"Black Landscapes Matter" | Flora Ann Bynum Keynote Lecture and Reception
Thursday, September 26, 2019 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center
Presenter: Kofi Boone, ASLA
Black Landscapes Matter
The rapid growth in interest in gardens, landscape architecture, and environmental history has the potential to capitalize on the diverse cultural currencies of the people and places contributing to our shared landscape. However, mainstream research, practice, scholarship, and messaging of landscape values is often exclusive and focused in the preferences and aesthetics of a narrow band of humanity. In particular, the context of the American South, the contributions of Black people are often relegated to other disciplines and not addressed as essential components of our landscape legacy.
This presentation, Black Landscapes Matter, borrows language from the Black Lives Matter movement to frame three challenges for the future of including Black landscapes into our broader narratives; these landscapes stand as examples of what it meant “to be seen, to live with dignity, and to be connected”. Through research, case studies, and current work, the presenter will explore these challenges and their implications for the future of landscape history.
Kofi Boone, ASLA is Professor of Landscape Architecture at NC State University in the College of Design. Kofi is a Detroit native and a graduate of the University of Michigan (BSNR 1992, MLA 1995). His work is in landscape architecture and environmental justice with a focus on democratic design and cultural landscapes. He is a University Faculty Scholar and a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers. His teaching and professional work has earned student and professional ASLA awards.
For more information about the presenter, please visit: https://design.ncsu.edu/staff/kofi-boone-asla/
Landscape, Race and Culture: Shaping a World of Color in the American South
The 22nd Conference on Southern Gardens & Landscapes will be held September 26-28, 2019 at Old Salem Museums & Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The conference is co-sponsored by Old Salem, Southern Garden History Society, and Wake Forest University Department of History.
Click here to register for the “Black Landscapes Matter” Keynote Lecture:
