Michael Ford has been a rockstar in the field of architecture for more than 20 years. A Highland Park native and graduate of University of Detroit Mercy, Ford has served as the president of Wisconsin's chapter of the National Organization of
Minority Architects, led the design of The Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, New York, and was awarded a Spirit of Detroit honor from Detroit City Council.
Known as "The Hip Hop Architect," Ford has even more significant impact in the design world with his pioneering program, The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, which uses hip-hop culture to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture and design. This unique approach to diversifying the design professions has earned Ford national acclaim and has evolved into his flagship program.
“I think all of our young people, especially black and brown children need to be exposed, too,” says jessica Care moore, the internationally known multidisciplinary artist and current Detroit Poet Laureate. She enrolled her son King in the camp when Ford first started it and says she would love to see the reach of the camp widened. “I like the idea of using hip-hop as a learning tool in math, literature and definitely architecture. King loved math, he loved to build things, he was good at drawing, I saw how he wrote rhymes while he was in there[...]it was about building a knowledge base and I think our young people need that,” she went on to say.
As Ford is entering his tenth year of the camp, he’s decided to broaden its reach and meaning. “This is going to be a springboard,” he says. “Our program has been called, ‘The Hip-Hop Architect Camp’ for 9 years, but entering into our 10th year, we’re calling it, The Hip-Hop by Design camp.”
The pivot is something Ford has been planning for a while, partially triggered when he worked with Gucci several years ago as the luxury designer was in the early stages of finding a location to open their store in Detroit.
“My collaboration with Gucci was limited to talking about architecture. I want to be able to introduce kids to fashion design through Gucci now. So why keep them up under this umbrella of hip-hop architecture? Just call it hip-hop by design. We can now talk about jewelry making and many more professions, industrial design, furniture design,” Ford said.
Last year, Ford partnered with Michigan Central to expand more programing in and around Detroit.
“It happened because of the popularity of the hip-hop architecture camp in Detroit. A lot of architects and designers know about it[...]A lot of those people might have been consultants for Michigan Central or work for Michigan Central,” Ford says.
Ford feels the partnership with Michigan Central has gotten off to a great start as they’ve been committed to the culture, authenticism, and bringing Detroit citizens and youth into the fold.
“How do you really start a neighborhood or community around Ford? That is what I was charged with, making events for residents talking about what happens around Michigan Central and doing it all within the hip-hop architecture camp,” he says. “We’re getting kids to design concepts and visions that they want to see around Michigan Central. So kids are making business ideas and it's all based on hip-hop. So we got kids taking Tee Grizzley lyrics and making business concepts or demonstrating concepts based on Big Sean or Kash Doll lyrics.”
Enter Michael Ford’s hip-hop architecture lecture series, beginning March 19 at the University of Detroit Mercy, School of Architecture & Community Development. The event is sponsored by Michigan Central and will spotlight Detroit-area women that are shaping the intersection of hip-hop and design. The event is a celebration of women and their impact on communities, culture, and the built environment. The panel is made up of artists Tiff Massey, Mama Sol, activist Mama Shu, hip-hop architecture fellow Asia Williams, and jessica Care more.
“I think any panel with all women is important right now…if you’re building things in our city, Detroit in particular and you’re not including black women’s voices, then you’re not building it with a strong foundation. My voice has been silenced in different corporate spaces in this city and I’m personally just tired of it,” says moore.
“What you can expect is that it’s multidisciplinary. We didn’t want to just bring architects because it's not only architects who build and shape our community. I wanted to create opportunities for people to hear somebody with a vision and how they executed it,” Ford says.
Panelist Tiff Massey’s show at the Detroit Institute of Arts, “7 Mile + Livernois,” has been the talk of the Detroit art world. Massey is a trained metalsmith who augments jewelry to the size of architecture. At 42, she’s the youngest artist to have a solo exhibition in the DIA.
“She has like the hottest exhibit in the world right now and It's about the culture. She’s very unapologetic and represents blackness in that exhibit. So having her come I felt that was key too. As I introduce young people to architecture and design, they don’t feel like they have to check in their culture at the door. Bring it with you, she did it, and look what she’s doing,” Ford says.
Another panelist, Mama Shu has been building a 21st-century sustainable eco-village in Highland Park, Michigan called the Avalon Village. Her vision to build the village came after the loss of her son, Jakobi, who was killed by a hit and run driver in 2007 at the age of two. In honor Jakobi’s memory, Mama Shu has committed her activism to reviving her own community with the desire to make it a better place for children.
“She’s been developing a neighborhood. How can we teach young people to imagine what can happen around Michigan Central, but also here from somebody who’s actually doing it on her own,” Ford asks? “Her story is unique. Something that was born out of pain, a tragic situation. But Mama Shu, I think she will provide an opportunity to show how to bring a vision to life and all the bumps, bruises, and victories that have just fueled her to keep going along the way,” he adds.
Overall, Ford wants attendees of the panel discussion to learn the importance of design and how women have been using it to make an impact on all facets of Detroit culture. “This is about empowering women to take steps to create,” Ford says.
Michael Ford’s Hip Hop Architecture Lecture Series is celebrating Women’s History Month with an incredible panel discussion! This series is sponsored by Michigan Central & in partnership with Miller Knoll and Shaw Contract. Join them as they highlight women at the intersection of design, culture, and community, showcasing pioneers driving change through creativity, leadership, and innovation.
March 19 6-8 p.m. University of Detroit Mercy, School of Architecture and Community Development, 4001 West McNichols Road, Detroit, MI 48221.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.