Graduate Student Talk: Jensen Johnson

Join Jensen Johnson, a Masters of Science in Architecture Studies candidate at MIT for a conversation around Sung Tieu: Civic Floor.

In this talk, Johnson will discuss a new lens through which to comprehend spatial design. Similarly to Tieu's consideration of how design and architecture relate to social and political power, carceral spaces and bureaucratic systems, Johnson's research probes the question of what is Black space and how is the built environment racialized? Johnson will specifically explore the vernacular spaces and social sculptures associated with Black hair.

This will be a hybrid event with a live video that can be streamed here at 5:30 PM. 

About the Speaker

Jensen Johnson is a Master of Science in Architecture Studies candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arkansas which she completed in the Spring of 2020. Her childhood experience spanning Chicago, Atlanta, and Pine Bluff, AR has heightened her sense of place, scale, and cultural perception, leading to her pursuit of architecture and design. Jensen's research addresses and challenges the divisive and elitist nature we encounter and absorb in spaces, and how architectural design pedagogy and practice have contributed to this issue. She has previously worked for Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects and Stantec developing her professional skills as an architectural designer. Her career trajectory includes exhibition design and curation, media production, and architectural installation.

Graduate Student Talks

MIT graduate students explore current exhibitions at the List Center through the lens of their own research, background and interests. Join us for this interdisciplinary lecture series where we dive into how art and research are overlapping on MIT’s campus.