JULY 2019 // CHARLOTTE 23
of my home for about three years before
joining Hygge.
I HIRED AN ALLBLACK, all-female
sta, and we are all under the age of 40.
Diversity in the architecture and interior
design industries continues to be a huge
barrier. This is my attempt at putting a
tiny dent in the gender gap, diversify-
ing the profession, and exposing more
young professionals and communities to
the industry.
I LIVE WHERE I WORK on the west side
because my practice is a social practice.
I’m concerned about how design works
in the bigger picture of public space and
in our overall urban environment. Not
a lot of people with my background
are willing to come and do work. I’m
very passionate about positioning my
work and projects to be responsive and
socially responsible.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING with Lakewood
Neighborhood Alliance for the past
two years as a fellow with the League
of Creative Interventionists, a national
organization that uses art to enliven
public spaces. So a lot of my work has
brought me to the west side, not Historic
West End, where they are experienc-
ing gentrication and funding is being
pumped into their vision. Over here is
where everyday people live and aren’t
experiencing those advantages.MOST RECENTLY, I have been working
with the teens and young adults in the
area on a project called ‘In the Paint.’
There’s a basketball court in a park that’s
in bad condition, so I’ve been getting
ideas from them to create a design to
paint on the court once it’s resurfaced.
I do a lot of place-making and place-
keeping in the urban space, which is cre-
ating and shaping public spaces for the
community. Since this area doesn’t have
a community center, how do we take the
assets they already have and activate it so
it’s being used?MY GOAL IS ALWAYS trying to gure
out how I can build something to serve
communities through my practice and
technical ability and shi how my indus-
try includes people in the process. I love
being close to community members and
other activists and being able to share
this space with them. This thread at the
intersection of culture, community, and
creativity is what I’m seeing in my work,
and I’m excited to keep it growing as I
ll a void.IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, I see growth
on a large scale, taking on more oppor-
tunities, state-funded projects, govern-
ment projects. I want to teach and create
a pipeline; historically black colleges and
universities (HBCU) rarely oer architec-
tural or design studies. I want to start a
program at an HBCU, because that’s the
legacy I want to leave behind.SHAMEIKA RHYMES is a writer and former tele-
vision news producer in Charlotte. She blogs at
theMofochronicles.com.