shapes existence. He shares his insights on the interconnectedness of life, the continuous cycle of energy, and the pursuit of capturing the elusive spirit in his photographs.

Key Links

Haile Selassie I- Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974

Tuskegee University- a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama.

P. H. Polk - American photographer known for his portraits of African Americans.

Andrew Young - American politician, civil rights leader, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives

What to Read

Sacred Nile - Betsy Kissam, Chester Higgins Jr.

Feeling the Spirit - Chester Higgins Jr.

Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging - Maya Angelou, Chester Higgins

THROUGH THESE EYES: The Photographs of P. H. Polk - Chester Higgins Jr., Deborah Muirhead, Amalia Amaki, Meredith Soles

What to listen to

Water No Get Enemy - Fela Kuti

Grazing In The Grass - Hugh Masekela

Mighty God (Remix) - Soweto Gospel Choir

African Drums - African Tribal Orchestra

Who to follow

W: https://www.chesterhiggins.com/

IG: Chester Higgins (@chesterhiggins12)

This conversation was recorded on October 12, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E86: Sketching A Revolution with Emory Douglas

dario — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today, we embark on a profound journey with the iconic Emory Douglas. As the former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, Emory's art ignited a revolution. Today, we ask you to reorient your ears… this is history. There’s an old African proverb that states when a person transitions, a library burns to the ground. Well, today’s conversation with Emory Douglass is a living archive revealing itself. It’s what we here at the Institute call Archival Intelligence. Take notes. Research the names. Refer back. Today’s conversation is a retelling of artmaking in revolutionary times, and what it means to create new identities within a community.

Join us in this safe space as Emory candidly shares tales of rebellion, societal exchanges, and the intricate web of connections in his formative years. This episode is not just an interview; it's a voyage through the corridors of time, shedding light on the profound interplay of art, activism, and the Black experience. And to hear another side of this story, be sure to check out episode 26 with Elaine Browne, the only woman to serve as Chair of the Black Panther party.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. Visit our YouTube channel, 'The Institute of Black Imagination,' and explore more content on blackimagination.com.

And now, join us as Emory Douglas navigates through the intersections of art, activism, and the enduring quest for justice.

Key Links

The Black Panther Party- African American revolutionary party

Bobby Seale - African American political activist and co-founder and national chairman of the Black Panther Party.

Huey P. Newton- African American revolutionary and political activist and co-founder of ‘The Black Panther Party

Zapatista National Liberation Army - A group of mostly indigenous activists from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas

The Black Arts Movement (1965-1975) - Black nationalism movement that focused on music, literature, drama, and the visual arts made up of Black artists and intellectuals.

Eldridge Cleaver- member of The Black Panther Party, he served as the first Minister of Information.

Dr. Betty Shabazz - an American educator and civil rights activist, wife of Malcolm X

Charles W. White - African American painter, printmaker, and teacher

What to Read

Zapantera Negra: An Artistic Encounter Between Black Panthers and Zapatistas- Emory Douglas

Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas - George Alexander

Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton - Bobby Seale

What to listen to

IBI Episode 26 w/ Sis. Elaine Brown

Say it Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud - James Brown

Am I Black Enough for You- Billy Paul

Ghetto Child - The Spinners

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron

Who to follow

W: MoMA.org

TW: Emory Douglas Art (@emorydouglasart)

This conversation was recorded on October 17, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E85. Mastering Your Story with Lena Waithe

dario — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today, we're honored to sit down with the incredible Lena Waithe, a trailblazing writer, producer, and actress who's reshaped film and TV.

In this enlightening chat, Lena shares her roots, tracing back to her grandmother's brave journey from Arkansas to Chicago. We explore the concept of identity, her take on 'ladylike,' and how she's embraced her individuality.

Lena reflects on how societal expectations shape identity and the importance of curiosity and meaningful conversations. We also delve into her creative process and the genesis of 'Queen & Slim,' a film challenging conventions and examining Black identity.

Stay tuned as Lena Waithe shares insights on self-transformation, overcoming naysayers, and the power of community in her journey from Chicago to Hollywood. Don't miss this captivating conversation on the Institute of Black Imagination.

Key Links

Queen & Slim- 2019 American romantic road crime drama film

Ready Player One- 2018 American science fiction action film

The CHI - An American drama television series created by Lena Waithe

Michael G. Fry - Chicago born, Emmy nominated television writer, actor and producer

Mara Brock Akil- American screenwriter and television producer

Gina Prince-Bythewood - American film director and screenwriter

Ava DuVernay - American filmmaker

Yvette Lee Bowser - American television written

What to Read

Black Directors in Hollywood- Melvin Donalson

Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema - George Alexander

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years - Sarah L. Delaney & A. Elizabeth Delaney

What to listen to

Homecoming - Kanye West

The Light- Common

No Problem - Chance the Rapper (feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)

Through the Fire - Chaka Khan

Who to follow

W: Hillman Grad

IG: Lena Waithe (@lenawaithe)

IMDB: Lena Waithe

This conversation was recorded on September 5, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E84. Life on the Streets with Andre D. Wagner

dario — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Our guest today is none other than the visionary photographer, Andre D. Wagner. With a lens that tells stories in a way that words cannot, Andre has made a significant mark in the world of photography. He has been commissioned by The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, W Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Vogue, well, YouTube the picture. In addition to his editorial work, he was the creative force behind the promotional imagery for the film "Queen & Slim" in 2019.

His first monograph, Here for the Ride, was published by Creative Future in 2017 and he is currently editing a 10-year body of work titled New City, Old Blues. In 2022, he was awarded the Gordon Parks fellowship, and His photographs have appeared in several solo exhibitions and group shows in Los Angeles, New York, and North Carolina.

Be sure to share some of your thoughts on today's episode with us on Instagram at @blackimagination. If you want to stay updated on all our latest news and exclusive content, click on this newsletter link. If you love what we do and like to support the show, click this support link.

Key Links

The Gordon Parks Foundation- permanently preserves the work of Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks - one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, was a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice.

Andre D. Wagner: New City, Old Blues - Exhibition runs through November 17, 2023

Gordon Parks Fellowship

The Strivers Row- A multi-cultural marketing agency specializing in content development, talent relations, and event production.

Queen & Slim - Stylish, provocative, and powerful, Queen & Slim tells a gripping fugitive story steeped in timely, thoughtful subtext.

What to Read

Voices in the Mirror: An Autobiography (Harlem Moon Classics) - Gordon Parks

A Choice of Weapons - Gordon Parks

The Camera - Ansel Adams

The Negative - Ansel Adams

The Print - Ansel Adams

What to listen to

Livin' For The City - Stevie Wonder

Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z, Alicia Keys

Autumn In New York - Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald

Who to follow

W: https://www.andredwagner.com/

IG: Andre D. Wagner (@photodre)

TW: Andre D. Wagner (@photoDre) / X

This conversation was recorded on October 19, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E83. The Unmasking of AI with Dr. Joy Buolamwini

dario — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today, we have a truly remarkable guest. Joining us today is the brilliant Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist, digital activist and self-described “Poet of Code” whose journey began at that Temple of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT for short. She's the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, a place where art and activism intersect to illuminate the social implications of AI. She also has a book dropping on Halloween called, wait for it, Unmasking AI. How fitting is that for Halloween?

But her story isn't just about her prestigious academic credentials; it's about the extraordinary transformation her creative journey has taken. In today’s conversation, she reveals how her quest to create a digital filter, one that could change the reflection of herself in a mirror, led to a profound exploration of technology's hidden biases.

Key Links

Kimberlé W. Crenshaw- American activist, intersectionality

Single axis analysis

Niles Luther - Cellist & Composer

Robert Williams- man arrested through skewed AI detection

Coded Bias- a film on Netflix

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What to Read

Unmasking AI- Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Breaking the Code: Thriving as Black Individuals in the Era of Artificial Intelligence - Rayshaun "Chu" Smith

Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life - Elijah Anderson

What to listen to

Somebody’s Watching Me - Rockwell

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Computer Love - Zapp & Roger

Who to follow

Website: Algorithmic Justice League

TW: Dr. Joy Buolamwini (@jovialjoy) / X

Linked In: Dr. Joy Buolamwini

This conversation was recorded on September 19, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E82. Dancing Through the Archive with the Legendary George Faison

dario — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today, we have a very special interview with the legendary choreographer and producer, George Faison. In this conversation, George takes us on a journey through his remarkable life, from his early days in Washington, D.C., to his experiences dancing with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and mostly, and his iconic role as the choreographer of the "The Wiz" on Broadway. For which he won a Tony. Becoming the first Black person to do so.

George shares stories of his encounters with great artists like Maya Angelou and Stevie Wonder and the incredible impact they had on his life. But perhaps the most captivating part of this interview is George's vivid description of creating the Emerald City sequence in "The Wiz." He also shares the role books play in his creative process. For George, it all begins with the archive.

Things Mentioned

Maya Angelou - an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist.

The Wiz - The musical version of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"

Dick Gregory - an American comedian, actor, writer, activist and social critic.

Gazelle - George Faison ballet - Dedicated to the Free Spirit in All of Us.

1967 Detroit riot - The 1967 Detroit Riots were among the most violent and destructive riots in U.S. history.

Alvin Ailey - American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist.

American Light Opera Company - semi-professional theatre company performing light operas and musicals in Washington, D.C. from 1960 to 1968.

Suite Otis - Otis Redding's sassy, sizzling music sets the stage for George Faison's playful battle of the sexes.

What to Read

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou

Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

The Incredible Lightness of Being - Camie J. Davis

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration - Isabel Wilkerson

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

What to listen to

Take My Hand, Precious Lord – Mahalia Jackson

Someday We'll All Be Free – Donny Hathaway

Where Is The Love– Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Stand By Me - Otis Redding

The Wiz - Original Movie Soundtrack - (1978) Various Artists

Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder

Who to follow

Website: https://www.faisonfirehouse.org/

IG: George Faison (@therealgeorgefaison)

TW: George Faison (@GeorgeFaison) / X

This conversation was recorded on August 15, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E81. The Sound of Success with Tank and The Bangas

dario — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In today's episode, we're joined by Tarriona ”Tank” Ball and Norman Spence of the Grammy-nominated Tank & The Bangas, a band hailing from the vibrant, swampy, and swinging coastal town of New Orleans. They've been wowing audiences since 2011 with their eclectic fusion of funk, soul, hip-hop, and spoken word. Today, we explore their dynamic journey from open mic nights to Grammy nominations; diving into the inspiration behind their genre-blurring music.

To date, they’ve released three studio albums, Thinktank (2013), Green Balloon (2019), and Red Balloon (2022). With two Grammy nominations under their belt, they are just getting started. Also, a note, the audio quality of this episode gets a little bonkers as Norman’s headphones begin to fail and Tank’s phone dies. But it’s all a part of the journey to becoming, so we left it in.

Current members.

Tarriona "Tank" Ball – lead vocals (2011–present)

Norman Spence II – bass, keyboards, guitar (2011–present)

Joshua Johnson – drums, musical director (2011–present)

Albert Allenback – alto saxophone, flute (2014–present)

Band History:

Members of Tank and the Bangas met at a New Orleans open mic show called Liberation Lounge and formed the group in 2011.

The band won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and in November 2019, they were nominated in the Best New Artist category for the 2020 Grammy Awards. They have released three studio albums, Thinktank (2013), Green Balloon (2019), and Red Balloon (2022).

Throughout their career, the group has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Austin City Limits” and “The Today Show.” Tank and The Bangas have toured non-stop, selling out venues both stateside and abroad including festival appearances at Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival.

Key Links:

Tank and The Bangas - Wiki

Tank And The Bangas: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Tarriona “Tank” Ball | geauxgirlmagazine

Tank and the Bangas Unveil 'Black Folk (Remix)' Featuring Kota the Friend, Rapsody & More

Alumnus Albert Allenback Is Living His Music Dreams As A Member of the Grammy-Nominated Band Tank and The Bangas | The University of New Orleans

What To Listen To:

Hands by Tank and The Bangas

Cafe Du Monde by Tank and The Bangas (feat. Jamison Ross, Trombone Shorty, Rachel Robinson

In The 6th by Trombone Shorty

Mo’ Better Blues by Branford Marsalis Quartet (feat. Terence Blanchard)

Who to Follow:

TARRIONA TANK BALL (@thinktank20) • Instagram photos and videos

Norman Spence (@namronyoccm) • Instagram photos and videos

Joshua Johnson (@1drum) • Instagram photos and videos

Albert (@albthebuilder) • Instagram photos and videos

This conversation was recorded on June 05, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E80. Apertures and Activism with Misan Harriman

dario — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today we have a truly inspiring conversation that delves into the power of self-discovery, resilience, and the transformational journey of one extraordinary individual, photographer, entrepreneur, and social activist, Misan Harriman, a name that has become synonymous with the art of storytelling through the lens. The first brother to shoot a cover for British Vogue in its 104-year history. Misan's incredible journey from self-doubt to becoming a global voice of the moment is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. His iconic protest images became a voice for the voiceless, igniting a conversation that asks, "Why is ending racism still a debate?"

Hailing from Calabar, the capital city of Cross River State in Nigeria, Misan was raised in England, yet didn’t formally begin his photographic career until the age of 40. Gifted a camera by his wife, who recognized his passion for the image, Misan taught himself the ins and outs of image-making. A burgeoning portraitist, it was his protest images during the 2020 global reckonings for Black Lives that caught the attention of British Vogue editor-in-chief, Edward Enningful, and the rest, as they say… is history.

Things mentioned

Gordon Parks- American photographer and activist

Eve Arnold- American photojournalist

Sally Mann- American photographer

David LaChapelle- American photographer and director

George Floyd- American man who was killed through police brutality

Mohamed Amin- Kenya photojournalist

Web3 - is a possible future version of the internet based on public blockchains, a record-keeping system best known for facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.

Tezos Foundation- financial literacy with blockchain and crypto art

Sykes-Picot agreement- secret convention made during World War I between Great Britain and France, with the assent of imperial Russia, for the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire.

Balfour agreement- It was made in a letter from Arthur James Balfour, the British foreign secretary, to Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (of Tring), a leader of the Anglo-Jewish community.

What to Read

A Choice of Weapons - Gordon Parks

The Art of Protest: A Visual History of Dissent and Resistance - Jo Rippon

Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America - Daniel Black

What to listen to

Legend (album) – Bob Marley

A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson

We Insist (album)- Max Roach

Who to follow

Website: https://www.misanharriman.com/

IG: Misan Harriman (@misanharriman)

TW: Misan Harriman (@misanharriman)

This conversation was recorded on July 05, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Sound Engineer: Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E79. Liberation Through Libraries. with (Reginald) Dwayne Betts

dario — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today we are diving into the captivating life story of Attorney, Artist & Activist (Reginald) Dwayne Betts, a man whose path took unexpected turns, leading him to discover the boundless potential within himself.

As we journey through Dwayne's life, we'll explore the profound impact of literature on his transformation, his encounters with influential poets like Sonia Sanchez, and the survival strategies that poetry offered him during his incarceration.

Things mentioned

Freedom Reads- Organization founded by Dwayne Betts that aims to place millions of books into prisons

Kiese LeMond- ambassador of Freedom Reads

Traci Thomas- podcast host of the Stacks

Sherley Anne Williams - American Poet

Lucille Cliffton- American poet

Eldridge cleaver- author and activist

What to Read

Makes me Wanna Holler - Nathan McCall

The Black Poets- Dudley Randall

Homegirls and Hand Grenades- Sonia Sanchez

The Art of War- Sun Tzu

Crazy as Hell, (the best book on black history you'll ever read)- Dwayne Betts coming soon

What to listen to

We the People - A Tribe Called Quest

Living For The City - Stevie Wonder

The Message - Grandmaster Flash

Who to follow

Website: https://www.dwaynebetts.com/

IG: Reginald Betts (@dwaynebetts)

TW: Dwayne Betts (@dwaynebetts)

This conversation was recorded on July 13, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E78. The Black Space Continuum. with Dr. Danielle Wood

dario — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Our guest today, Dr. Danielle Wood, is a shining example of how passion and perseverance can lead you to the stars. She defied the odds, shattered expectations, and carved her own path to become a leader in the world of space exploration and technology.

So, join us as we embark on this cosmic voyage with Dr. Danielle Wood and discover how she unveiled the universe, one challenge at a time.

Things Mentioned

India south pole Moon landing- After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India now joins the United States, the Soviet Union and China as only the fourth country to achieve this milestone.

The Outer Space Treaty-

the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind;
outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States;
outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means;
States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner;
the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind;
States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.

Chandra Xray observatory telescope - NASA's sophisticated telescope is specially designed to detect X-ray emission from very hot regions of the Universe

Systems architecture- A system's architecture reflects how it is thought about in terms of its structure, functions, and relationships.

TNW Conference - is a website and annual series of conferences focused on new technology and start-up companies in Europe.

Phillis Wheatley- American poet and author, the first black woman to publish a book (as an American woman, but the book was published in the UK).

Henrietta Cordelia Ray- American poet and teacher.

Katherine Johnson- American mathematician and NASA worker

Dogon Tribe- an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso.

Octavia Butler- American science fiction writer

Audre Lorde- black feminist philosopher and intersectional thought

What to Read

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - by Ibram X. Kendi

Minor Notes Volume 1- byJoshau Bennett and Jesse McCarthy

Overstory- by Richard Powers

What to listen to

Saturn - Stevie Wonder

There’s a Star for Everyone - Aretha Franklin

The Space Program - A Tribe Called Quest

Who to follow

Follow Dr. Danielle Wood on IG @space_enabled and by visiting her website.

This conversation was recorded on August 31, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Production Asst: Noa Lesche

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E77. Predictions of Black Imagination (feat. The Future of Storytelling w/ Charlie Melcher)

dario — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Institute of Black Imagination. Today we're taking a little detour, podcast inception if you will! We're sharing with you another podcast that featured yours truly as a guest.

Get ready to embark on a journey with The Future of Storytelling and my good friend host Charlie Melcher, where we explore my personal journey and delve into the heart of the Institute of Black Imagination.

We have so many wonderful gems coming this Fall, and we’re not just talking about our Semester 5 lineup… but our upcoming physical space at the Oculus in NYC. That’s right. We’re not just a podcast.

If you’d like to know more about the upcoming Oculus space, or just want the inside scoop on what we’ve got cooking over here, be sure to click on this newsletter link.

And if you love what we’re up to, click this support link.

