The Los Angeles Hip Hop Architecture Camp. Photo by Josh Berry
Artist Nikki Jean and Michael Ford appeared NPR’s “Here and Now” with host Robyn Young to discuss The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, The 2018 Hip Hop Architecture Design Cypher, our upcoming trip to Kenya, and Nikki’s new single “Mr Clean” featuring Lupe Fiasco.
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The Hip Hop Architecture Design Cypher
Photo by: Josh Berry
Wednesday, February 21, 2018: The Hip Hop Architecture Design Cypher organized by Michael Ford at Autodesk's Pier 9 in San Francisco had top hip hop lyricists join with the nations top young architects, designers and technology creators to explore the juxtaposition of architecture and hip hop! The Hip Hop Architecture Design Cypher was a three day event, challenging participants to explore the cultural implications of architecture in the built environment through the lens of Hip Hop Culture. Focusing on the intersection of theory and practice, participants explore hip hop as a revolutionary approach to understanding, conceiving, and generating architecture for a just city. Artist included Lupe Fiasco, Nikki Jean, Daylyt, ChinoXL, and TRP. The team of architects included, Eryk Christian, Ingrid Gonzalez, Jason Pugh, Pascale Sablan, Bryan C Lee Jr., Kouyate Toure and University of Detroit Mercy architecture student Phillip Robie.
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The rapper Chino XL teaching students at Hip-Hop Architecture Camp.
Photo by M.O.D. Media Productions.
The Hip Hop Architecture Camp was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine!
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About 2 percent of architects in the U.S. are African-American. That’s a statistic Michael Ford wants to change by using Hip Hop to inspire young people to think of new ways to solve urban development problems that segregate and marginalize low-income communities.
In the St. Louis region, the free program will begin July 30 at the Natural Bridge Branch of the St. Louis County Library. Click here to register.
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“What happens at the intersection of hip-hop culture and architecture?” Michael Ford, co-founder of the Urban Arts Collective asked during a TEDx talk in Madison, Wisconsin. “I’ve dedicated my entire academic and professional careers to exploring this intersection.”
This summer, local youth will have the opportunity to explore that intersection alongside Ford when he facilitates a Hip Hop Architecture Camp hosted by St. Louis County Library’s Natural Bridge Branch. The camp is open to children between the ages of 11-14 and will take place from July 30 – August 3. Hip Hop Architecture Camp is free – and includes free lunch – but students are required to apply in advance. Applications are currently being accepted through May 21. Interested students will be required to submit a brief essay as part of the application process.
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The Hip Hop Architecture Camp and one of our 2017 Austin Texas participants, Brianna White, was featured in Black Girl Nerds. As co-founder of the Urban Arts Collective, I have had the opportunity to work on many inspiring projects that involve bringing S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education to individuals through the influence of hip-hop. I’ve spoken at SXSW on the topic numerous times and even helped design the Universal Hip Hop Museum, with input from local students and the Bronx community. Yet last year through my work with Autodesk, I kicked-off one of my proudest collaborations yet: The Hip Hop Architecture Camps.
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The Hip Hop Architecture Camp in Los Angeles. Photo by Josh Berry
Highland Park native Michael Ford has made a career out of his two seemingly unconnected passions: hip-hop and architecture. But listen to him talk and the two are obviously intertwined — it was the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier's invention of the idea of modern housing projects that gave rise to 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx, and 1520 Sedgwick Ave. gave rise to hip-hop.
After giving a traveling lecture series and exhibition series on the interconnectedness of hip-hop and architecture, Ford will soon bring his latest project to Detroit. Hip Hop Architecture Camp is a weekly, month-long meetup open for free to middle school students designed "to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture, urban planning, creative place making, and economic development through the lens of hip-hop culture," and after the camp MOCAD will show an exhibition of work created by the students. We spoke with Ford to learn more.
Read MoreThe American Institute of Architects’ South Carolina Chapter (AIASC) is excited to share that this year’s Annual Design Conference will take place in conjunction with renowned nine-day art competition, ArtFields. Held in the small town of Lake City, S.C., the conference will begin on Wednesday, April 18 and end Friday, April 20 with a gift to the community.
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2017 Hip Hop Architecture Camp at Madison Public Library
Photo by: MOD Media
The Madison Public Library won a “Top Innovators” award from the Urban Libraries Council for its work with the Hip Hop Architecture Camp. The camp, created by architectural designer and Madison College instructor Michael Ford, aims to increase the number of women and people of color in the urban planning and architecture fields while giving kids the power to design their own communities.
