Society’s Cage: The Shape of Institutional Racism (Architecture Open Lecture Series)

Featuring a presentations by Dayton Schroeter and Julian Arrington from SmithGroup, this guest lecture is organised by George Epolito and Maryam Osman, and moderated with the support of postgraduate architecture (MArch) students.

Biographies

Dayton Schroeter is a design principal who has championed Design Justice advocacy throughout his career at SmithGroup. As a leader of the firm’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, his charge is to lead design projects that address the systemic injustice that architecture and planning have perpetuated for historically disenfranchised communities of color. Leveraging his passion for design justice with authenticity and creativity, he is currently leading anti-racism efforts in design projects including the National Slavery Museum located at the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail Site / Devil’s Half Acre and the Society’s Cage installation. Schroeter is the co-author of a research grant called “Hidden Voices” for the development of a rubric for architects and planners doing community engagement around Black historical sites of trauma and resilience in the United States.

Julian Arrington is a lead designer in SmithGroup’s DC Cultural Studio. A graduate of Howard University, Arrington has shaped concepts for multiple museum projects including a museum to address the history of slavery in Richmond, Virginia, the Universal Hip Hop Museum, the Museum of Pop Culture and others. A proponent of community-informed design, Arrington has helped to lead stakeholder-engagement efforts to craft designs that reflect the goals and aspirations of the people they serve.