Things that we mention

Pyer Moss Fall 2021 Couture Show

Vanity Fair Cover w/ Viola Davis - Dario 1st black photographer to shoot the cover

The Institute of Black Imagination - Interactive website

Geoffrey Holder - Trinidadian American actor, dancer, musician, and artist

André Leon Talley - an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine.

Originally Aired on February 24, 2022, on Future of Storytelling

FoST Audio Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

With special thanks to Charles Melcher, Madison Brown, Eitan Wolf, and the entire FoST Team

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: K.T. Thompson

Visual Art Direction and Designs: River Wildmen, Cyle Warner

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Summer School - The Art of Living w. Lana Turner - Part 1

dario — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is part 1 of episode 13 with Harlem socialite and style icon, Lana Turner. Born at the Women’s Hospital on West and 110th St. and still residing in the neighborhood 70 years later, Ms. Turner is quintessential Harlem, a landmark unto herself. A mathematician of dressing, Ms. Turner does not just put clothes on but uses her body as a medium in which she expresses her appreciation and preservation of life, style, and beauty, or as she likes to refer to it: “Painting the body canvas.”

A doyenne of mid-20th century fashion, and muse of New York Times Street style photographer Bill Cunningham, Lana Turner and I were introduced almost a decade ago at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem when I was looking for a few hats for a fashion story while in grad school. Upon meeting and chatting with her, I realized quite quickly that it was SHE who needed to be photographed, in her wardrobe, and in her hats… of which there are upwards of, wait for it… 500. Actually, I believe the exact number is 638.

Here are some highlights:

On the discovery of self: “You know a single woman, single mother, taking care of all of that. But when he got old enough to fly away from the nest, it allowed me to expand my sense of self. Prior to his leaving, however, that sense of self was always in play.” (19:46)

“That sense of self was one thing that allowed for, for example, deciding to change say the furniture in my room, and I woke up one morning and I said, No everything should not only be functional, it should also be beautiful.”(20:09)

On her love for archiving: “I think the archiving element is in my DNA, it seems to have always been there without you know, want for formalizing that as an educational piece in my life, and it's always been there.” (4:28)

On the theatricality of the black church: “But of course, with the black church we are looking at, or at least I'm looking at it as the as a critical foundation for our deliverance from the slavery, both external and internal. I look at church as a way to release the notion of what it means as a collective, to breathe and to pray. I look at the black church in particular for all the things that go on in it that have more theatricality attached.-But I love the collective energies that black people bring to anything. And when it comes to church, oh my goodness. (39:29)

On the art of living: I don’t know what the formula is I don't know if I could articulate it all. So let's see, I can start, I can try. There's things that I love. So I love and I don't need other people to do it. I just like being myself. (27:04)

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

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Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

Summer School - Through Obstacles with Olympian Daryl Homer.

dario — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 25 with fencer and three-time Olympian, Daryl Homer. Hailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Daryl, along with his mother and sister relocated to the Gun Hill section of the Bronx when he was five. His interest in fencing began at an early age, after encountering the word “Fencing” in a pictorial dictionary that his mother gave him. Inspired, he begged his mother to begin lessons, but it wasn’t until a chance encounter with an advertisement featuring two black fencers did Daryl’s Mother finally cave into her son’s growing obsession.

And so, at the ripe old age of eleven, Daryl was enrolled at the Peter Westbrook Foundation, an organization founded by its namesake, Peter Westbrook, who took home the bronze in fencing in the 1984 Olympics, quickly seeing his potential, Daryl was placed on the Olympic track just one year later, and his path to the games began.

By the age of 17, he’d already medaled in the Cadet World fencing championships, later, taking home gold in 7 Pan American championships, also competing in the 2012 Olympics in London, the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and most recently the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. At the Rio Games, Daryl took home the silver medal in men’s individual saber fencing, surpassing his mentor Mr. Westbrook, and thereby making him the highest-medaled Olympic fencer in American history.

In today’s episode, we discuss Daryl’s early beginnings in the Bronx, what it takes to have a champion mindset, how to recover from failure, and the power of imagination and visualization to overcome obstacles. This is such a powerful episode, as we chart the sheer will and tenacity needed to accomplish big dreams. I learned so much, and I’m sure you will too. Be sure to subscribe wherever you receive your podcasts, and leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts, we love to hear your thoughts and be sure to follow us over on Instagram at Blackimagination. And now I invite you to pull out your notepads, Daryl’s about to drop some wisdom.

Follow Daryl on Instagram: @daryldhomer

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Summer School - The Art of Hip-Hop w. Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.

dario — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

‘Black Thought’ Trotter on his origin story: “I think often in the case of heroes or of a character, a protagonist who sort of rises to greatness there is some trauma Yeah. And you know my life is was no different.”

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 12 with a man who needs no introduction, but I’m going to introduce him anyway: Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, lead MC and co-founder of the hip-hop band, The Roots. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tariq faced some early hardships– losing both of his parents to homicide before the age of 16, but he found his path in the arts, attending Philadelphia’s High School for creative and performing arts, also known as ‘the fame school of Philly’, notable alumni include Boys to Men, Erika Alexander, Leslie Odom Jr., Joey de Francesco, Jasmine Sullivan, and many more. While immersed in this brilliant world of musicianship, Black Thought encountered yet another now-famous alum and co-founder of The Roots, Questlove.

Emerging from the Philly soul scene in the late eighties and early 90s, The Roots created a space for themselves that didn’t exist during that era: A live, hip hop band. Known for their jazzy and eclectic approach to the genre, their debut album Organix was released and sold independently and were quickly signed to DGC/Geffen. Today, they serve as the house band for the Tonight show, while still touring extensively, and producing projects both collectively and individually, including an upcoming Broadway musical, “Black NO More”, penned by today’s guest, Mr. Trotter.

Here are some highlights…

On His Origin Story: “That's, that's sort of my, my origin story is I am, you know, I grew up in Philadelphia, I lost my father at a very, very young age before I was two years old, and, you know, to murder to homicide in the streets of Philly and I lost my mother to the same at 15 or 16. So, yeah, I feel like that is my origin”

On Trauma being a motivating factor in his life: “It's the ways in which we allow that internalization to, you know, compel us, and sometimes you're compelled to, you know, to quit, or in that pause to, you know, to give up, or sometimes it becomes a huge motivating factor for you. And, in my experience, that's, that's, you know, the purpose that it has served is as a, as a motivator”

On The Notorious Roots Jam Sessions: “I remember John Legend, you know, he was a student at the University of Penn, he would come and, you know, try and get into our jam sessions and would often be turned away, for whatever reason, like, you know, go figure. I wasn't at the door had I been at the door, that would never have been the case, but I know people who remember turning him away, and I feel like that was a motivating factor for him and you know, that that's part of what propelled him to greatness”

Links we mention in the episode:

Tariq's Instagram: @blackthought

Link to "Black No More" info: deadline.com

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

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Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

Summer School - VR Immersion w. Psychologist Dr. Courtney Cogburn.

dario — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 4 with psychologist, Dr. Courtney Cogburn. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Doctor Cogburn’s research focuses on how racism contributes to health disparities amongst Black Americans and in particular how over time, blatant and subtle racism in media stresses and literally wears down Black bodies—a phenomenon also known as “weathering”—something we have all witnessed to during the current outbreak of Covid-19 in the United States, and its devastating effects on communities of color.

An associate professor at Columbia’s School of Social Work, Dr. Cogburn’s racial immersion VR experience, 1000-Cut Journey, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. Developed in collaboration with the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, It allows for the viewer to experience life as a Black man, from adolescence through adulthood, and has been featured on TEDx, CBS, and Forbes.

In this conversation we discuss when she first began to notice the correlation between race and academic achievement (5:00), the effects of "breathing racism" (13:00), how watching videos of police brutality is bad for our health (18:46), how reason rarely works as well empathy (22:00), a step-by-step explanation of her racial VR experience (28:04), how her lack of experience with virtual reality didn't keep her from pursuing her goals (34:22), her biggest failure as a researcher (41:40), how her own son changed the way she works (43:18), why higher education has health benefits for every demographic, except for those of African decent (46:48), and the ways in which VR is being used to help Black people begin to heal from a lifetime of racial stress (59:26). Given where we are as a country and a people, I found this conversation to be right on time.

Links we mention in the episode:

Courtney's Twitter Account: @courtneycogburn

Her Racial VR Experience: 1,000-Cut Journey

Hyphen Labs: Neurospeculative Afrofeminism

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Summer School - Timnit Gebru: Asylum From A.I.

dario — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 39 with Timnit Gebru an artificial intelligence researcher. Timnit advocates for fair and just use of the technology we use everyday. A former employee of Google, Timnit consistently calls in and calls out a Big Tech industry that leverages power, capital, and bias in favor of, well, themselves and their wallets. From language to surveillance- Timnit knows the potential harms of artificial intelligence know no bounds.

In a time when we’re at war, today’s episode calls into question for whom we are fighting? Whose wars are worthy of discussion and what harms are so deeply ingrained within our consciousness that we ignore our own civilian casualties. As the world witnesses the 16th month of a war in Ethiopia, Timnint’s journey reminds us of the refugee, the warrior, and the heroes we often dismiss and determine unworthy of home.

This conversation was recorded on Jan 27, 2022

Learn More about this topic

Who to follow?

Other Things we mention

contentauthenticity.org

The fairness doctrine

Fairness doctrine washington post article

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Host Dario Calmese

Summer School - Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar.

dario — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 2 with architect, designer, and scholar, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson. Doing double duty as a Professor of Architecture and as Associate Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, both at Columbia University, Dr. Wilson is not your traditional designer of buildings. Her trans-disciplinary practice extends well beyond the built environment into the worlds of curation, performance, art, and cultural history.

We discuss how Mabel’s problems fitting in as a young architect led to designing her own path to success (5:40), her advice for young architectural students (9:00), what Beyonce stole from her (21:30), the ways in which design and structures have been used to create the concepts of both blackness and whiteness (26:26), the radical change needed for an equitable America (32:27), the invisibility of Black women (35:00) and how mass incarceration not only tied a generation of Black men to a failing capitalist state, but left a generation of Black women without partners (49:40).

Links we mention in the episode:

Mabel's Instagram: @studio_and

Her new book: Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Summer School - Casey Gerald, Writer and Entrepreneur.

dario — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 3 with writer Casey Gerald. Born in Oak Cliff Texas, Casey’s life reads like a textbook definition of The American Dream. Oh you know, Small town boy from a troubled home makes good and lands in the Ivy Leagues—Yale to be exact. Casey later goes off to Harvard Business school and co-founds the nonprofit MBAs Across America, for which he is listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People. All of this and more can be found in his memoir, There Will be No Miracles Here, which was listed by both NPR and The New York Times as one of the best books of 2018. His Ted Talk, “The Gospel of Doubt” has over 2.1 million views. Did I mention he was also a Rhodes Semifinalist?

Recorded via Zoom while under lockdown, we speak about when Casey realized the "American Dream" was a scam (16:35), how he rediscovered his inner child (19:30), the malleability of time (26:10), the first boy he ever loved (40:15), the gift of being gay (47:25), what prisons and the coronavirus have in common (50:30), the joy of blackness (56:07), why it's always a good idea to leave New York City (59:30), and the path to finding internal joy (1:02:43) We cover so many amazing topics, and Casey shows us a side of himself he rarely ever does. This episode takes on a more conversational tone, and a few F-bombs are dropped, be warned, lol.

Links we mention in the episode:

Casey's Instagram and Twitter: @caseygerald

Casey's book: There Will Be No Miracles Here

Abraham Hicks: https://www.abraham-hicks.com

Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love

Bell Hook's All About Love: New Visions

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

Summer School - The Hidden Costs of Racism with Heather McGhee.

dario — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Summer School episode from the IBI Archive is episode 23 with Heather McGhee. Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Do you know Heather? You might know Heather. Maybe you saw her on NBC’s Meet the Press, or MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Or perhaps you saw her sparring with Republican Senator John Kennedy during the confirmation hearings of supreme court Justice Neil Gorsuch, or it just may have been that time when, while on C-Span, an older white gentleman called in to acknowledge his own racism and prejudice, and wanted Heather’s advice on how to change, how to be a better American Citizen, and Heather’s response went… viral.

Born on the south side of Chicago, and raised in the suburbs of Evanston IL, Heather McGhee has made a career out of fighting for a more equal America. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and for the last two decades, helped build the nonpartisan “think and do” tank, Demos, later serving as president for four years. She’s argued before the Supreme Court to protect voting rights. She’s helped Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz design anti-bias training for its 250,000 employees. She’s lead research campaigns behind successful wage increases for low-wage workers on federal contracts as well as at Walmart and McDonalds.

And that’s like, 5% of her resume. But of course, Heather is so much more than her work. She’s also a wife and mother of a beautiful two-year-old, who makes a small cameo in this episode.

Her new book being released this week, and also partially written while carrying the aforementioned toddler, is called The Sum of Us. It unravels the mystery of how. How the wealthiest country on earth suffers some of its worst health disparities, and has a collapsing infrastructure, all while its citizens are crippled by insurmountable levels of debt. One word: Racism. And you know who actually suffers most? White people.

In this episode we discuss Heather’s journey into the hallowed halls of our country’s government, How motherhood has changed her view of the world, what parents can do to ensure their children receive good educations, even while under lockdown, and how we ALL lose in the zero-sum game of racism.

Heather's website: https://heathermcghee.com

Get your copy of "The Sum of Us" here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend.

Visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Connect with us on Instagram at @blackimagination

E67. Semester Four Recap with Dario.

dario — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

And now a word from our Founder & Host Dario Calmese. Thank you for your support and being a part of our community. We are taking a break, but we will not leave you wanting. Class is still in session. This Summer School Semester we will be sharing some of our favorite previous episodes. In case you missed it, or want to revisit and catch more pearls of wisdom with us.

We are looking forward to seeing you in person this fall at our physical location at the Oculus at World Trade Center in New York. But you don't have to wait until then to connect with us. All of our links are listed below.

The world we live in has been designed and we must design our way out of it.

Stay Curious and Keep Dreaming!

Connect with us

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

Stay Informed sign up for our Newsletter

Be Social IG: @blackimagination LinkedIn: The Institute of Black Imagination.

For any question or potential interview requests, write to: info@blackimagination.org

E66b. Milisuthando Bongela: Inside Apartheid's Wish.

dario — Sun, 28 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is an odyssey through Mili’s own journey through ancestral ties, personal identity, and relationships. She walks us through the process of engaging our ancestors in our everyday lives. We explore the necessity for connection and healing between Africans and African Americans. And we delve into the lessons one learns by simply sitting with questions that may never be answered. Tell us what you think about today’s episode. Don’t be shy, share your favorite moment with us on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. Remember, you can view this episode and others on our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. If you’re interested in getting lost in what else we have going on, visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com where this and other content live.

Things Mentioned

Transkei - Officially the Republic of Transkei, was an unrecognized State in the Southeastern Region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994

Apartheid in South Africa - a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Bantu - a general term for over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa

Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground - It was the first municipal burial ground of the city of Richmond, VA. It was historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes".

Milisuthando - Sundance Film Festival 2023

What to Read

South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid by Nancy L. Clark, William H. Worger

The Bantu, Past and Present; an Ethnographical and Historical Study of the Native Races of South Africa by Sm Molema

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks

What to listen to

Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers

Sounds From The Ancestors by Kenny Garrett

It’s Wrong (Apartheid) by Stevie Wonder

African Secret Society by Hugh Masekela

Who to follow

Follow Milisuthando Bongela on IG @msmillib and by visiting her website.

Learn more about her film at Milisuthando Bongela.

This conversation was recorded on March 16th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E66a. Milisuthando Bongela: Inside Apartheid's Wish.

dario — Sun, 21 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Things Mentioned

Transkei - Officially the Republic of Transkei, was an unrecognized State in the Southeastern Region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994

Apartheid in South Africa - a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Bantu - a general term for over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa

Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground - It was the first municipal burial ground of the city of Richmond, VA. It was historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes".

Milisuthando - Sundance Film Festival 2023

What to Read

South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid by Nancy L. Clark, William H. Worger

The Bantu, Past and Present; an Ethnographical and Historical Study of the Native Races of South Africa by Sm Molema

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks

What to listen to

Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers

Sounds From The Ancestors by Kenny Garrett

It’s Wrong (Apartheid) by Stevie Wonder

African Secret Society by Hugh Masekela

Who to follow

Follow Milisuthando Bongela on IG @msmillib and by visiting her website.

Learn more about her film at Milisuthando Bongela.

This conversation was recorded on March 16th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E65. Rayvon Fouché: Game Changer - Tech, Sports & Black Ingenuity.

dario — Sun, 07 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s episode, Rayvon gives us a peek into the locker room, revealing how athletic teams use biometric data to craft game day strategy. He also shares the drawbacks of using technology and Artificial Intelligence not only on the playing field but also in the courtroom. He shines a light on the importance of creating pathways for black and brown individuals to gain access to research funding, and why our future depends on it. Let us know what your favorite moment was in today’s episode on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. To view this full episode and others, head over to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. For this and more content visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com.

Things Mentioned

Granville T. Woods - American inventor

Lewis H. Latimer - American inventor, Draftsman

Shelby J. Davidson - American lawyer and inventor.

Nike Alphaflys - sneakers banned from Tokyo Olympics

National Science Foundation

What to Read

Game Changer: The Technoscientific Revolution in Sports by Rayvon Fouché

Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation by Rayvon Fouché

Plant, Performance and the Endocannabinoid System: 21st Century Sports Medicine by Doug Brown, Don McLaughlin

Sports Science and Technology in the Real World by Janet Slingerland

What to listen to

Black Man - Stevie Wonder

I’m The One - DJ Khaied ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne

We Win (Space Jam: A New Legacy) - Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby

Who to follow

Connect with Rayvon Fouché on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Rayvon Fouché by visiting his website Rayvon Fouché or through his work at the NSF - National Science Foundation.

This conversation was recorded on March 30th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E64. Alia Dahl: Curriculum - The Business of Art.

dario — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s episode, Alia gives us a rundown on the role of the gallery and gallery representation. She shares what young artists should be considering when starting their careers, and helpful guidance on how to price their work. She weighs in on the impacts and pitfalls of social media for artists, the direction of NFT’s and what the art world needs to do to become more egalitarian. We’re trying something new with today’s episode, so we want you to weigh in. Let us know what you think on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. To view this episode and others head over to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. For this and more content visit us on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com.

Things mentioned

Jeffrey Deitch - Art Gallery

Jeffrey Deitch - American art dealer and curator

Vernissage - a private viewing of paintings before public exhibition.

