New MOHAI exhibit highlights the work of Black architects

SEATTLE — "This exhibit is titled 'From the Ground Up: Black Architects and Designers,'" said Hasaan Kirkland, a consultant for the exhibit. "It was a traveling show that came from the Chicago Museum of Industry, and so we had an opportunity to be the first stop, which is a nice plug for Seattle."

"Our goal is to really celebrate and promote the historical kind of lens and the contemporary presence of Blacks who are in architecture, men and women who have forged the ground and created many of the imparts to the skylines across the country.

"When you come in, we have three-dimensional model pieces that are architectural structures related to actual architectural structures that exist," Kirkland continued. "We have timelines, which is what the shared show from Chicago sent us, 24 different panels of celebrated African American architects and their work.”

"When they come to the show, right off the bat, we're going to celebrate Ben McAdoo, Jr," Kirkland said. "He's significant because he's the first African American architect, to have a firm to celebrate the developments of the architectural industry in the Pacific Northwest."