Assistant Professor Germane Barnes will explore the role of Blackness in classical architecture with the support of two of the world’s most-prestigious architecture prizes. Barnes, 35, was awarded the Wheelwright Prize by the Harvard Graduate School of Design and was one of the winners of the Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome.
Prof. Barnes will examine Roman and Italian architecture through the lens of non-white constructors, studying how spaces have been transformed through the material contributions of the African Diaspora. The Wheelwright $100,000 prize will fund two years of Prof. Barnes’ research and travel in Rome and North Africa.
“As a Black architect working within a lack of inclusion, you begin to doubt yourself and doubt your talent. But I’m fortunate to have a support system around me that know the work is still important and necessary,” Prof. Barnes said, noting the contributions and legacies of marginalized communities deserve scholarly research. “My hope is I’m not that last person to be selected who does work about Blackness, that this kind of work can continue being awarded forward.”
The Wheelwright Prize supports travel-based research initiatives proposed by extraordinary early-career architects. Prof. Barnes will commence his research this summer in Italy and North Africa, with a goal of creating an index of the portico typology throughout and maps that show the spatial mobility of the porch and the portico across continents and cultures.
“This will reinterpret classical architecture through the lens of Blackness, Prof. Barnes said, explaining that new design can be created through the typologies he will document and explore. “It pays respects to Black people who built this country, literally on their back.”
The Rome Prize will further support Prof. Barnes’ work with a stipend, workspace and room and board at the Academy’s eleven-acre campus in Rome.
Prof. Barnes’ work also has been honored with an Architectural League Prize. This year’s exhibition will be virtual and the prize comes with a stipend to support an online exhibit. The theme is Housekeeping, which fit perfectly with Prof. Barnes’ ongoing exploration of the importance of the porch and kitchen in Black life.
Prof. Barnes’ documenting of porch and kitchen space and its importance within diverse Black cultures in Miami -- such as Haitian, Dominican, Bahamian, Jamaican and Trinidadian – is now part of an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America,” runs through May 31 at MoMA.
An Invitation to participate in the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial as one of the main contributors completes the Grand Slam of major awards and honors this season, “They position Prof. Barnes as a key critical voice in the field” stated Dean Rudy el-Khoury, “we are grateful and proud to have Germane as a colleague and as a driving force at U-SoA.”
“I can’t stress enough that none of this is a solo effort,” Prof. Barnes said. “These (awards) are given to single person but the full body research and work is done by colleagues and friends who deserve recognition. Without that support from my dean, my assistants, my mentors, none of this is possible.”
Steve Wright (@stevewright64) is a Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning writer who blogs daily at: http://urbantravelandaccessibility.blogspot.com/