Shibboleth - a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people

Sotheby's Institute of Art

What to Read

Clay Pop by Alia Dahl

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Donald Thompson

Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art by Olav Velthius

Blk Art: The Audacious Legacy of Black Artists and Models in Western Art by Zaria Ware

The Black Market: A Guide to art collecting by Charles Moore

What to listen to

Respect - Aretha Franklin

Alright - Kendrick Lamar

Picasso Babe - Jay-Z

Rich Nigazz - J. Cole

Who to follow

Follow Alia Dahl on IG @aliajessenia and @jeffreydeitchgallery

Learn more about her at Alia Dahl

This conversation was recorded on March 24th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E63. Dossé-Via Trenou: Written In The Stars.

dario — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today's episode is an exploration of the stars, so get your notebooks out. Dossé-Via walks us through the African origins of modern astrology, how star-gazing is actually compatible if not embedded within Christianity, Islam, and other religious practices, and what compatibility REALLY means. Not to mention breaking down all those astrological houses and alignments and, well, you get the picture. Grab your paper and sharpen your pencils, today’s episode will be out of this world.(who writes this stuff?) We want to hear from you, share your favorite moment with us on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. Be sure to check out our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination and soar through the galaxy of IBI Digital at blackimagination.com where this and other content resides.

Things mentioned

ScorpioMystique - Where Scorpios Come to Soar

Magic & Melanin - African Travel Experience

The Houses in Astrology and Their Meaning

Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope.

Trace Your African Roots - African Ancestry

What to Read

Signs Skymates: The Ultimate Guide to Astrological Compatibility by Dossé-Via Trenou

You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas

What to listen to

Dream with Dossé-Via by Dossé-Via

Signs by Beyonce

Written in the Stars from AIDA on Broadway sung by Heather Headley & Adam Pascal

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension

Who to follow

Follow Dossé-Via on IG @dossevia and @scorpiomystique

Learn more about her at Dossé-Via

This conversation was recorded on January 19th, 2023.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E62. Robert Battle: The Power of Community.

dario — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 09:45:00 -0400

In today's episode, Robert explores what it means to lead with legacy in mind. We talk through the lessons learned from fully immersing oneself in their craft and the importance of building a community. Today’s episode is sure to leave you inspired so be sure to share your most motivational moments with us over on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. You can also view this episode and catch up on others by visiting and subscribing to our YouTube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content on IBI Digital at blackimagination.com.

Things Mentioned

Robert Moses - “The Master Builder”

History of Hip-Hop

Miami (Liberty City) Riot, 1980

Liberty City Riots 1968

What to Read

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author) Robert Battle (Foreword)

Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture by Thomas F Defrantz

Black Bodies, White Gazes: The Continuing Significance of Race in America by George Yancy

I Am Dance: Words and Images of the Black Dancer by Hal Banfield

What to listen to

Saving All My Love - Whitney Houston

Living For The City - Stevie Wonder

Miami - Will Smith

Revelations - Album by Alvin Ailey

Who to follow

Follow Robert Battle on IG @alvinailey

Learn more about Robert at Robert Battle

This conversation was recorded on October 7th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

dario — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s episode, Justin educates us on the questions we should be asking about our neighborhoods. He shares how to find your voice while highlighting the important role black and brown people can play in the world of philanthropy. Today’s episode will be full of gems so make sure to share your favorite moment with us over on Twitter and Instagram at @blackimagination. You can also view this episode and catch up on others by visiting and subscribing to our youtube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content on IBI Digital at, blackimagination.com. And without further ado, the exceptional, Justin Garrett Moore.

Things mentioned

Meridian-Kessler - neighborhood

Cleo W. Blackburn- Educator

Hilyard Robinson - Architect

Elizabeth Alexander - American poet and the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

What to Read

Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire by Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri

The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander

Urban Planning and the African-American Community: In the Shadows by June Manning Thomas, Marsha Ritzdorf

What to listen to

The Ghetto - Donny Hathaway

Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder

Alright - Kendrick Lamar

Who to follow

Follow Justin Garrett Moore on IG @j.g.moore

Learn more about him at Justin Garrett Moore

This conversation was recorded on August 6th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination

E60. Kevin Bethune: Dreams, Design and Life.

dario — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Show notes

In today’s episode, Kevin shares with us his life-long pursuit of creative curiosity. He reminds us that what may seem like a career pivot from the outside, is really an internal expansion; as each new acquired skill makes you uniquely qualified for the problems you aim to solve. It encourages us to tap into the path of experimentation and how pursuing “stretch assignments” can test the limits of our creativity, provide evidence that you're on your path, ultimately getting us closer to where we want to be.

Things mentioned

UK Design Council

Jason Mayden - Designer

Dr. D’wayne Edwards - Designer

What to Read

Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation - Kevin Bethune

The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) - John Maeda

What to Listen To

If I Could Build My Whole World Around You – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

I'm in a Different World – The Four Tops

Who to follow

Follow Kevin Bethune on IG @kevinbethune

Learn more about him at Kevin Bethune

This conversation was recorded on October 20th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E59. Camille A. Brown: For Colored Girls.

dario — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with award-winning choreographer + director Camille A. Brown.

Do you know Camille? You know Camille. You may recognize her work, on Broadway in Once On This Island or on television choreographing Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert! Camille’s work is an ode to reclamation and staying connected to ancestral ties with her deep passion to empower Black bodies by allowing them to tell their own stories. Camille is literally history in the making. In 2021 she became the first Black artist to direct a mainstage production at the Metropolitan Opera, doing double-duty as co-director and choreographer. She repeated this dual act in the latest adaptation of Ntozke Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf,” making her the first Black woman to Direct and Choreograph a Broadway show in 67 years.

In today’s episode, Camille reminds us just how vital resilience and listening to your own voice can be. She shares lessons from rejection and struggle and encourages us to be ourselves regardless of the stakes.

Things mentioned

Darius Barnes - Dancer + Choreographer

Fire Shut Up in My Bones - Camille A. Brown performed at the Met Opera

DeVore Dance Center, founded by Choreographer + Dancer Carolyn DeVore

Ronald K. Brown/ EVIDENCE, A Dance Company

Roger Jeffrey - School of Dance - George Mason University

What to Read

Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora by Joanna Dee Das

Modern Dance, Negro Dance: Race in Motion by Susan Manning

Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance by Jennifer Dunning

What to listen to

Mo’ Better Blues - Branford Marsalis Quartet (feat. Terence Blanchard)

Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson

Remember The Time - Michael Jackson

Dancing In The Street - Martha and The Vandellas

So into You - SWV

Who to follow

Follow Camille A. Brown on IG @camilleabrown

Learn more about her upcoming events at Camille A. Brown

This conversation was recorded on August 20th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E58. Jason Mayden: Be Your Own Superhero.

dario — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 08:15:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with sneaker designer and tech entrepreneur Jason Mayden. Jason is the founder of Super Heroic, a footwear brand empowering children to be their own heroes. He’s also the CEO of Trilicon Valley– a modern design collective made up of entrepreneurs, designers, athletes, and all-around creatives. You may recognize him from his time spent at Nike in their digital sports division serving as the senior global design director as well as the director of innovation. During his tenure, he designed iconic footwear for athletes and cultural icons such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and living legend Michael Jordan.

In today's episode, Jason shares how unquenchable desire and focus set the foundation for pursuing his various ambitions. He reminds us about the power of transmuting our own painful experiences, using them as fuel to manifest our dreams and desires. We also discuss why holding your inner child close is important to the overall well-being of your big adult self.

Things mentioned

DC Comics Dr. Lucius Fox

Trillicon Valley

Jason’s SUPER HEROIC collection

Cointelpro

What to listen to

Jay-Z - Show You How

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Pt I (Acknowledgment)

YoYo Get Funky - Fast Eddie

Who to follow

Follow Jason Mayden on IG @jasonmayden

Learn more about Trilicon Valley on IG @trilliconvalley

This conversation was recorded on August 4th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch this and other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E57. All About Love.

dario — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0400

This special edition of the podcast is our final episode of 2022.

Today we are revisiting our conversations with thirteen of our guests from this year as they illustrate what happens when you lead with love. Our guests not only talk about romantic love but also highlight what it means to be madly in love with your work, what it can teach us about ourselves, and how important it is to fall head over heels for the process. We will close today’s episode with the kind of love they imagine for the future.

We begin with dedications from Grammy-award-winning singer + songwriter Estelle, Chef + Activist Zoe Adjonyoh, Preacher + Scholar Eboni Marshall Turman, Choreographer and Dancer Bill T. Jones, and finally, Culinary Entrepreneur Jon Gray of Ghetto Gastro. They remind us of their “why” as we open the floodgates to allow love to flow freely through the conversation.

Episodes to listen to

Dedication:

E41. Estelle: Becoming the Love of Your Life.

E42. Zoe Adjonyoh: Exploring Identity Through Cuisine.

E44. Rev.Eboni Marshall Turman: Redefining God's Body

E49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.

E52. Ghetto Gastro (Jon Gray): 15 Seconds to Decide.

Love:

E37. Bisa Butler: The Realization of Memory

E49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.

E40. Jericho Brown: Shaping Reality with Words.

E47.David Zilber: A Fermenter's Guide to the Universe.

E56. Rita Dove: The Pleasure of Text.

Imagine for the future:

E36. Dario Calmese: Designing Consciousness with IBI Founder.

E41. Estelle: Becoming the Love of Your Life.

E50. June Ambrose: The Style Architect.

E46. Stephen Satterfield: The Origins of Food.

E39. Timnit Gebru: Asylum From A.I.

What to read

All about Love: New Visions by bell hooks

Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems by Rita Dove

Story/Time: The Life of an Idea by Bill T. Jones

The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The art of loving and being loved by Matthew Kelly

What to listen to

Feeling Good - Nina Simone

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald

September by Earth, Wind & Fire

You Bring Me Joy-Anita Baker

Better-Estelle

These conversations were recorded for our 2022 season.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Producer for episodes in the first half of 2022: Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch this and other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.

E56. Rita Dove: The Pleasure of Text.

dario — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Author Rita Dove. Rita is a US Poet Laureate, the recipient of 29 honorary degrees…Yes, you heard correctly…29, and the only poet to be honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. Her portfolio of work is timeless, precise, and captures the complexity of life.

In today’s episode, we explore the pleasure of the text. We also journey through how using your imagination can help to get what you want, the role writing can play in the midst of chaos, and how Rita’s lived experience as a Black woman has shaped her understanding of the world.

Things mentioned

Award Winning Poet Nikki Giovanni

Dawn Revisited, a poem written by Rita Dove

American Poet Michael S. Harper

What to read

Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems by Rita Dove

Thomas and Beulah by Rita Dove

The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 by Nikki Giovanni

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Pleasure of the Text written by Roland Barthes and translated by Richard Miller

Dear John, Dear Coltrane: Poems by Michael S Harper

Staged Otherness: Ethnic Shows in Central and Eastern Europe, 1850–1939 by Dagnosław Demski and Dominika Czarnecka

What to listen to

Feeling Good - Nina Simone

So What - Miles Davis

Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald

This conversation was recorded on August 20th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch this and other episodes on YouTube at: The Institute of Black Imagination.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture.

dario — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today's episode is with architect Sekou Cooke. Sekou is one of the leading advocates for the study and practice of Hip-Hop Architecture, a practice that poses hip-hop as architecture and uses the language of design to investigate its construction.

In today's episode, we explore why urban design cannot exist without hip-hop. We lean into what can happen if we start to understand the nature of urban environments, and Sekou reminds us that whether it is hip-hop, your career, or practice, it's essential to make sure love is at the center of what you do.

Things mentioned

Artist, Architect, and Fashion designer Virgil Abloh

“Figures of Speech” exhibition at Brooklyn Musuem dedicated to the work of Virgil Abloh

Artist Theaster Gates

Artist Lauren Halsey

Urban Planner Robert Moses

Post–World War II development StuyTown

Architect Beverly Lorraine Greene

Bricolage is the construction of a sculpture, or a structure of ideas achieved by using whatever comes to hand

What to read

Hip-Hop Architecture by Sekou Cooke

Abloh-Isms by Virgil Abloh

Virgil Abloh. Nike. Icons by Virgil Abloh

Theaster Gates: Black Madonna by Elvira Dyangani Ose, Theaster Gates (Artist)

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

What to listen to

Champion - Buju Banton

One Dance - Drake

One Love - Bob Marley and the Wailers

The Breaks - Kurtis Blow

Your Wish is Your Command - Kevin Trudeau

Who to follow

Follow Sekou Cooke on IG @sekou21

You can also find his studio here.

This conversation was recorded on July 16th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

Watch this and other episodes on YouTube at: The Institute of Black Imagination.

E54. Jerald Cooper: HoodCentury Modern.

dario — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with creative director, and architectural archivist Jerald “Coop” Cooper. Coop is the founder of Hood-century Modern — an Instagram account that sparked a preservation movement by highlighting the iconic and unique designs of mid-century buildings in Black neighborhoods; connecting modern architecture to Black culture. A hip-hop aficionado and curious soul, Coop reminds us to get in touch with our spirit, take ownership of our neighborhood, and challenges us to develop a deeper understanding of how design affects our everyday experience.

In today’s conversation we explore our relationship to land, the importance of being attuned to spirit, what architects can learn from hip-hop, and the importance of not just repping your block, but understanding how it was made.

Things mentioned

College Hill, OH

Maria Montessori Creator of Montessori School Structure

Buckminster Fuller - Architect

Molefi Kete Asante - Professor & Philosopher

Robert Moses - Urban Planner

What to read

Beloved by Toni Morrison

R. Buckminster Fuller: Pattern-Thinking by Daniel López-Pérez and R Buckminster Fuller

Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change by Molefi Kete Asante

Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal by Julia Dolan, Sara Krajewski, Bobby Martin, Hank Willis Thomas (Photographer)

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone

What to listen to

This Can’t Be Life - Jay-Z

Get By - Talib Kweli

Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth - 24-Carat Black

The Heat is On - The Isley Brothers

Who to follow

Follow Jerald “Coop” Cooper on IG @hoodmidcenturymodern

You can also find more of Hood Century here.

This conversation was recorded on August 13th, 2022.

Host: Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism, Adam Selah, Will Domingue

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E53b. Frank B. Wilderson III: On Afropessimism II.

dario — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with award-winning writer, scholar and activist Frank B. Wilderson III. Frank is known as the Godfather of Afropessimism: a critical theory that positions anti-blackness as the antidote for the psychic well-being of society. Did that sound heady? Well, pull out our pen and paper. Frank’s curiosity and fearlessness in revealing hard truths, takes us on a scholarly journey that will surely require some unpacking.

In part two of today’s episode, Frank reminds us to be fearless in the pursuit of knowledge, even if that knowledge reveals unhealthy truths.

Strap in, as Frank takes us on a ride exploring the foundational tenets Afropessimism along with his own thoughts about reconciliation, activism, and what it means to be a Black individual living in a state of social consciousness and racial reckoning.

Please share some of your thoughts on today's episode with us over on twitter and instagram at @blackimagination. To watch this episode go, visit, and subscribe to our youtube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content over on IBI Digital at, blackimagination.com. And without further ado, the profound Frank B. Wilderson III.

People and ideas mentioned

More information on what is Afropessimism

Jared Sexton - Professor, African American Studies

Marxism thought of Karl Marx

Professor David Marriott History of Consciousness

Historical and cultural sociologist Orlando Patterson

What to Read

Afropessimism by Frank B. Wilderson

Incognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid by Frank B. Wilderson III

The Future Is Black: Afropessimism, Fugitivity, and Radical Hope in Education by Michael J. Dumas, Carl A. Grant, Ashley N. Woodson

Whither Fanon?: Studies in the Blackness of Being by David Marriott

Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study, with a New Preface by Orlando Patterson

The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters, and Speeches by Manning Marable, Myrlie Evers-Williams

What to listen to

Fight the Power – Public Enemy

Hell You Talmbout – Janelle Monae and Wondaland Records

This is America – Childish Gambino

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – Marvin Gaye

Who to follow

Follow Frank B. Wilderson III on IG @frank_wilderson

Visit his website here.

This conversation was recorded on August 11th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Saleh, Will Dominique, Sablā Stays

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Audio Engineer + Composer: Adam Radice

Original music composed by Adam Radice.

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E53a. Frank B. Wilderson III: On Afropessimism I.

dario — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with award-winning writer, scholar and activist Frank B. Wilderson III. Frank is known as the Godfather of Afropessimism: a critical theory that anti-blackness is “necessary for world-making at every level of abstraction.” Did that sound heady? Well, get ready. Frank’s curiosity, appetite for knowledge and nuance, along with his fearlessness to explore what is, in the absence of what isn’t, reminds us of the importance of inquiry and the power of examining the world around us.

In part one of today’s episode, Frank reminds us to be fearless in the pursuit of knowledge, even if that knowledge reveals unhealthy truths. Strap in, as Frank takes us on a ride exploring Afropessimism and themes of reconciliation, activism, and what it means to be a young Black man living in a state of social consciousness and racial reckoning. Please share some of your thoughts on today's episode with us over on twitter and instagram at @blackimagination. To watch this episode go, visit, and subscribe to our youtube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content over on IBI Digital at, blackimagination.com. And without further ado, the profound Frank B. Wilderson III.

People and ideas mentioned

More information on what is Afropessimism

Jared Sexton - Professor, African American Studies

Marxism thought of Karl Marx

Professor David Marriott History of Consciousness

Historical and cultural sociologist Orlando Patterson

What to Read

Afropessimism by Frank B. Wilderson

Incognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid by Frank B. Wilderson III

The Future Is Black: Afropessimism, Fugitivity, and Radical Hope in Education by Michael J. Dumas, Carl A. Grant, Ashley N. Woodson

Whither Fanon?: Studies in the Blackness of Being by David Marriott

Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study, with a New Preface by Orlando Patterson

The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters, and Speeches by Manning Marable, Myrlie Evers-Williams

What to listen to

Fight the Power – Public Enemy

Hell You Talmbout – Janelle Monae and Wondaland Records

This is America – Childish Gambino

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – Marvin Gaye

Who to follow

Follow Frank B. Wilderson III on IG @frank_wilderson

Visit his website here.

This conversation was recorded on August 11th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Adam Saleh, Will Dominique, Sablā Stays

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Audio Engineer + Composer: Adam Radice

Original music composed by Adam Radice.

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E52. Ghetto Gastro (Jon Gray): 15 Seconds to Decide.

dario — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with food enthusiast, storyteller, and creative strategist Jon Gray. Jon is the co-founder and self-proclaimed dishwasher of Ghetto Gastro— a collective that uses food as a medium to ignite conversations about race, inequity, and inclusivity. Jon’s love affair with the Bronx, usage of mixed media, and desire to build new narratives that empower black and brown people, teaches us the importance of having pride in your roots and staying true to yourself.