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After keynoting The 2018 Interior Design Show in Toronto I was interviewed by Dezeen Magazine about the creation of The Hip Hop Architecture Camp funded by Autodesk and the benefits of combining architecture and Hip Hop Culture!
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This architecture scholarship can change your life!
Maybe you chose architecture because you want to design a better world. Or you can’t imagine doing anything else. One thing’s for certain: You love this work. And we’d love to help fund your college experience with a multiyear scholarship, up to $20,000.
We created the Diversity Advancement Scholarship to help more minority students pursue a successful career in architecture. Multiple scholarships are available.
Read MoreDuring the 2017 Los Angeles Hip Hop Architecture Camp, we took some time to interview some of the camp participants. Take a listen at what Layla's had to say. For more information on The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, please visit: www.hiphoparchitecture.com
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PLATFORM is the annual magazine of The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. It serves as a “platform” for the school to investigate the intersection of its research, practice, and pedagogic interests with a broader audience.
Each issue of Platform features thought-provoking articles of topical interest in the disciplines of Architecture, Architectural History, Community and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Design, and Urban Design. Guest editors selected from the School of Architecture’s faculty develop a new theme or prompt for the publication each year and drive its conceptual direction.
This issue, titled Convergent Voices, is edited by Nichole Wiedemann and Charlton Lewis and centers on a conversation between contributors with expertise ranging from Architectural History and Landscape Architecture to Community and Regional Planning. It represents a dynamic collection of distinct voices and viewpoints brought together by a shared concern for the inequities in our cities and built environments and the urgent need to address these inequities.
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On Saturday, November 25, 2017 The Hip Hop Architecture Camp was featured on The TODAY Show. The Today Show segment was filmed during a camp in Los Angeles hosted by The La Kretz Innovation Campus. Our camp participants were joined by Sheinelle Jones co-anchor of NBC News' “Weekend TODAY” and a mid-week correspondent for TODAY. Click the video below to view the entire segment and visit The Hip Hop Architecture website for to see the Hip Hop Architecture Camp Visual Album and Mixtape created by participants in variousc cities and to find out how to bring the camp to your city.
About The Camp
The Hip Hop Architecture Camp is a national initiative created by Michael Ford, The Hip Hop Architect, which uses Hip Hop Culture as a catalyst to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture, economic development and urban planning. The Hip Hop Architecture Camp is nationally sponsored by Autodesk and The Urban Arts Collective and made possible by local volunteers and local sponsors.
The Hip Hop Architecture Camp will join with its national sponsor Autodesk, represented by Sarah O'Rourke and The Hip Hop Architecture Camp's director of curriculum development , Dr. Michael Dando to conduct a Hip Hop Architecture Design Cypher during The 2018 SXSWEdu Conference.
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On October 29, 2016, Michael Ford delivered a talk for TEDxMadison titled, Hip Hop Architecture: The Post Occupancy Report of Modernism.
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2017 Hip Hop Architecture Camp participants creating a 3D city using Autodesk Tinkercad. Photo by: MOD Media
The Hip Hop Architecture Camp and Madison Public Library earned a national award "2017 Top Innovation in Race and Social Equity" from The Urban Libraries Council.
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Terrance Burney joined the Hip Hop Architecture Camp™ to tell the youth "I See Greatness In You"!
Check out the official music video from The Detroit Hip Hop Architecture Camp™! The song, "Whats The Future of The Hood", was independently written by the camp participants during the one week camp hosted by University of Detroit Mercy's School of Architecture.
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The Hip Hop Architecture Camp™ Music Video for "Push, Slide, Pause" By: The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Camp Location: Huston - Tillotson University Song Produced by: Syx Synce (http://notesfornotes.org/austin/) website: www.hiphoparchitecture.com The Hip Hop Architecture Camp™ is a one week intensive experience, designed to introduce under represented youth to architecture, urban planning, creative place making and economic development through the lens of hip hop culture.
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"From Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five rapping in their 1982 classic “New York New York” about “Staring at a skyscraper reaching into heaven / When over in the ghetto I’m livin’ in hell,” to Jay Z rhyming on 2017’s “Marcy Me” that “I’m from Marcy Houses, where the boys die by the thousand,” hip-hop has always had an intimate relationship with the architecture of cities. But what if the low-income youth of color who live in the ghettos and housing projects of Gotham — or Los Angeles or Detroit — had the technical know-how to redesign their hometowns and create buildings that serve their communities?
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