In today’s conversation, we’re reminded of the importance of staying true to ourselves. We explore themes such as the value of fostering deep connections, the importance of perseverance, and we journey into why trusting your instincts can be your greatest tool.

What to read

Pre-order Black Power Kitchen - Ghetto Gastro by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrano, Lester Walker (Drops 10.18.22)

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food: A Cookbook by Marcus Samuelsson, Yewande Komolafe, Osayi Endolyn

People mentioned

Thelma Golden - Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem

Curator, critic & author Kimberly Drew

Graphic Artist Emory Douglas

Artist Jamel Robinson

Co-Founder of ArtNoir & President of Saint Heron Carolyn Concepcion

Larry Ossei-Mensah Curator & Co-founder of @artnoirco

Artist Derrick Adams

Richelieu Dennis - Founder & CEO of Sundial Brands, maker of SheaMoisture

Learn more about Jon Gray

Check out Ghetto Gastro’s appliance collection CRUXGG

Jon Gray's of Ghetto Gastro, Cooper Hewitt Installation

Watch Jon Gray's (Ghetto Gasto) TedTalk

What to listen to

Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud by James Brown

DNA. by Kendrick Lamar

Cranes in the Sky by Solange

Who to follow

Find him on IG

To learn more about his work, visit GhettoGastro.com

This conversation was recorded on July 30th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, Justin Smith, Adam Selah

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Audio Engineer + Composer: Adam Radice

Original music composed by Adam Radice

E51. Jerome Lamaar: The Power of Imagination.

dario — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with creative director, designer and stylist Jerome Lamaar. Jerome is a trendsetter whose perspective on art, culture, concepts and colors has transformed style. Exploring the power of imagination, controlling their own narrative, and pride in their community, Jerome has never been afraid to color outside the lines, illustrating their own reality.

In today’s episode, we’re reminded of what it means to design a life on your own terms. We explore themes of manifestation, building your own brand, staying true to yourself, and the value in accessibility.

Things mentioned

Willi Smith: Street Couture - Cooper Hewitt

5:31 by JÉRÔME LAMAAR for And Now - Macy's

Baby Phat

Designer and artist Ralph Rucci

What to read

Willi Smith: Street Couture by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron

The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by André Leon Talley

Black Designers in American Fashion by Elizabeth Way

Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting by Ann Marie Fiore, Eundeok Kim, Alice Payne

Life Visioning by Michael Bernard Beckwith

What to listen to

My Life by Mary J. Blige

The Glamorous Life by Sheila E

Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force

All The Way Up by Fat Joe and Remy Ma

Who to follow

Follow Jerome Lamaar on IG @jeromelamaar

You can also find Jerome's fashion here.

This conversation was recorded on July 9th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia

Bookings: K.T. Thompson

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E50. June Ambrose: The Style Architect.

dario — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with designer and creative director June Ambrose. June is an award-winning creative director, stylist, costume designer, and entrepreneur who has built a career creating culture-shifting moments through fashion and style. Using fashion as her language, June teaches us her own personal way of finding one’s voice.

In today’s episode, we explore themes of finding one’s voice, the importance of authenticity, the constance of reinvention and what happens when you give yourself permission. Today’s conversation reminds us of the power in building a brand and not to be defined by someone elses opinion of us.

Things mentioned

June Ambrose’s Collection with Puma

Big D Energy

What to listen to

Mo Money Mo Problems (feat. Puff Daddy & Mase)

Missy Elliott - The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

Jay-Z - Change Clothes ft. Pharrell

Shabba Ranks - Ting-A-ling

Who to follow

Follow June Ambrose on IG @juneambrose

Visit her website here.

This conversation was recorded on August 18th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Director of Digital Content: @vickygcreative

Bookings: @itsms.kt

Original Music composed by Adam Radice

Audio Edited by Adam Radice

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.

dario — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones. Jones is an award winning artist and legendary dancer. His work uses storytelling, movement, and multimedia elements such as spoken narrative and videotape to examine identity, social issues and autobiographical elements of his life. His 43-year long career reminds us on the importance of gratitude and remaining present in your life and artistry.

In today’s conversation we’re reminded of the power in investigation. We also explore what it means to create amidst a state of grief. And the importance of spending a life in service to others.

Things mentioned

2010 Kennedy Center Honors - Bill T. Jones

FELA!

Arnie Zane: An Introduction

Bill T. Jones: Still / Here with Bill Moyers

What to read

Story/Time: The Life of an Idea by Bill T. Jones

The Emigrants by W.G. Sebald

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Spirit in Man, Art and Literature by Carl Gustav Jung

Body Against Body: The Dance and Other Collaborations of Bill T. Jones & Arnie Zane by Bill T. Jones, Artie Zane, Elizabeth Zimmer

Democracy Moving: Bill T. Jones, Contemporary American Performance, and the Racial Past By Ariel Nereson

What to listen to

Fela! (Original Broadway Cast Recording) - Album by Fela Kuti

I Will Move On Up a Little Higher - by Mahalia Jackson

September by Earth, Wind & Fire

Who to follow

Follow Bill T. Jones on IG @billtjonesarniezaneco

You can also find his company here.

This conversation was recorded on July 9th, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Director of Digital Content: @vickygcreative

Bookings: @itsms.kt

Audio Engineer + Composer: Adam Radice

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E48. Sara Zewde: Parks and Liberation.

dario — Sun, 22 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with landscape architect, designer, urbanist, and public artist Sara Zewde. Sara is the co-founder of Studio Zewde– a design firm practicing landscape architecture, urban design, and public art, as well as an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In this episode, she shares how design has been leveraged as a tool of oppression and how everyone must be involved in the process of thinking about the world they want to create.

We explore the controversial origins of landscape architecture along with topics that range from Hurricane Katrina not only being a natural disaster but a political failure that ignited her curiosity about the land, architecture being built on the backs of Black women, and ultimately the bold moves we should be making now to engage with the environment. Sara’s story introduces you to the origins of architecture that have been omitted and challenge us to participate in the design of being.

Things mentioned

Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. is the father of landscape architecture

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

Seneca Village existed before Central Park

Liberatory Design is a process and practice

Africatown Community Land Trust can be a model for us

Graffiti Pier by Studio Zewde

What to read

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde

An Aesthetic of Blackness: Strange and Oppositional by bell hooks

The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

Journeys and Explorations in the Cotton Kingdom: A Traveller's Observations on Cotton and Slavery in the American Slave States Based Upon Three Former by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr.

Who to follow

Find her on IG

To learn more about her work, visit Studio Zewde and follow them on IG

This conversation was recorded on May 3rd, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Production Assistant: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E47.David Zilber: A Fermenter's Guide to the Universe.

dario — Sun, 08 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Chef, Fermenter, Food Scientist, Photographer, and New York Times best-selling author David Zilber. David is the former Director of Fermentation for “NOMA” Copenhagen; known as one of the most coveted restaurants on the planet, and co-author of the New York Times best-selling book, “The Noma Guide to Fermentation”. In this episode, he shares how the power of a nudge can unlock a world of unlimited possibilities, and trusting biological processes beyond instant gratification.

We explore David’s multicultural upbringing growing up in Toronto, Canada, along with topics that range from connecting fermentation to everyday life, how photography allows him to tether his curiosity for science and fermentation, and ultimately how he’s been able to bloom in the midst of chaos. David’s story is one filled with invaluable gems and speaks to the power of leaning into curiosity.

Things mentioned

"NOMA", Copenhagen restaurant

James Webb Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

Lagrange point

What to read

The Noma Guide to Fermentation: Including Koji, Kombuchas, Shoyus, Misos, Vinegars, Garums, Lacto-Ferments, and Black Fruits and Vegetables by David Zilber and René Redzepi

Inbetweeners: On the meaning of (re)mediation in mycelial and human worlds by David Zilber

Why Fermentation Is So Important To One Of The World’s Best Restaurants

Essays in Love by Alain de Botton

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow

The Living Planet by David Attenborough

On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea' from Aristotle to DNA by John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin

A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us about the Destiny of the Human Species by Rob Dunn

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

Being a Human: Adventures in Forty Thousand Years of Consciousness by Charles Foster

What to listen to

Too Hot by Kool & The Gang

Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown

September by Earth, Wind & Fire

Who to follow

Follow David Zilber on IG @david_zilber

You can also find his photography here.

This conversation was recorded on February 3rd, 2022.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Production Assistant: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E46. Stephen Satterfield: The Origins of Food.

dario — Sun, 01 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with food writer, producer, and media entrepreneur Stephen Satterfield. Stephen is the host of Netflix’s critically acclaimed docuseries “High on the Hog” and the founder of Whetstone, a magazine and media company dedicated to food origins and culture from around the world. In this episode, he shares the importance of food origins as a space for reclamation and what it means to examine who and what’s being left out of the story.

We explore Stephen’s own origin story–growing up in Atlanta in the ’80s–along with topics that range from his start as a young sommelier, the implications of citizens being divorced from food culture, and ultimately how being crushed by a series of life events propelled his career forward; leading him from self-doubt to conviction.

Things to read

Oysters originated because of a Black man

James Hemings invented baked Mac and Cheese

Whetstone Magazine, Summer 2021

What to check out

Whetstone Media

Kara Washington and food apartheid

Environmental factors that affect a crop - Terroir

Stephen Satterfield became a Sommelier before his 21st birthday

What to listen to

Episode mentioned by Dario - The Morality of Meat

Point of Origin Podcast

Whetstone Radio Collective

Outkast - Mainstream (1996)

Who to follow

Stephen Satterfield on IG

This conversation was recorded on March 4th, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Production Assistant: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E45. Luvvie Ajayi Jones: The Professional Troublemaker.

dario — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with author, podcast host, and speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones. Luvvie is a New York Times-Bestselling author and in this conversation, she lays out what it takes to become a professional troublemaker: unapologetically opinionated, courageous, and unafraid to speak the truth even if your voice shakes.

We explore topics that range from the difference in Black identities between Nigeria and the United States, her path from failing chemistry to creating one of the industry’s most popular blogs, how love shows up when you’re not paying attention, and what ultimately allowed her to finally call herself as a writer. This conversation is one that speaks to the troublemaker in all of us.

Her latest book, “Rising Troublemaker: A Fear-Fighter Manual for Teens'' is now available for preorder at Penguin Randomhouse (link below).

Click here to take our listener survey!

What to read

Luvvie Ajayi Jones’ NYT, bestselling book "I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual"

Her recently released book, "Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual"

Luvvie Ajayi Jones' Blog

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison

Rising Troublemaker: A Fear-Fighter Manual for Teens

What to listen to

Luvvie’s podcast Professional Troublemaker

Things mentioned

Join Luvvie in her private community, Luvvnation

Who to follow?

Check out Luvvie on all her platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

For more information about Luvvie Ajayi Jones, visit her site.

This conversation was recorded on January 20th, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Production Assistant: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E44. Rev.Eboni Marshall Turman: Redefining God's Body

dario — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation, we discuss a wide range of topics from Eboni’s experience growing up in Brooklyn during the ’80s, to her studies of Black Theology along with her definition of Womanist Theology. Through conversation, vulnerability and curiosity eventually we land on what that pivotal moment in Eboni’s life was that ultimately propelled her to pursue her calling.

More on a Black Liberation and Womanist Theology

Womanist theology

Black theology

Black Theology and Black Power

Black Theology of Liberation

The Matriarchs of Black Womanist Theology

Jacqueline Grant

Katie Cannon

Delores Williams

Sacred Text of Black Womanist Theology

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Black Madonna

The Father of Black Liberation Theology

James Howell Cone

Sermons by Eboni Marshall Turman

Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman at Howard University Andrew Rankin Chapel Feb 28 2021

Books by Eboni Marshall Turman

Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church, and the Council of Chalcedon (Black Religion/Womanist Thought/Social Justice)

Where Eboni started her education

Headstart

Where Eboni started her dance education

Da Butt by E.U.

Playlist inspired by this conversation

Iesha by Another Bad Creation

Biz Markie “Albee Square Mall” (1988)

Jay-Z “Where I’m From” (1997)

Short Films inspired by this conversation

Celebrating Revelations at 50 by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Places to Visit

Eboni Marshall Turman

This conversation was recorded on February 25, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Director of Digital Content: vickygcreative.com

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

E43. Kenturah Davis: The Limits of Language.

dario — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with contemporary artist Kenturah Davis. Exploring language, looms, and listening beyond the limen, Kenturah's work reminds us that identity requires an intimacy with the unknown and oftentimes hidden portraits of ourselves.

We explore topics that range from the diminishing value of a Masters of Fine Arts degree to urban planning and design to Toni Morrison’s essay “The Site of Memory”, this conversation is one that holds our hearts in an audible essay on the shadows of life and living.

What to read.

The Site of Memory by Toni Morrison

Playlist inspired by this conversation.

Atladena- Kelela

Apocalypse-Thundercat

Who to follow.

Kenturah Davis

This conversation was recorded on 12/14/21.

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Director of Digital Content: vickygcreative.com

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

E42. Zoe Adjonyoh: Exploring Identity Through Cuisine.

dario — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s conversation is with chef and activist Zoe Adjonyoh. Zoe is the founder and creative brainchild behind Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen and author of one of New York Times most notable cookbooks of 2021. Exploring identity, belonging,and culture, Zoe’s career is one of pivots and pirouettes that ultimately land her at home with herself and her love of Ghanian food, family, and justice.

In today’s episode, we explore themes of identity, justice, ancestry, family, and well, of course, food. Zoe’s story will inspire anyone whose path feels non-linear or circuitous. Remember, you are right where you are supposed to be…always..in all the ways. As Zoe reminds us, those whispers of the universe are always speaking to us

Things that we mention

What is a Black hole? Let’s ask NASA

Peanut Stew

Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen Site

Cooking up consciousness

British National Party

Zoe's Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine

James Baldwin, In his own searing revelatory words,’I am not your Negro’

What was happening in the 1980s in London

From the New York Time Archives:

Neo-nazis accoused of London Riots, July 5 1981

And also from the New York Times

The Best Cookbooks of 2021

This conversation was recorded on December 16, 2021 and February 1, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Production Assistant: Coniqua Johnson

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E41. Estelle: Becoming the Love of Your Life.

dario — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Estelle; a Grammy-award winning singer, song writer, and record producer. A woman clearly comfortable with who she is, how she loves, and the boundaries she erects to express said love, Estelle has opened the sun-lit window of her lyrical world for the Institute of Black Imagination… on today. And the church said amen.

Through storytelling and poignant advice-laden gems, Estelle shares the value of being prepared, why you must stay in your craft, and how the industry has changed since she first started over 20 years ago. This conversation is not all business though- Estelle shares her definition of love with me and who to go to for advice when your friends and family can’t help you anymore

A playlist Inspired by Estelle’s journey and this conversation

Mi Deyah Again- Beres Hammond

Better-Estelle

American Boy-Estelle featuring Kanye West

Stomp-Kirk Franklin

Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)-SWV

Don’t Leave Me- Blackstreet

Roc Boys- Jay-Z

You Bring Me Joy-Anita Baker

It Don’t Mean a Thing if You Aint Got That Swing- Ella Fitzgerald

A Night in Tunisia (live)- Dizzy Gillespie

Books that Estelle gifts the most

Will Smith’s Memoir “Will”

The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The art of loving and being loved by Matthew Kelly

This conversation was recorded on March 3, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E40. Jericho Brown: Shaping Reality with Words.

dario — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Jericho Brown, a Pulitzer-prize winning poet, scholar, and the Director of Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Exploring poetry as sound, Jericho's written word reminds us that language is always heard before it is spoken and spoken in order to be experienced.

Dario explores an intimate conversation characterized by love- Jericho’s love for exploring the sound of creation, love for his inner child, and love for being in love. We discuss how it is possible to fall in love in a pandemic and what we do to protect ourselves from love and harm. If you aspire to write or create, allow this professor to guide you out of your belief in writer’s block and into your seat of messy. Sensitive content: sexual abuse and rape

What We Mention

Jericho reads his latest poem Vaccinated and from The Tradition

Battle of Jericho

Phenomenal Woman- Maya Angelou

Ego Tripping- Niikki Giovani

Mother to Son- Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers - Langston Hughes

A Playlist Inspired by this Conversation

Lord I’m running trying to make 100 St Stephens COGIC Youth Choir, 1997

I put on for my city by Young Jeezy

The Lord’s Prayer – Patti LaBelle

This conversation was recorded Jan 4, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E39. Timnit Gebru: Asylum From A.I.

dario — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Show Notes

Timnit Gebru is an artificial intelligence researcher. Timnit advocates for fair and just use of the technology we use everyday. A former employee of Google, Timnit consistently calls in and calls out a Big Tech industry that leverages power, capital, and bias in favor of, well, themselves and their wallets. From language to surveillance- Timnit knows the potential harms of artificial intelligence know no bounds.

This conversation was recorded on Jan 27, 2022

Learn More about this topic

Who to follow?

Other Things we mention

contentauthenticity.org

The fairness doctrine

Fairness doctrine washington post article

Host Dario Calmese

E38. Toni L. Griffin: The Just City.

dario — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s conversation, Dario sits with urbanist and architect Toni Griffin. Toni’s work asks us to question the design of our neighborhoods, communities, and cities. From values of belonging to voices of protection, Toni’s work calls us to stand in the center of who we say we are while gazing through the cities we claim to love.

In this episode we explore themes of city design, inequity, and social injustice.

Things we mention.

99 Provocations to Disrupt Injustice in St.Louis – Dario’s hometown for those who don’t know

Design for the Just City

A Just City Index – value indices and framework to consider for your “home”work

Episode playlist 99 Problems by Jay-Z

Learn more about Toni’s work

UrbanAC.city

This conversation was recorded on Jan 11, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism, Stephane Lab

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E37. Bisa Butler: The Realization of Memory

dario — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s conversation, Dario sits with fiber artist and storyteller Bisa Butler. Bisa tells the stories of African heritage and American home through an artistry and craft we all know as quilts. Her use of vibrant color and fine fibers reminds us that intentionality, textile, and choice allows our spirits to be known and rendered as portraits suspended in time and stories never forgotten.

In this episode we explore themes of investing in your artistry, the universal human spirit, how a successful artist stays grounded, and Dario’s and Bisa’s 90s R&B/Hip Hop inspired handmade teen wardrobe

Things we mention

Time as a function (and an illusion) of the gregorian calendar

Negritude movement and who are we when ‘universal’ seems to naturally mean white

James Baldwin, Doom and Glory of Knowing Who You are, Dostoevsky

Bisa’s time studying art at Howard University included investigating the works and lives of

The beauty and genius of El Anatsui

Episode Playlist and Film List

A short film (aka video) about time travel as it appeared on Yo! MTV Raps: Here Comes the Hammer by MC Hammer

Jason’s Lyric

I’m so Into you by SWV

Ordinary People by John legend

Bisa Butler on Instagram

All the latest news about Bisa can be found on Bisa’s Linktree

This conversation was recorded on Jan 6, 2022

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism, Stephane Lab

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E36. Dario Calmese: Designing Consciousness with IBI Founder.

dario — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is a special one. This time, it's me in the hot seat, in an extremely candid conversation with our inaugural IBI Fellow, Adam Saleh, an anti-disciplinary designer and current senior at UC Berkeley studying computer science and linguistics.

The Institute of Black Imagination began as a library, when I acquired roughly 2000 books from the personal archive of the late great multi-hyphenate artist, Geoffrey Holder in 2018, roughly 4 years after his passing. What I encountered in Geoffrey was a mentor, and what I encountered in his archive was a roadmap, a blueprint to creativity. I quickly understood how much input it took to create an output like that, and sought to find funding to create a physical space to house the collection and give access to other black and brown creatives to explore, be inspired, and ignite their own imaginations.

What we mention

Speak French to Dario, s’il vous plaît

Black in Design at Harvard

Theory of General Relativity

Decolonizing the Gaze: An interview with Dario Calmese

Cognitive Dissonance

Spotlight Consciousness

Dub: Finding Ceremony by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Playlist

I learned to respect the power of love performed by Stephanie Mills

Je te veux Performed by Jessye Norman

This conversation was recorded in October 2021

Host Dario Calmese

Producer Carmen D. Harris

Visual Art Direction and Designs:

River Wildmen, AfroVisualism, Stephane Lab

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E35. The Hero's Journey with Model and Activist Bethann Hardison.

dario — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with the ineffable Bethann Hardison. Bethann is known to the world as a model, activist, and the grand dame of the fashion and design industry.

Today’s conversation is one of iconoclastic voice and elder stateswoman reason. Wherever you are in life, you’ll find a treasure trove of timeless wisdom in this conversation with the Bethann Hardison. Save it. Bookmark it. Come back to it whenever you need to remind yourself to keep dancing on your journey. It was such a privilege and honor to welcome Bethann Hardison to the Institute of Black Imagination.

This conversation was recorded on March 25, 2021.

Things we mention

Bethann’s Street Gang: The Lady Chaplains and the Stompers

Bethann, her mother, and drag queens: About Face: Supermodels Then and Now

Bethann can’t stand this about current cancel culture

Bethann and Willi Smith

Robin Givhan wrote a whole book about Bethann ( we meant the Battle of Versaille)

www.bethannhardison.com

Meta: https://www.instagram.com/bethannhardison/

Production Dario Calmese and Carmen D. Harris

Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Afrovisualism, River Wildmen, Stéphane Lab

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese

Visit us at blackimagination.com

E34. The Process of Un-Drowning with Poet and Scholar Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Part Two).

dario — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s episode Dario sits with poet, independent scholar, and self-ascribed cousin to all sentient beings, Sista Docta Alexis Pauline Gumbs. As described by writer, Sharon Bridgforth, “Alexis serves as guide and translator of vibrational realities of dreaming into how to survive, thrive and shape-shift this world.” Dario and Alexis discuss creating our own paths outside of established institutions, particularly, academia and the church. Alexis shares thoughts on collaborating with Spirit and a love offering to anyone who has experienced spiritual violence.

Today’s conversation is part 2 of our conversation with Alexis. During these conversations, we invite you to slow down and simply listen.To listen in between the pauses of life, to listen for the lessons in grief, and to listen for your own voice. Sista Docta Pauline Gumbs leaves us with a benediction and closing ceremony for 2021.

We mentioned over the course of two conversations

A couple of books.

Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Dub: Finding Ceremony by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

A few mentors.

Alexis De Veaux

M Jacqui Alexander

Farah Jasmine Griffin

A favorite writer.

Sharon Bridgforth

A noted singer.

Solange

An Academician without Institution .

Anna Julia Cooper

A spiritual experience.

Mobile Homecoming

Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Twitter

Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Instagram

Alexis Pauline Gumbs website

This conversation was recorded on November 23, 2021.

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab, production Carmen D. Harris, Dario Calmese

E34. The Process of Un-Drowning with Poet and Scholar Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Part One).

dario — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s episode Dario sits with poet, independent scholar, and self-ascribed cousin to all sentient beings, Sista Docta Alexis Pauline Gumbs. As described by writer, Sharon Bridgforth, “Alexis serves as guide and translator of vibrational realities of dreaming into how to survive, thrive and shape-shift this world.” Dario and Alexis discuss how creatives can use their own archives to find their voice and the many lessons of love that come from grief.

Today’s conversation is the first of two with Alexis. During these conversations, we invite you to slow down and simply listen.To listen in between the pauses of life, to listen for the lessons in grief, and to listen for your own voice. Sista Docta Pauline Gumbs leaves us with a benediction and closing ceremony for 2021

We mentioned over the course of two conversations

A couple of books

Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Dub: Finding Ceremony by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

A few mentors

Alexis De Veaux

M Jacqui Alexander

Farah Jasmine Griffin

A favorite writer

Sharon Bridgforth

A noted singer

Solange

An Academician without Institution

Anna Julia Cooper

A spiritual experience

Mobile Homecoming

Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Twitter

Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Instagram

Alexis Pauline Gumbs website

This conversation was recorded on November 23, 2021.

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab, production Carmen D. Harris, Dario Calmese

E33. The Power of Critique with Journalist Robin Givhan.

dario — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In today’s conversation, Dario sits with fashion editor and Pulitzer prize winning writer Robin Givhan. Robin’s love for the written word and the sound of a sentence is never lost on her readers. She slips in and out of the worlds of fashion, politics, culture, and race with the ease of a classically composed concerto. In a day where facts are fabled, Robin’s essays share truth with intellectual curiosity and compassion.

In this episode we explore the wonder of words, the impact of small gestures, and to whom does beauty belong. Spoiler alert: It’s everyone. Always above the fold, Robin’s journey and work reminds us of the power of aesthetics when laced and layered through culture.

We mention.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Battle of Versailles: The night American fashion stubbled into the spotlight and made history by Robin Givhan

The fictional complexity of Omar by Robin Givhan

Where to find Robin.

Robin Givhan

Robin Givhan on Twitter

This conversation was recorded on September 23, 2021.

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab, production Carmen D. Harris and Dario Calmese

E32. Truth Telling Between the Lies with Chef Omar Tate.

dario — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 00:30:00 -0400

In today’s conversation, Dario sits with celebrated community activist, restauranter, and poet, Omar Tate. Hailing from West Philadelphia, Omar’s work reminds us of our vulnerabilities when we live in the worlds of whiteness, power, and privilege. Honeysuckle, his fine dining pop-up experience turned community center and cafe, uses food as an antidote to these worlds and a portal into Black and afrocentric ideology, resiliency, and design.

In this episode we explore the reality of racism in the kitchen with the joys of new babies named Jupiter. Known for truth telling, Omar shares the lessons he’s learned about fatherhood, why he serves every guest his iteration of red Kool-aid, and how he distinguishes between the lies Black people are taught about ourselves from the truths of our own stories.

We mentioned:

A Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis

High on the Hog by Jessica B Harris

The Grey Album: on the Blackness of Blackness by Kevin Young

Honeysuckle on the interwebs

Honeysuckle on the metaverse of Instagram

Omar Tate

This conversation was recorded on March 30, 2021.

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab, production Carmen D. Harris, Vicky Garcia, Dario Calmese

E31. Cultivating Community Through Art with Curator and Activist Kimberly Drew.

dario — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Show Notes.

Today’s episode Dario sits with art curator, writer, and social activist Kimberly Drew. Hailing from Orange, New Jersey, Drew was taught by her parents to trust her own voice at an early age. In a family full of creatives, this lesson was fortuitous of Kimberly’s career in the arts. Her words and voice have served to shape a new canon of Black contemporary art and question who and what are worthy of being valued in our nation’s most lauded museums and cultural backdrops.

In today’s conversation, Kimberly shares how she cultivates community through art, what she’s learning about the vulnerability of rage, and why she’s able to speak her truth with such determined power. It’s a conversation where Kimberly gives Dario permission to be messy with his own process.

We Mentioned:

Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

This is what I know about art by Kimberly Drew

The Prep School Negro

Down for My Niggas by C Murder featuring Snoop Dogg

Carolyn Lazard

Alice Shepherd

Disability Visibility Project Alice Wong

Christine Sun Kim

@museummammy Instagram

@museummammy Twitter

This conversation was recorded on May 8, 2021

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab

Producer Carmen D. Harris

E30. The Tenets of Healing with Writer and Activist Darnell Moore.

dario — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Dario sits with award-winning author and activist Darnell Moore. Moore’s scholarship weaves effortlessly between the role of the colonial state, the depraved church and the destitutes of patriarchy on political, spiritual, and social freedoms of Black, queer and marginalized people. A leading voice in culture, media, and movement, Moore antagonizes any Black liberation thought that colors freedom inside of the lines of cis, straight, and able-bodied Black people.

In today’s conversation, we’ll explore Moore’s definition of a “costly grace” in transforming our justice systems, the role and relevance of Black churches in queer lives, and what it means to unbecome a man in community of menfolk. Sensitive topics in this conversation include suicide and domestic abuse.

Mentioned In This Episode:

No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America by Darnell Moore

Heather McGhee - Ep.23 The Hidden Cost of Racism, Institute of Black Imagination Podcast

Invisible Man Got the Whole World Watching : A Young Black Man’s Education by Mychal Denzel Smith

Darnell's Instagram: @mooredarnell

This conversation was recorded on February 8, 2021

Original Music composed by Dario Calmese, Show Art by River Wildmen, Social Art by Stéphane Lab

E29. Scripting Your Life with Writer Jacqueline Woodson.

dario — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Dario sits with writer and MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow, Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson’s work reflects the prose, poetry, and undying possibilities that exist within the lives of young Black people. Often including themes that land her books on censored reading lists, Woodson challenges readers to consider our own relationships to the complexities and contraindications of life.

In today’s conversation, we’ll explore themes of parenting in a pandemic, the techniques and tools of a storyteller, Black economic wealth across generations, and the promise of safety young people bring to this world. If you aspire to write or we know you dare to dream, light a candle and put on your headphones, because today, you’re gonna hear why Woodson commands these hallowed halls of Black imagination.

Things We Mentioned:

“Mirrors, Windows, Sliding Glass Doors” by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop

“Another Brooklyn” by Jacqueline Woodson

If you come softly by Jacqueline Woodson https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299792/if-you-come-softly-by-jacqueline-woodson/

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/97395/bird-by-bird-by-anne-lamott/

Natalie Diaz

https://www.nataliegermainediaz.com/

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/190696/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/

Baldwin for the arts

https://baldwinforthearts.org/

To learn more about Jacqueline:

https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

Instagram @jaqueline_woodson

Twitter @jackiewoodson

E28. Dissolving the Illusion with Artist Hank Willis Thomas.

dario — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with conceptual artist, Hank Willis Thomas. Hailing from the mean streets of Plainfield, NJ… That’s a joke, by the way,. Hank’s body of work explores themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture, Hank is one of the most celebrated artists of his generation.

The son of musician and physicist Hank Thomas, and artist, photographer, historian, curator and educator, Deborah Willis, one could say that art runs though Hanks’s veins. Growing up amongst the stacks of Harlem’s Schomburg Library, where his mother served as curator of photographs and as exhibition coordinator, his exposure to the power of images began at an early age. He went on to study photography and Africana Studies at New York University and later received his masters of fine arts in Photography at California College of the Arts, but it was the blunt force of family tragedy that spurred a turning point in his career; all of a sudden, the photographic frame could no longer contain everything he wanted to say.

The execution-style murder of his cousin and best friend, Songha Willis while visiting family over the holidays ripped the Willis family apart, and an image he took of his grieving family, became one of his signature works, titled “Priceless”. Mimicking the popular MasterCard ads of the era, it crystallizes Hank’s artistic lens, the combined effects of consumerism, capitalism, advertising, and their impact on Black life in America.

His work has been exhibited the world over, and is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim, The Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum… you get the idea. He’s a recipient of the Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship and The Guggenheim Fellowship, amongst others, and holds honorary doctorates from the Maryland Institute of Art, and the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

In today’s episode, we discuss the power images hold, the importance of family and especially grandmothers, the illusion of separation, and the invention of race in United States. This is one of those episodes you’ll want to listen to again and again, and if you find this content valuable, be sure to leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts and shout us out over on Instagram at @blackimagination, we love love love to hear from you. Now, get ready for this powerful tête-à-tête, with the artistic genius of Hank Willis Thomas.

Follow Hank on Instagram: @hankwillisthomas

Hank's Website: www.hankwillisthomas.com

E27. Art as Therapy with Graphic Designer & Artist Brandon Breaux

dario — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with artist and graphic designer, Brandon Breaux. Hailing from Chicago’s South Side, Brandon is one of those rare artists whose body of work sits comfortably at both the personal and at commercial scale. If you don’t know Brandon by name, that’s ok because we’re sure you’ve seen his work with brands like Bud Light, Alia Seltzer, most likely on all 3 of Chance the Rapper Album covers.

Art entered Brandon’s life at at early age, not as a class elective, but as a way to cope. You see, mental illness was a conversation had around the house throughout Brandon’s childhood, as his father experienced a severe psychotic break that placed him behind bars, all on the day before Brandon was born. Slightly isolated and shy, Brandon found solace in art, comic book characters to be exact. And it was in this space of world-building, that Brandon developed his love for characters, fashion, design, and illustration that would later develop into the career he has today.

Brandon now works with brands all over the country while also focusing on his personal and community-based work. More than just hanging in his studio, Brandon is always seeking out ways to give back, like a Field Trip project, in which he rented busses to take children to museums who may not have otherwise had the opportunity. He also lead daily meditations throughout the pandemic, and launched his 28 Days of Greatness portrait series earlier this year to highlight local individuals making massive impact. And an exclusive collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago features design objects with themes that address accessibility, safe spaces and representation.

In this episode, we discuss what it takes to bring a creative idea to fruition, the ghost of mental illness that exist in many families, the power of meditation, and why the design world remains one of the least integrated disciplines. This is such a vulnerable conversation, and you’ll see quite quickly that Brandon is one who leads with an open heart. If you find this content valuable, would yo leave a review over on Apple podcast? We love hearing from our audience, and definitely shout us out over on instagram @blackimagination… we’ll shout right back. Now, take a breath, relax, and settle in for this enriching conversation with Graphic Designer and Artist, Brandon Breaux.

Follow Brandon Breaux on Instagram: @bbreaux

E26. A Revolutinary Life with Black Panther Chairman, Elaine Brown.

dario — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Todays episode is with former chairman and the first and only woman to lead the Black Panther Party, Sister Elaine Brown. Elaine is a activist, writer, speaker, and songwriter known for her sharp wit and sheer intellectual voracity, but we all began somewhere, and Elaine is no exception.

Hailing from the streets of North Philadelphia, Elaine had a bit of trouble finding herself early on, some would call it an identity crisis. Her single mother, wanting to create a better life for her daughter, sent her to predominantly white schools, but once back home, Elaine found herself amongst the struggling denizens of a segregated north Philadelphia, allowing Elaine the experience, but not yet the words, of what it meant to be Black in America. An accomplished musician, Elaine fled to Los Angeles to pursue songwriting, but found herself at a Black panther rally within days of the assassination of Martin Luther King, despondent with the state of affairs in the country. Making her way up the ranks of the Black Panther Party, it was actually her songwriting that got her noticed by David Hilliard, the Party’s Chief of Staff, who made her song “the Meeting” from her debut album, “Seize the Time” the party’s official anthem. Her songs were also noticed by party Chairman and Elaine’s future lover, Huey P Newton, who placed Elaine at the top of the Party’s Leadership when he fled to Cuba in the 1970s to escape persecution.

While with the Panthers, Elaine helped set up many of the initiatives the party is known for, like it’s free breakfast For Children program and its Free Bussing to Prisons program, with prison reform becoming a lifelong pursuit for her.Since formally leaving the party due it’s patriarchal structure, Elaine has made activism, education, and revolution her life’s work. She’s the author of two books, A Taste of Power, her memoir, and The Condemnation of Little B, a nonfiction book charting the prosecution of young Michael Lewis, a 14-year-old sentenced to life in prison for a crime Elaine believes he did not commit. After founding multiple non-profits rooted in social justice, now at 78, Elaine is CEO of Oakland and the World enterprises, a non-profit dedicated to launching and sustaining for-profit businesses for cooperative-ownership by the formerly incarcerated, and others facing monumental social barriers to economic survival. Their multi-million dollar affordable housing complex in Oakland is slated to break grown in late 2021. And her album, Seize the Time was just re-released on Black Forum records, a division of Motown.

In this episode, Elaine and I discuss her bifurcated childhood in 1950s North Philadelphia, what it means to be seen for the first time, the way language shapes our sense of self, how the Black Panther Party used fashion and aesthetics as a signaling device, and so so so so much more. This episode is a history lesson, a sketch comedy, and manual on the vicissitudes that accompany a life of service and continual self-discovery. I hope you’re sitting down somewhere where no one can see the faces you’re about to make as you listen to this incredible conversation. It’s with gratitude we present to you none other than the indefatigable Elaine Brown.

Follow Elaine on Instagram: @sistaelainebrown

E25. Slashing Through Obstacles with Olympian Daryl Homer.

dario — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with fencer and three-time Olympian, Daryl Homer.Hailing from the U.s. virgin islands, Daryl, along with his mother and sister relocated to the Gun Hill section of the Bronx when he was five. His interest in fencing began at a early age, after encountering the word “Fencing”” in a pictorial dictionary that his mother gave him. Inspired, he begged his mother to begin lessons, but it wasn’t’ until a chance encounter with an advertisement featuring two black fencers did Daryl’s Mother finally cave in to her son’s growing obsession.

And so, at the ripe old age of 11, Daryl was enrolled at the Peter Westbrook Foundation, an organization founded by it’s namesake, Peter Westbrook, who took home the bronze in fencing in the 1984 Olympics, Quickly seeing his potential, Daryl was placed on the olympic track just one year later, and his path to the games began.

By the age of 17, he’d already medaled in the Cadet World fencing championships, later, taking home gold in 7 Pan American championships, also competing in the 2012 Olympics in London, the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and mostly recently the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. At the Rio games, Daryl took home the silver medal in men’s individual saber fencing, surpassing his mentor Mr. Westbrook, and thereby making him the highest medaled Olympic fencer in American history.

In today’s episode we discuss Daryl’s early beginnings in the Bronx, what it takes to have a champion mindset, how to recover from failure, and the power of imagination and visualization to overcome obstacles. This is such a powerful episode, as we chart the sheer will and tenacity needed to accomplish big dreams. I learned so much, and I’m sure you will to. Be sure to subscribe wherever you receive your podcasts, and leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts, we love to hear your thoughts, and be sure to follow us over on Instagram at Blackimagination. And now I invite you to pull out your notepads, Daryl’s about to drop some wisdom.

Follow Daryl on Instagram: @daryldhomer

E24. Dancing Through Life with Performance Legend Carmen De Lavallade.

dario — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Today’s Episode is with actress, choreographer and dance legend, Carmen De Lavallade. Raised by a single father in post-depression Los Angeles, Carmen began her formal training at 14, a bit late for female dancers, but that didn’t stop her one bit. Within 5 years she became a lead dancer under the tutelage of renown teacher and choreographer Lester Horton, who’s technique is taught in modern dance classes around the world. It was around this time she encountered another modern dance legend, eventually taking him to his first dance class, a young 15 year old gymnast by the name of Alvin Ailey.

Increasingly in demand, Carmen skipped town with Alvin to New York to make her Broadway debut in House of Flowers, starring Pearl Bailey. It was here that she met her soon-to-be husband, the multi-hyphenate artist and future Director of Broadway’s The Wiz, the Tony-award winning Geoffrey Holder. The following year she made her debut as prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera’s Samson and Delilah, further integrating the storied opera house who’s color barrier was broken just 5 years earlier by her cousin, prima ballerina Janet Collins.

Making her television debut in Duke Ellington’s “A Drum is a Woman” an encounter with actress Lena Horne lead her to a bevy of film roles, however Carmen’s feet remained solidly on the stage where she danced with companies all over the world, including that of her childhood friend Alvin, and his nascent Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, now the most widely toured and well-known modern dance company in the world.

Her acting chops led her to to be named Artist-in-Residence at Yale Repertory theatre, later joining the faculty where she trained young upstarts like Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver., among others, and she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honors in 2016

In today’s episode, we discuss Carmen’s journey to becoming one of the most celebrated performers of her time, the lessons she learned from mentor Josephine Baker, how to maintain relationships as a creative, and the greatest lesson she’s learned in her ninety years here on earth. That’s right, ninety. This episode is a special one for us at the Institute of Black Imagination because it was her donation of over 2000 books from her late husband’s archive that began this entire project. It’s an honor and a privilege to present this beautiful conversation with the great, Carmen De Lavallade.

Be sure to subscribe where ever you receive your podcasts, share a favorite quote with friend, and be sure sure to tag us on instagram at @blackimagination and on twitter at @blkimagination.

To Support this work, click here!

E23. The Hidden Costs of Racism with Heather McGhee

dario — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Heather McGhee designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Do you know Heather? You might know Heather. Maybe you saw her on NBC’s Meet the Press, or MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Or perhaps you saw her sparring with Republican Senator John Kennedy during the confirmation hearings of supreme court Justice Neil Gorsuch, or it just may have been that time when, while on C-Span, an older white gentleman called in to acknowledge his own racism and prejudice, and wanted Heather’s advice on how to change, how to be a better american Citizen, and Heather’s response went… viral.

Born on the south side of Chicago, and raised in suburbs of Evanston IL, Heather McGhee has made a career out of fighting for a more equal America. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a law degree from University of California, Berkeley, and for the last two decades, helped build the nonpartisan “think and do” tank, Demos, later serving as president for four years. She’s argued before the Supreme Court to protect voting rights. She’s helped Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz design anti-bias training for its 250,000 employees. She’s lead research campaigns behind successful wage increases for low-wage workers on federal contracts as well as at Walmart and McDonalds.

And that’s like, 5% of her resume. But of course, Heather is so much more than her work. She’s also a wife and mother of a beautiful two-year-old, who makes a small cameo in this episode.

Her new book being released this week, and also partially written while carrying the aforementioned toddler, is called The Sum of Us. It unravels the mystery of how. How the wealthiest country on earth suffers some of its worst health disparities, has a collapsing infrastructure, all while its citizens are crippled by insurmountable levels debt. One word: Racism. And you know who actually suffers most? White people.

In this episode we discuss Heather’s journey into hallowed halls of our country’s government, How motherhood has changed her view of the world, what parents can do to ensure their children receive good educations, even while under lockdown, and how we ALL lose in the zero-sum game of racism.

Heather's website: https://heathermcghee.com

Get your copy of "The Sum of Us" here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimagination).

Support this podcast here!

E22. The Hidden Costs of Education w. Dr. Nadia Lopez.

dario — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Why open a school? To close a prison. That is the title of the Ted talk given by today’s guest, Educator Dr. Nadia Lopez. The award-winning founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy located in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn never dreamed of being a teacher. In fact, she took quite a circuitous route to becoming an educator.

The child of Honduran and Guatemalan immigrants, young Nadia struggled with her Afro-Latinx heritage, often being teased for her last name, while growing up in her native Brooklyn. But it was this outsider status that would prove to be her superpower. After an unfulfilling attempt to live out her mother’s dream of becoming a nurse, Nadia found her calling in the classroom; an opportunity to uplift and pour into the outsiders and misfits; those whom society deemed not worth the trouble. But it was this very attention and care that led to the event that changed her life.

On the verge of quitting due to burnout, literally waiting on a sign from God as to where she should be headed, one night she began to receive text messages. Then calls. Before she knew it, she had become an overnight viral sensation when the popular blog Humans of New York featured one of her scholars, Vidal, asking who was the biggest influence in his life. The answer? His principal, Nadia Lopez.

The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal. Ebony Magazine. Ellen Degeneres. Even President Barack Obama came calling. That aforementioned TED talk? 1.3 million views. Her best-selling book, The Bridge to Brilliance was published in 2016 and she co-authored Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which was published in 2018.

This all sounds like a dream come true, but just under the hood of this seemingly well-oiled machine, was a human being whose body was crumbling under the pressure. The over-giving. The never-ending work load. The personal sacrifices. It all began to take its toll. You’re in for a treat and I won’t give it all away, so please enjoy this in-depth, moving, and candid conversation with the incredibly generous and ridiculously wise Dr. Nadia Lopez.

Nadia's Instagram: @thelopezeffect

More information about Nadia's projects can be found here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimagination).

Support this podcast here!

E21. The Soul of American Food w. Top Chef Marcus Samuelsson

dario — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with the award-winning chef and restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson.

Hailing from a tiny Ethiopian village where tuberculosis had spread amongst the population, a two-year-old Marcus and his sister found themselves orphaned after his birth mother succumbed to the disease… but not after she’d walked 75 miles to the nearest hospital with young Marcus and his sister in tow. Taken in by a compassionate hospital nurse, he and his sister were later adopted by a family in Gothenburg Sweden, where Marcus’ love of cooking began.

Although he is best known as the owner of the Harlem-based restaurant Red Rooster, Marcus Samuelsson cut his culinary teeth at New York’s Aquavit, a Scandinavian-infused restaurant where he served as executive chef… at the age of 24. While at Aquavit, he was named The Best Chef in New York by the James Beard Foundation while also receiving a 3-star rating in the New York Times… the youngest chef to do so.

Marcus has also been featured on numerous cooking shows including PBS ‘No Passport Required,’ Top Chef Masters, Chopped All-Stars, and Iron Chef America. In addition to being a restaurateur, philanthropist, and activist, Marcus is also a best-selling author. In his latest book, The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food, Samuelsson describes how “black cooks and creators have led American culture forward.” Featuring recipes inspired by the chefs and activists that inspire him, the book rewrites the Black chef into the narrative of American cuisine, and becomes a gustational call and response with the community that welcomed him with open arms.

In this episode we discuss why it was important for him to begin his latest book by focusing on the future, the impact the coronavirus has had on him and how he views himself, the relationship between food and spirituality,, and why it’s important for African immigrants living in America to recognize their privilege. Recorded during lockdown, it’s a joy to welcome my brother, Marcus Samuelsson to the IBI podcast.

On the structure of his new book: “The future is our hope especially in difficult and challenging times like now.”

On how he sees the impact of the virus outbreak: “I think the pandemic as horrible as it is, is going to allow us as creatives to rethink and repackage ourselves and reconnect“

On his origin story: “I was born into a hut, yes that is about the size of two restaurant tables, and we were hit by tuberculosis. Got to the hospital through the strength of our mother and she passed away. We survived.”

On what America looked like to him from Sweden: “We lived through America through its stars! Through black excellence.”

Marcus's Instagram: @marcuscooks

His latest book "The Rise" can be found here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimagination). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

E20. The Psychology of Skin with Rose Ingleton M.D.

dario — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is board-certified Dermatologist, and skincare expert to the stars, Dr. Rose Marie Ingleton. Long before caring for the faces of well-known beauties like Iman, Chrissy Teigen and Adriana Lima, Dr. Ingleton stomped the urban streets of the irie metropolis, Kingston, Jamaica. Growing up in the city, her family realized she had a little something different: the brains to transcend her lower middle-class upbringing to become something special... the first doctor in her family. Combining a heavy dose of the performing arts coupled with a voracious appetite for knowledge, young RoseMarie Ingleton excelled at her studies, immigrating to the United States and matriculating into college at the age of 16.

Dr. Ingleton took a circuitous route to becoming a dermatologist, and marvels at just how much her undergraduate degree in psychobiology plays a part in her practice, using what she calls “talk-esthesia” to not only put patients at ease, but discover underlying mental conditions like anxiety or stress that often manifest themselves on the skin of her clientele. It’s this holistic and profound vision that is the foundation of her 20-year practice, and has made Dr. Ingleton the go-to voice on all things skin. Essence. Vogue. Glamour. Dr. Oz. Good Morning America… you get the picture.

2019 saw the launch of her own namesake line, Rose Ingleton MD Skincare. Simply comprised of 5 booster serums along with her signature, luxurious moisturizer, the secret sauce is Dr. Ingleton’s own origins… the island of Jamaica. Powered by her signature jamaican superfruit blend, Dr. Ingleton’s line targets the main issues she’s encountered in her 20-plus years in the industry like skin discoloration, hyperpigmentation, and fine lines.

How does she do it all? Well, this is exactly what we discuss today. We also discuss her culture shock upon arriving in the United States as a teenager, the power of intention and goal-setting, the dangers of skin bleaching, and why it’s important to pay attention to your body, even when you think you have it all. Recorded remotely, this in-depth and at ,times emotional interview will inspire you to never give up on your dreams and never give up on yourself. It is an absolute honor to introduce Dr. RoseMarie Ingleton to the IBI podcast.

Here are some highlights:

On skin bleaching: “It goes so far back to none love of self; too wanting to be something that is more assimilating with the majority culture.” [42:40]

On natural hair care: “I find that many of the oils that are being used are comedogenic, meaning pore-clogging. These oils on your hair over the day, where do they end up?” [53:23]

On starting your own business: “I invested $300,000 which I had saved up - I had to hire a bunch of consultants that’s where the money went.” [59:53]

On health: “In 2018, I found out I was having a brain aneurysm so I go from a woman who has never had anything wrong with her, to having these symptoms.” [75:30]

Follow Dr. Ingleton on Instagram here, and check out her skincare line here.

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

E19. Designing for Liberation with Systems Thinker, Marquise Stillwell.

dario — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with systems thinker and design maverick, Marquise Stillwell.

Born and raised in Ohio, into a family of community activists, Marquise learned the power of owning one’s story at an early age. He is the founder and principal of Openbox, a company focused on improving the lives of those in the communities they serve through design, storytelling, and innovation. His work spans over 20 years, designing and implementing fresh models for businesses and cultural organizations, while sitting on the boards of The Lowline Underground Park, Stae, Artmatr, Creative Capital, PioneerWorks and the Urban Ocean Lab. He is also a member of the High Line Advisory Committee.

Through Openbox, Marquise has created an intellectual circular economy, grounded in the ethos of improving our communities’ by placing people-centered services and experiences at the forefront of design thinking. His philanthropic and creative activities include teaching for two Danish design schools: the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and KaosPilot in the city of Aarhus. In addition to being the co-founder of Deem Journal, a magazine focused on design and social practices, he also collaborates with colleague Petter Ringbom on various films including Shield and Spear (2014) and The New Bauhaus (2019) which brings to light the wide-ranging oeuvre and brilliance of Bauhaus instructor Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. The company name, Openbox, takes its name from the story of Henry Box Brown, a slave who, in 1849, mailed himself to freedom from the Jim Crow South, arriving 27 hours later in Philadelphia. Representing the idea of openness and freedom, OpenBox builds frameworks that aren’t designed to lock the individuals in, but instead provide them with tools of liberation.

In today’s episode, we discuss how people of color can create spaces for the curiosity of others, the art of not turning one’s struggle into a lifestyle, the power of subversion in design thinking, and how he has made his network his net worth. It is with great pleasure to introduce the incredible Marquise Stillwell, to the IBI podcast.

Here are some highlights:

On people of color creating spaces for the curiosity of others: If you have the ability to know yourself, know who you are, have the ability to own who you are, and have the ability to tell your own story then I really believe there has to be some window of opportunity to allow for people to engage with you with open curiosity without you feeling that they’re going to take something from you. (12:30)

On the art of not turning one’s struggle into a lifestyle: Don’t turn your struggle into a lifestyle; be who you are - but don’t turn it into a lifestyle to where you’re trying to be this thug when you don’t even have to be like really is that how you have to live your life? Then you can do better. (24:00)

On how he has made his network his net worth: My network is my net worth, and I put a lot of value in the people that I know and I connect with. And with that being said I walk into every relationship knowing who I am first! Someone would ask me what’s the key to living in a city like New York or London or any other big city is that if you don’t know who you are, you’re done! (42:27)

E18. Designing for the Public w. Artist Kenseth Armstead

dario — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with conceptual and multimedia installation artist, Kenseth Armstead. Born and raised in Washington DC, Kenseth found his artistic path in high school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, later receiving his Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Corcoran College of Art & Design and his Masters in Integrated Digital Media from the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU. With a career spanning over three decades, his provocative works centralize history, American culture, and the complex narratives embedded in ethnicity. His multimedia public art installations are deliberately in dialogue with the communities in which they reside. Nestled in his large scale, at-times architectural works, are themes around the black imagination, social justice, abolition, redemption, freedom and change. He was also recently named to the Public Design Commission in New York City.

Although Kenseth is known for his independent installations, he actually started his career in collaborative work with X-PRZ, an art band which included his mentor Tony Cokes, along with artists Doug Anderson and Mark Pierson. This avant garde group was dedicated to using music, video, and other ephemera to critique culture and existing social norms, especially as it pertained to art world notions of individual genius and critical theory. Kenseth’s most recent public artwork, Boulevard of African Monarchs, connects the hub of African excellence in America,(Harlem, USA) to the royal court of the Kassena people of Tiebele, Burkina Faso. It’s on display until August of 2021 at the intersection 116th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd in Harlem.

Kenseth is a prodigious scholar and we cover a LOT of ground. In this episode we discuss his 30/30/30 formula for consistent artistic production, the link between Chistianity and social media, the role time plays in criticism, and what community engagement in art really looks like. Kenseth’s portfolio is extensive, immersive and influential. His work has infiltrated the streets of New York for decades with projects and installations that focus on creating images and cultural activities that aim to close the gulf of space and time between African and African-American identity, communication and social ritual. Recorded remotely and safely, it is with great pleasure that I introduce Kenseth Armstead to the IBI Podcast.

Here are some highlights:

On his 30/30/30 formula: “I’ve had this rule about 30-30-30 so roughly I’m splitting my time 30 percent production, 30 percent marketing, and it’s like you realize like the 30% when you’re making work is not separate from the 30% when you’re marketing the work or the 30% when you’re doing administrative work these are not separate concepts they are all apart of this flow.”

On Media: “If you took in all media and you watched television for 24 hours and you didn’t have a way to be critical about it, you would commit suicide because you don’t have the car that they are trying to sell you, you don’t have the house, you don’t have the money. And if you had the money you would never have enough, you’re not tall enough, you’re not short enough, you’re not this, you’re not that, it’s all about what you’re not!”

On community engagement: “When you’re the youngest of 8 you don’t even ever get your own fresh pair of underwear, everything is a hammy down. So I’ve always been in a group in a sense so that’s natural to me, but actually naturally I’m an introvert, naturally alone, and reading. But then in order to cope with life, you build an extrovert persona and they’re pure sort of narcissists who really feed on community and so Bill Clinton would be a pure narcissist who feeds on crowds. Obama would be someone like myself who’s an introvert but can be an extrovert and so there is a cost. In the piece I did in Central Park, I think I talked to 600 people directly in one day but then after that, I don’t want to talk to people for days because it’s a lot, it’s a lot of energy and I don’t feed on it in that way but I love the energy and I love that it’s worth any sacrifice to have an art world that has more people in it and have people in it that are more understanding and more open, art changes people.”

Contents:

On his 30/30/30 formula ------------------------------13:45

On Media--------------------------------------------51:10

On Community--------------------------------------59:42

Kenseth's Instagram: @kenseth.armstead

Kenseth's Website: kensetharmstead.com

E17. Mastering Your Craft with Bespoke Tailor, T-Michael.

dario — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with bespoke tailor and designer, T-Michael. Born in Accra, Ghana, T-Michael spent the majority of his adolescence in London, later moving to Bergen, Norway. Operating from the philosophy of mastering one’s craft before achieving success; T-Michael discovered his passions early in life, by mastering the art of tailoring, a skill naturally developed surrounded by the colorful fabrics of his childhood in Ghana. After graduating, T-Michael began a groundbreaking career as one of Europe’s most distinguished menswear designers after opening his own studio on his 30th birthday, in Bergen. With conceptual and abstract ways of thinking , T-Michael uses a unique approach to luxury menswear which seeks to connect the substance of traditional formalwear with modern, functional design.

T-Michael has established a reputation for his meticulous attention to detail and impeccable garment construction. From early experimentation to the mastering the cut of cloth, the T-Michael brand has evolved into the sleek looks they design today; slim cuts, clean lines, and half-linings are all blended in the fluidity of T-Michaels creations, making him one of the most photographed street style stars in the world.

Here are some highlights:

On getting rid of distractions: “My advice to that is to be focused somehow as much as you can on your target, your goal, and the things around you and ignore those flags that come up because practically they’re just there to distract you and people put them there when they know people are excelling if you are not doing anything important who cares about you, people don’t really worry you but the moment you start doing something that’s important and then those distractions will come in, so focus man! Eyes on the prize, always.”

On the art of tailoring: “It’s just a balance of things and my inspiration doesn’t come from clothing itself it comes from the tradition that made the clothing what it is today. You know tailors are tailors because somehow we had to build clothing around the people before the knowledge of just mass-produced product production came. Um, and that’s why tailoring it’s even more beautiful today because even though we can make it in a simpler form, we do it in a more uh demanding way and that’s where the art is, that’s where the beauty comes from.”

On the importance of creating your space: “I spend a lot more time in the space than I probably do at home, so the space becomes my home as well at the same time, you know. The beauty of the space lies in the things you see that, that doesn’t actually fit in the space, you know.- So this stuff the things in the store are like snapshots of my mind in a way, things that are off but their right, you know. Uh very difficult to explain but its just that kind of thing where you see something that is so perfect it becomes a bit boring and i hate that. I think the beauty lies in the fact that it’s a little bit off but you know the reference points so it’s easy to understand it.”

Contents

On getting rid of distractions-------------------- 27:29

On the art of tailoring-------------------------- 30:04

On the importance of creating your space---------- 31:15

LINKS.

T-Michael's Instagram: @tmichael_bergen

T-Michael's Website: t-michael.com

Norwegian Rain: norwegianrain.com

E16. Processing the Pod w. Dario and Xenobia Bailey

dario — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

A lot of time, the conversations I have with guests offline are JUST as interesting as the interview itself. So today, we’re trying something a little different... The tables are turned! Today’s episode is well, not an episode, but a conversation. If you listened to last week’s episode with artist Xenobia Bailey, and if you haven’t, you definitely should, towards the end, Xenobia laments not asking me any questions, and so I obliged, you know, off the record, and for the first time in the history of this podcast, it is I who was in the hot seat. One of my favorite seats in the house.

Oh, we spoke of many things. We touched on my list of favorite photographers, my recent Vanity Fair cover with Actress Viola Davis, why we really don’t know anything, how thought is faster than the speed of light, and why I even started this podcast in the first place,

I really hope you enjoy this experimental format and please let us know your thoughts over on instagram at @blackimaginationpodcast and over on twitter @blkimagination with the hashtag #processingthepod. Share some of your favorite quotes, be sure to pass along to a friend, and rate an review us over on iTunes and Sticher. We really want to grow this beautiful community we’ve created together. I’m a little nervous, but here we go: our first, Processing the Pod conversation, with artist Xenobia Bailey.

Links we mention in this episode:

Fashion Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld.

"Gutai: Splendid Playground" at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Tatsumi Hijikata, Father of Butoh (Youtube)

E15. FUNKtional Design & Material Culture w. Artist Xenobia Bailey

dario — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with fiber artist and cultivator of funk, Xenobia Bailey.

Born in Seattle Washington, into a family that survived off of a material culture provided by both the land and the ingenuity of the Black homemaker. Xenobia discovered her passions early in life, going on to study ethno-musicology at the University of Washington, and later attending Pratt Institute for Industrial Design. Xenobia found her freedom in the funk and her work centralizes the liberation of the black creative mind.

Known for her eclectic crocheted hats and large-scale mandalas consisting of colorful concentric circles and repeating patterns, Xenobia creates pieces that allow mental space to daydream, or dreamscape, through the lens of the undocumented world of contemporary African American material culture. These visuals are mesmerizing and swirling in their own staticness

Xenobia’s works infiltrated pop culture during the 80 and 90s, making appearances in Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right thing’, United Colors of Benetton and Absolut Vodka advertisements, and was featured in mainstream fashion publications like Elle magazine. Her work is in the permanent collections at Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Allentown Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Arts and in the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.

During our conversation, we discuss the African American homemaker, the power of soundscaping and lullabies, the black creative collective, and what is FUNKtional design, and yes, the power of the funk. Recorded remotely and safely this conversation will have you reevaluating the cycles of life and the power of the black intellectual mind. It is with great pleasure to introduce to you, artist Xenobia Bailey.

Here are some highlights:

On how music has evolved in black culture: “Music is the only part of African American Culture that’s evolved since we were brought here. You know, like they took our language from us but they couldn’t take our beat and our rhythm and stuff. And so that evolved into like jazz and funk and I guess you call the blues too, but I think like jazz that is something, its so abstract and arbonguard and if the material culture was um equal to where jazz is, we’d be on the space age, you know!”

On the power of soundscaping and lullabies: “We don’t have lullabies for our children in our community; they have to know that there’s light at the end of this madness, you know. And they are the light, you know, and that could be in lullabies, you know. Like it’s not going to always, you’re not going to be powerless forever, you know. You’re going to grow up and you’re going to create another world or you could, you know, whatever but you have a powerful imagination that is yours! It’s greater than anything that exists now, you know!”

On what is Funk: “Funk is everlasting life! Nothing ever dies in funk. Okay, you take an apple tree, okay, and if nobody picks that apple, that apple is going to fall to the ground. And it’s going to decompose and it’s going to go back into the soil, and that’s when it gets it’s funkiest, it’s most fertile is when its, you know, decomposing because that’s when that seed inside that apple starts germinating and going into another tree, that’s its funkiest, that’s its richest for life. And also when you go into that state of, like when you get to your funkiest really that’s your richest time, you know.”

Xenobia's Instagram: @xenba_xenba

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

E14. Choreographer, Kyle Abraham.

dario — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 03:30:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with American dancer and choreographer, Kyle Abraham. Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, into a home of loving and supportive parents, Kyle’s family instilled in him the sense that he could do and achieve anything. He discovered his love for dance in his late teens after being cast in his highschool musical, Once on This Island, later receiving his Bachlors of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase and his Masters in Fine Arts from New York University.

This all sounds lovely and quaint, but Mr. Abraham is a force to be reckoned with. After performing with a number of prestigious companies, including the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, he founded his own namesake company in 2006: Abraham in Motion, now known as AIM. And it is here, where Kyle has created many of his critically acclaimed pieces including ‘The Radio Show’ and ‘Pavement’ which, inspired by John Singleton’s 1991 film, Boyz In The Hood,truly exemplifies his seemingly eclectic style. Like a writer of prose, Kyle weaves together memories of his childhood in Pittsburgh along with the impact of violence within black communities , with a dash of WEB Dubois, with a dose of Jacquel Brel and Johann Christian Bach. He’s choreographed for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet. He’s worked with Misty Copeland and Beyonce. He’s a Princess Grace Statue award recipient, and a Doris Duke award recipient, and a Bessie Award recipient, and a United States, Artist Fellow, and a Macarthur “Genius” Fellow and, well, you get the picture.

Recorded safely and remotely, this conversation explores Kyle’s journey to dance, how he deals with his own insecurities, what it’s like being fired by one of your heroes, how to balance empathy and ambition, and his journey back to dance after an extended hiatus. It is with great pleasure to introduce to you, a master of his craft, Kyle Abraham, to the IBI podcast.

Here are some highlights:

On his relationship with dance: “Dance is actually my longest relationship, sometimes an unhealthy one but um I think I’m actually in love with dance in some way.”

On the question dance answers for him: “It’s really a question of who I am and how I feel um because we hold so much history in our bodies and along with that history we can hold so much joy, sure, but a lot of sadness for someone like me um and a lot of struggle and I think you can see that when you watch me dance, the struggle.”

On how he deals with insecurities: “For me, it’s honoring my parents and those aunts and uncles that, you know, aren’t blood relatives but you still call them aunt and uncle. And so thinking about how they interacted with each other in the early to mid 80’s um just trying to live in the richness of kind of ownership that they possessed um so you can’t really be insecure and do that successfully.”

Kyle's Instagram: @kyle_abraham_original_recipe

A.I.M. Website: aimbykyleabraham.org

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

E13. The Art of Living w. Lana Turner (part two).

dario — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 07:15:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Harlem socialite and style icon, Lana Turner. Born at the Women’s Hospital on West and 110th st. and still residing in the neighborhood 70 years later, Ms.Turner is quintessential Harlem, a landmark unto herself. A mathematician of dressing, Ms. Turner does not just put clothes on, but uses her body as a medium in which she expresses her appreciation and preservation of life, style, and beauty, or as she likes to refer to it: “Painting the body canvas.”

Here are some highlights:

On New York’s own black migration: "The reason for the Harlem Renaissance, or for it to have that label, was a few things. This was part of the great migration, so once we have gotten the black community moving out of San Juan Hill and moving here. When other people are enticed to come North as part of that wave, Harlem is the place their pouring into -And this is how it happens, setting the stage for that, for people who are leaving cotton fields and coming to work in the industry also brings a tide of musicians, and writers, for the first time in our history."(22:53)

On the birth of the Harlem Renaissance: "But here we are with joy, with love, with humor, and, yes, sadness, you know sometimes blues, but it's all in that music and I cannot help but relate to. Harlem was one of those bright lights at a time of the Harlem Renaissance and I dare say a bit before that." (8:30)

On Marcus Garvey’s downfall: "Marcus Garvey’s fall, however, was the fact that he only kept his counsel to himself, and when he thought about things that’s the way they should be. Now, you know, when it worked, it worked but when it didn’t it really crashed. And you know Marcus Garvey was not someone who readily took advice from people that he probably employed to give him advice, he lived by his own sensibility." (46:02)

On advice to her twenty-year-old self: "I would say do not wait for someone to give you an invitation to get dressed and go out and have yourself a ball. I say because you have meditated, because you can stand tall, because you can take the high road, you have no problems pulling together the most fanciful outfit, making a reservation at the most amazing restaurant, for 1, making your life singular so that when you are endowed with someone who is either your soulmate or your love it adds to the cake, it should never be the cake. You are the cake!"(50:01)

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

E13. The Art of Living w. Lana Turner (part one).

dario — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Here are some highlights:

On the discovery of self: “You know a single woman, single mother, taking care of all of that. But when he got old enough to fly away from the nest, it allowed me to expand my sense of self. Prior to his leaving, however, that sense of self was always in play.” (19:46)

On her love for archiving: “I think the archiving element is in my DNA, it seems to have always been there without you know, want for formalizing that as an educational piece in my life, and it's always been there.” (4:28)

On the theatricality of the black church: “But of course, with the black church we are looking at, or at least I'm looking at it as the as a critical foundation for our deliverance from the slavery, both external and internal. I look at church as a way to release the notion of what it means as a collective, to breathe and to pray. I look at the black church in particular for all the things that go on in it that have more theatricality attached.-But I love the collective energies that black people bring to anything. And when it comes to church, oh my goodness. (39:29)

On the art of living: I don’t know what the formula is I don't know if I could articulate it all. So let's see, I can start, I can try. There's things that I love. So I love and I don't need other people to do it. I just like being myself. (27:04)

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

E12. The Art of Hip-Hop w. Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter.

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Tarik ‘Black Thought’ Trotter on his origin story: “I think often in the case of heroes or of a character, a protagonist who sort of rises to greatness there is some trauma Yeah. And you know my life is was no different.”

Today’s episode is with a man who needs no introduction, but I’m going to introduce him anyway: Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, lead MC and co-founder of the hip-hop band, The Roots. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tariq faced some early hardships– losing both of his parents to homicide before the age of 16, but he found his path in the arts, attending Philadelphia’s High School for creative and performing arts, also known as ‘the fame school of Philly’, notable alumni include Boys to Men, Erika Alexander, Leslie Odom Jr., Joey de Francesco, Jasmine Sullivan, and many more. While immersed in this brilliant world of musicianship, Black Thought encountered yet another now-famous alum and co-founder of The Roots, Questlove.

Here are some highlights…

On His Origin Story: “That's, that's sort of my, my origin story is I am, you know, I grew up in Philadelphia, I lost my father at a very, very young age before I was two years old, and, you know, to murder to homicide in the streets of Philly and I lost my mother to the same at 15 or 16. So, yeah, I feel like that is my origin”

On Trauma being a motivating factor in his life: “It's the ways in which we allow that internalization to, you know, compel us, and sometimes you're compelled to, you know, to quit, or in that pause to, you know, to give up, or sometimes it becomes a huge motivating factor for you. And, in my experience, that's, that's, you know, the purpose that it has served is as a, as a motivator”

On The Notorious Roots Jam Sessions: “I remember John Legend, you know, he was a student at the University of Penn, he would come and, you know, try and get into our jam sessions and would often be turned away, for whatever reason, like, you know, go figure. I wasn't at the door had I been at the door, that would never have been the case, but I know people who remember turning him away, and I feel like that was a motivating factor for him and you know, that that's part of what propelled him to greatness”

Links we mention in the episode:

Tariq's Instagram: @blackthought
Link to "Black No More" info: deadline.com

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E11. Weaving Narratives w. Artist Diedrick Brackens.

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Diedrick Brackens on his first encounter with creativity: “Moving my hands in the pursuit of language feels important and to me, it’s so relative to the way that I build narratives with textiles. (10:33)

What is a Fiber artist? Currently represented by the galleries Various Small Fires in LA, and Jack Shainman in New York, Diedrick is, and I quote” best known for his woven tapestries that explore allegory and narrative through the artist’s autobiography, broader themes of African American and queer identity, as well as American history. Brackens employs techniques from West African weaving, quilting from the American South and European tapestry-making to create both abstract and figurative works.”

In 2018 Diedrick was awarded the prestigious Studio Museum Wein Prize, and made his New York Institutional debut in 2019 at the New Museum with his Exhibition, “darling Divined.” His current body of work, “Blessed are the MOsquitos” explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on the black queer community.

Here are some highlights…

On his origin story: “My parents were just like- packrat, that’s how they saw it. But I was like, no I’m like making things, building stuff, I’m kind of creating this little universe - I always was just like fascinated by my own thoughts and ideas about how the world worked or what kind of fantasy I could construct out of this junk” (5:49)

On his first encounter with creativity: “I think I knew that I was going to write very early, and I wanted to write creatively. And I think somehow as I went along, I just was in these spaces where I don’t think you’re encouraged to write as a child, you have to know how to write, you have to write this essay like you’re writing for a particular type of information, you’re not writing as a tool of self-expression. So I think there was no avenue as a small child that cultivated that thing so I moved into art” (9:11)

On how he approaches a new piece: “For me, it comes out of thinking about my experiences of the world and what I have lacked or been rewarded with. How to make an image out of that” (24:34)

On the advantages and disadvantages of growing up without mentors: “Mentors and I also wanna say like fathership; mentors who serve a specific role around like what is it going to look like in 30 years, or what should I be doing right now, or how do I navigate the world that I live in right now” (26:02)

On his relationship with his father: “I think of that both in the role of a biological father but like this person who has actually lived it. And I remember my dad would always saying, ‘There’s nothing new under the sun, I mean now I’m like maybe

Links we mention in the episode:

Diedrick's Instagram: @deedsweaves
Link to Diedrick's work: https://jackshainman.com/artists/diedrick_brackens

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E10. Writing Your Narrative w. Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Episode number 10, with playwright, Tarrell Alvin McCraney

Tarell Alvin McCraney on living freely: “I’m starting a new chapter where I try to live and be as free as possible rather than be chained to survival mode.”

What makes a person become a writer? An Academy award-winning, playwright, actor and co-writer of the 2016 film ‘Moonlight,’ Tarell Alvin McCraney likens writing more as a survival instinct, rather than a calling. Growing up with a constant feeling that change was imminent, Tarell found a way to take hold of that narrative, and rewrite it.

Tarell began writing the first draft of ‘In Moonlight black boys look blue’ which later became the source material for the Oscar-winning movie, “Moonlight” with director Barry Jenkins. He describes it as an effort of piecing together the scapes of memories that he had about who he was, who his mother thought he was, and who he could become. In January of 2019, his Tony and Drama Desk award-winning play, Choir Boy debuted on broadway, and later that year, he made his television debut as writer and executive producer of the critically acclaimed series, “David Makes Man” on Oprah’s OWN network. In 2020, it won the prestigious Peabody Award, a first for the network. And lest he stops to catch his breath, Tarell also serves as the chair of the playwriting department at the Yale School Of Drama.

Here are some highlights…

On His Super Hero Story: “When you grow up knowing that, that shift, that change is ever-present and can fall one way or another, it’s sorta something you begin to survive rather than live” (7:37)

On the Internal Journey: “If you look around and see change happening all the time and you can’t imagine yourself in it, then you begin to write yourself into stories”

On the Power of Word and Text: “Words are powerfully limiting in that we are often grasping, throwing, pulling at, shaking up vocal sounds, to form, to shape, sometimes the unimaginable, the unquantifiable, the unpalatable things that are ephemeral feelings”

On the way, Spirit informs the Diaspora: “Because capitalism is the zeitgeist or spiritual animism of the United States, it interferes with a real look at spiritual and the understanding and investigation of that which is free”

On the Power of Naming Yourself: “That’s what all religion, history, methodology, cosmology, are about trying to put some order to the world we live in through theses ideas of stories”

On the Idea of The Wounded Healer: “Empathy, If you too have been wounded, you know why it is necessary to heal”

On Advice to Young Writers: “There’s moment’s where you have to be still enough in what you’re doing recognize when you are doing what’s right for you and your work and your path”

Links we mention in the episode:

Tarell's Instagram: @octarell_again
David Makes Man on OWN: www.oprah.com

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E9. The Business of Creativity w. Jey Van-Sharp and Kwasi Gyasi.

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with management consultants and two of the three founders of MyUberLife, Jey Van Sharp and Kwasi Gyasi. With combined degrees in electrical engineering, physics, math, and business, these two men developed keen senses for dimensionality and the need to impact the cultural spaces around them. “Through conversations, people were always amazed by how smart we were, part of it was because of the pigment in our skin” (16:05). While seeing a gap between the creativity of business and the business of creativity, their consultancy, MyUberLife was formed. “Let’s create this company called MyUberLife so it would be almost a self-manifestation like I want my life to be super so lets create a company and teach business to creative people and it was that simple (18:53).

Jey and Kwasi created an ecosystem of intellectuals by inadvertently becoming the middle man between cultural intelligence and business intelligence. “What we do is teach creative people business; as we found out to do that really well we also have to deal with the money and teach the money how to deal with creatives so we start teaching corporations culture and that community. So we start doing two things, one part teaching creative people about business and the other part teaching business people about creatives” (19:16) MyUberLife’s method always starts with the Why. “The first thing we do when we start out is tell artists to write their manifesto out. I don’t care about what you do, tell me why you’re doing it.” (22:12). Afterwhich, they approach with practicality: what is your story? How much does it cost to make these goals a reality? “Then you start understanding, ‘How much does it cost to do my practice?’ My rent, my studio, my equipment, my paint brushes. A lot of people don’t understand how much it costs to be an artist.” (23:30). How do we generate revenue around your creative endeavors? “We have a rule of thumb we say you need to make 3x the amount of money that it actually cost you to do something” (23:52).

During this episode, we discuss the formula for creating impact in the world, “Creativity times organization equals impact (25:06), the importance of owning your ideas (24:36), understanding the value of your individual story, “everywhere you go is your ideology and your ethos representative in that moment and time, in that space” (29:57) and how to communicate that to consumers, “Marketing is communicating your value through someone else. Marketing is also understanding what someone else values” (24:18). Recorded before quarantine, this informative conversation will cause you to pull out your notebook and get organized about your creative pursuits. It is with great pleasure to introduce Jey Van-Sharp and Kwasi Gyasi to the IBI podcast.

Links we mention in the episode:

Jey's Instagram: @jeyofmyuberlife
Kwasi's Instagram: @kwasiofmyuberlife

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E8. Torkwase Dyson, Artist.

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with painter, sculptor, and multi-hyphenated artist, Torkwase Dyson.

Born in Chicago Illinois, into a family embedded with scholars and artists of many forms, Torkwase found her artistic path while studying Sociology at Tougaloo College, later receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonweath University and her Masters at the Yale School of Art. Her work is about the reimagining of black compositional thought, while exploring shape and form as it relates to black bodies in space. In Torwkase’s words, “The works are deconstructions of natural and built environments that consider how individuals negotiate and negate various types of systems and spatial order.”

This multi-disciplinary approach was on full display during her show, “Nautical Dusk” which debuted at the Colby Museum of Art in the fall of 2018. Her sculptures, paintings, and geometric forms depicted the life of Samuel Osborne, a janitor at Colby College at the turn of the 20th century, who was born into slavery. Using Osborne’s text obituaries written by white authors this exhibition raised questions concerning creation, conveyance, and autonomy. In 2019, she was awarded the prestigious Studio Museum Wein Prize, and in 2020 she was added to the roster of the influential Pace Gallery. Torkwase continues to explore the language of structural constructs, black activism, and what it means to be and live in blackness.

During our conversation, we discuss the role language plays in her practice, how art allowed her to express her innermost being, why one must ALWAYS be prepared, and what black genius means to her. Recorded during lockdown, this eloquent conversation is one for the books. It is with great pleasure to introduce to you, an artist of many forms, Torkwase Dyson.

Links we mention in the episode:

Torkwase's Instagram: @torkwasedyson

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E7. André Leon Talley, Fashion Icon (part two).

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 12:36:13 -0400

This is Part Two of our conversation with Andre Leon Talley. In this episode, we discuss how Andre’s crippling childhood experiences resulted in him never knowing a reciprocal type of love. “Tragically and regrettably. I never channeled how to be intimate.” (3:45) How he interprets beauty not only in his personal life but beauty’s role and purpose in our surrounding world. “Luxury and Beauty are the same thing to me. Luxury is not necessarily [symbolic] that you’ve arrived. I earned early on- that beauty is everywhere around you. (7:02) The role faith and spirituality play in his life and how it connects back to his aesthetics and love for fashion. “ I grew up in a church, I still go to church. I don’t know where I’d be without the church.” (13:41) The church is pivotal to my survival.“ (16:25) The power of the black African church has sustained me. And my own inner fortitude to overcome all obstacles.(16:50)

The tenacity and juice it takes to make it in the world of fashion. “The essence of that is the uniqueness and the originality. (18:32) When I’m authentically me. It works. (22:45) We also discuss how the fashion industry can advance and not only be more inclusive but actually be at the vanguard of this moment we’re currently in. “It must go back to the individual imagination. Individuality, this is where fashion must return. (27:26) “Fashion must create and embrace the oneness of the imagination, particularly the black imagination.” “The black imagination is a very powerful thing. (38:22) And lastly, we touch on what he aspires his legacy to be. “ My legacy will be that of human kindness, great unique imagination, curator of knowledge. And that he contributed to the world he left a contribution of oneness. Oneness that mattered. That’s what I’d like my legacy to be (40:48).

Please enjoy Part TWO of this wide-ranging interview with my friend and mentor, Andre Leon Talley. Links we mentioned in the episode: his latest book The Chiffon Trenches available on amazon.com and audible.com. Thank you for tuning in! Please don’t forget to rate, comment,subscribe and share with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast).

Links we mention in the episode:

Andre's Instagram: @andreltalley
His Latest Book: The Chiffon Trenches

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E7. André Leon Talley, Fashion Icon (part one).

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with titan of American fashion, André Leon Talley.

Raised in Durham North Carolina by his grandmother, Andre’s love for fashion began at an early age, with his discovery of magazines like Vogue and Harper Bazaar, giving him access to worlds and visions beyond the segregated Jim Crow South. A star student, Andre received a full scholarship to Brown University to study French literature, after completing his undergraduate degree at local HBCU, North Carolina Central University.

Although he came from humble beginnings, André’s meteoric rise through the editorial mastsheads of fashion's most prominent publications, speak not only to his fine-tuned intellect, but also a keen... social intelligence; navigating the dominantly white front rows of the fashion industry for decades. Beginning with an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with legendary fashion editor and life-long mentor, Diana Vreeland, he went on to work at Andy Warhol’s Factory and Interview magazine. Later stints at Women’s Wear Daily, W Magazine, and the The New York Times, prepared him for his influential role atop the masthead as creative director of American Vogue in 1988, making him the highest ranking Black person in fashion journalism.

In 2003 He published his first memoir, ALT, and his current book, “The Chiffon Trenches,” which offers a candid window into his professional and personal struggles, was released May of 2020. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and his documentary, “The Gospel According to Andre” by director Kim Novak, was released in the US in 2018.

This conversation with Andre was recorded just two day ago, but felt so relevant and pressing that we decided to release part one for you today. We speak of Andre’s life in the Jim Crow South, his introduction into America’s upper class at Brown University, how fashion served as armor to shield him his serial childhood sexual abuse, and I, for the first time publicly, speak of my own. Please enjoy Part ONE of this wide-ranging interview with my friend and Mentor, Andre Leon Talley.

Links we mention in the episode:

Andre's Instagram: @andreltalley
His Latest Book: The Chiffon Trenches

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

Additional editorial content provided by Kalimah Small.

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E6. Renee Cox, Artist and Photographer.

Sun, 12 Jul 2020 03:28:55 -0400

Today’s episode is with the provocative artist and photographer, Renee Cox. Born in Colgate, Jamaica, into a West Indian heritage that instills unwavering confidence into their youth, Renee and her family eventually settled in Scarsdale, New York while in her teens. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies from Syracuse University, Renee began a groundbreaking career in commercial photography, first cutting her creative teeth in Paris, with visionary fashion designers like Issey Miyake and Claude Montana before returning to the states to shoot for publications like Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Essence, and Cosmopolitan. “In the ’80s me being a fashion photographer that was something that I wanted to do from the time I was in high school, so one could say that was a manifestation.” (31:39)

However, the birth of her first son, along with an encounter with fine art photographer Lyle Ashton Harris, caused Renee to question her legacy and the impact of the images she was creating. “I think that all change has to come from within and in this life situation that we’re in, it's about trying to get to a higher level of consciousness (13:59). She enrolled into the Masters of Fine Arts program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and later was selected for the Whitney Independent Studies Program, the first artist to do so while pregnant. Using her own body as a template “I’m not gonna be their Hottentot Venus. I’m not going to be made a spectacle of without implicating them (39:31) . Renee’s art is dedicated to the deconstruction of stereotypes and reconstitutes the identity and dignity stripped from black bodies during the Trans-Atlanic slave trade. “It’s time for black folks to take back and to eradicate the views that have been implanted into their heads. I think we’re taught to underestimate from day 1 and that needs to change (57:55).

Her piece "It Shall Be Named", which depicts the chilling allusion of a lynched man, castrated from his manhood, debuted in the groundbreaking show, Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art at the Whitney Museum of Art, curated by Thelma Golden, now Director and chief curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem. “I always chose to deal with topics that some people might find a little difficult” (45:58). Often controversial, her work, “Yo Mama’s Last Supper,” which was shown at the Brooklyn Museum in 2001, reimagines Leonardo de Vinci’s masterpiece the Last Supper with Renee as a nude Jesus, surrounded by the 12 apostles, all Black, except for Judas, who was white. “If you got yo mama’s last supper let’s say you had it in your home in your dining room, where Russell Simons does have it. People are going to ask you about it so you have to explain my story behind it or you can bring your own story into it. It will insight some sort of reaction and conversation from your guest and I think some people just don’t wanna be bothered with that kind of thing either (45:30). Then New York City Mayor denounced the work as Anti-Catholic, and formed a panel to create decency standards for all art shown at publicly funded museums in the city.

Links we mention in the episode:

Renee's Website: www.reneecox.org
Renee's Instagram: @reneecoxstudio
Edward Bernays: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

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E5. Kerby Jean-Raymond, Founder of Pyer Moss

dario — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 04:22:00 -0400

Today’s episode is with Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder of the fashion brand, Pyer Moss. Hailing from East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Kerby has taken the hutzpah of self-resilience and toughness and has woven it into the fabric of what is now one of the hottest fashion brands.

Founded in 2013, Pyer Moss fashion shows have been revered as theatrical and emotionally moving and the must-see show of New York Fashion Week. He personally describes the brand as an “art project” or “a timely social experiment” which explores the depths of the cultural
origins of blackness.

In this conversation we discuss how his work in the fashion industry cost him his sanity (7:20), how Kerby leverages his fame for the freedom of Black peoples around the world, doing everything with the intent of centering black people (6:32), his tools for success and finally arriving at a place of self-love and acceptance (27:43). “I started to discern the difference between the person I was and the person I was pretending to be.” (10:37) The internal growth which lead him to figuring out what was right for him. “What was instinctively right for me was always talking about race, talking about politics, talking about things I actually cared about.” (11:34) We even discuss our own falling out a few years back. “I was constantly in contention with you, with everyone that was trying to force me to follow my instincts. You had it right the first time! You said that to me once.“ (13:14) —a topic even we hadn’t discussed until this interview. Recording during lockdown, this is Kerby at his rawest and most vulnerable.

Links we mention in the episode:

Pyer Moss: www.pyermoss.com
Kerby's Instagram: @kerbito
Momentum Education: www.momentumeducation.com

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

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E4. Racial VR Immersion w. Psychologist Dr. Courtney Cogburn.

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 04:38:52 -0400

In today’s episode we chat with psychologist, Dr. Courtney Cogburn. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Doctor Cogburn’s research focuses on how racism contributes to health disparities amongst Black Americans and in particular how over time, blatant and subtle racism in media stresses and literally wears down Black bodies—a phenomenon also known as “weathering”—something we have all witnessed to during the current outbreak of Covid-19 in the United States, and its devastating effects on communities of color.

Links we mention in the episode:

Courtney's Twitter Account: @courtneycogburn
Her Racial VR Experience: 1,000-Cut Journey
Hyphen Labs: Neurospeculative Afrofeminism

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

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E3. Casey Gerald, Writer and Entrepreneur.

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 04:07:38 -0400

Today’s episode is with writer Casey Gerald. Born in Oak Cliff Texas, Casey’s life reads like a textbook definition of The American Dream. Oh you know, Small town boy from troubled home makes good and lands in the Ivy Leagues—Yale to be exact. Casey later goes off to Harvard Business school and co-founds the nonprofit MBAs Across America, for which he is listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People. All of this and more can be found in his memoir, There Will be No Miracles Here, which was listed by both NPR and The New York Times as one of the best books of 2018. His Ted Talk, “The Gospel of Doubt” has over 2.1 million views. Did I mention he was also a Rhodes Semifinalist?

Links we mention in the episode:

Casey's Instagram and Twitter: @caseygerald
His book: There Will Be No Miracles Here
Abraham Hicks: https://www.abraham-hicks.com
Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love
bell hook's All About Love: New Visions

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

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E2. Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar.

Sun, 07 Jun 2020 05:32:17 -0400

Today’s episode is with architect, designer, and scholar, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson. Doing double-duty as a Professor of Architecture and as Associate Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, both at Columbia University, Dr. Wilson is not your traditional designer of buildings. Her trans-disciplinary practice extends well beyond the built environment in to the worlds of curation, performance, art, and cultural history.

In today’s episode we discuss how Mabel’s problems fitting in as a young architect led to designing her own path to success (5:40), her advice for young architectural students (9:00), what Beyonce stole from her (21:30), the ways in which design and structures have been used to create the concepts of both blackness and whiteness (26:26), the radical change needed for an equitable America (32:27), the invisibility of Black women (35:00) and how mass incarceration not only tied a generation of Black men to a failing capitalist state, but left a generation of Black women without partners (49:40).

Links we mention in the episode:

Mabel's Instagram: @studio_and
Her new book: Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present

Thank you for tuning in! Please don't forget to rate, comment, subscribe and SHARE with a friend (@blackimaginationpodcast). Support this podcast: anchor.fm/blackimagination/support

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E1. T.J. Walker of Cross Colours

Fri, 29 May 2020 02:11:50 -0400

Today’s episode is with TJ Walker, one of the co-founders of the pioneering streetwear brand, Cross Colours. Cross Colours blasted onto the urban fashion scene in the late 80’s, and their bright colors, loose silhouettes, and inspiring message, “Clothing Without Prejudice” presaged the launch of a string of urban streetwear brands like Karl Kani, FuBu, and Phat Farm. Cross Colours came to define the 90s, worn by every musical icon of the era like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, Mary J Blige, TLC, and most famously Will Smith while on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The brand has had a resurgence recently, especially after Bruno Mars and Cardi B wore Cross Colours during the 2018 Grammy Awards.

In this episode we discuss TJ’s path from a farm in Mississippi to designing for one of the most profitable Black businesses of his time (2:34), how he actually got those clothes on Will Smith (16:30), why their slogan, “Clothing without Prejudice” still resonates 2 decades later (29:07), and a new initiative he’s started with costume designer Ruth Carter, who most recently won the Academy Award for her costume design for Marvel’s Black Panther(38:10).

Thank you so much for listening, and if you enjoyed this conversation,, shout us out on social, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, which is super helpful! please share it out over social media. and let him know your favorite part of our conversation together.

Thank you all so much for tuning in today, I hope this show brought a lot of value to you. If you enjoyed, please share it out over social media with your friends and loved ones. Tag me at @blackimaginationpodcast on instagram, and shoutout our boy TJ Walker @tjwalkerofficial. We have so many amazing episodes coming your way, so be sure to subscribe wherever you receive your podcasts, and be sure to rate us over on iTunes, which helps out a lot!

Keep Dreaming!

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The Institute of Black Imagination.

E100. What If We Get It Right? with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

What We Discussed

Dispatches from the Archive

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E99. Blood Memories with Gina Paige Co-Founder of AfricanAncestry.com

Episode Overview:

What We Discussed

A Playlist Inspired by the Conversation

Books to Complement This Conversation

Resources & Links:

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E98. The Body Politic. A Conversation with Elle Moxley

Episode Summary:

What We Discussed

A Playlist Inspired by the Conversation

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E97. SEAMLESS. with Oscar Winning Costume Designer, Paul Tazewell

Episode Summary:

What We Explore:

Quotables:

About the Guest:

Resources & Mentions:

Soundtrack: Inspired by Paul Tazewell’s Journey & Genius

Recommended Reading List: For Further Exploration

Join & Support Our Community

Production Credits:

E96. Towards A New Architecture. with Dr. Lesley Lokko OBE

E95. Designing In Place. with Nifemi Marcus-Bello

E94. The Black School with Co-Founders Shani Peters And Joseph Cuillier, III

E93. Imagining Diasporic Retrofutures with Olalekan Jeyifous

E92. The People's University with Dr. Carla Hayden

E91: From Dancehall to the World with JAWARA

E90. Space Agency. with Brigette Romanek

E89. Perfection is an Illusion with Kirk Franklin

E88. The Best of 2023 - IBI Team Favorites

E87: Catching The Spirit with Chester Higgins, Jr.

E86: Sketching A Revolution with Emory Douglas

E85. Mastering Your Story with Lena Waithe

E84. Life on the Streets with Andre D. Wagner

E83. The Unmasking of AI with Dr. Joy Buolamwini

E82. Dancing Through the Archive with the Legendary George Faison

E81. The Sound of Success with Tank and The Bangas

E80. Apertures and Activism with Misan Harriman

E79. Liberation Through Libraries. with (Reginald) Dwayne Betts

E78. The Black Space Continuum. with Dr. Danielle Wood

E77. Predictions of Black Imagination (feat. The Future of Storytelling w/ Charlie Melcher)

Summer School - The Art of Living w. Lana Turner - Part 1

Summer School - Through Obstacles with Olympian Daryl Homer.

Summer School - The Art of Hip-Hop w. Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.

Summer School - VR Immersion w. Psychologist Dr. Courtney Cogburn.

Summer School - Timnit Gebru: Asylum From A.I.

Summer School - Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Architect and Scholar.

Summer School - Casey Gerald, Writer and Entrepreneur.

Summer School - The Hidden Costs of Racism with Heather McGhee.

E67. Semester Four Recap with Dario.

E66b. Milisuthando Bongela: Inside Apartheid's Wish.

E66a. Milisuthando Bongela: Inside Apartheid's Wish.

E65. Rayvon Fouché: Game Changer - Tech, Sports & Black Ingenuity.

E64. Alia Dahl: Curriculum - The Business of Art.

E63. Dossé-Via Trenou: Written In The Stars.

E62. Robert Battle: The Power of Community.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

E60. Kevin Bethune: Dreams, Design and Life.

E59. Camille A. Brown: For Colored Girls.

E58. Jason Mayden: Be Your Own Superhero.

E57. All About Love.

E56. Rita Dove: The Pleasure of Text.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture.

E54. Jerald Cooper: HoodCentury Modern.

E53b. Frank B. Wilderson III: On Afropessimism II.

E53a. Frank B. Wilderson III: On Afropessimism I.

E52. Ghetto Gastro (Jon Gray): 15 Seconds to Decide.

E51. Jerome Lamaar: The Power of Imagination.

E50. June Ambrose: The Style Architect.

E49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.