Black Landscapes Matter

Race and the American Landscape: How has the history of race and racism shaped the American landscape, broadly defined? What is the geography of race and racism, whether we consider the built environment and physical space or the meanings, memories and representations of places marked by race? Scholars and artists have explored these questions and related issues in the study of history, literature, philosophy, art and architecture.

The question "Do Black landscapes matter?" cuts deep to the core of American history. From the plantations of slavery to contemporary segregated cities, from Freedman's villages to northern migrations for freedom, the nation’s landscape displays the fragments of diverse, often oppressive origins. Black landscapes matter because they tell the truth.

The UMass Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts welcomes acclaimed landscape designer and public artist Walter Hood as the inaugural speaker in the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series. His lecture "Black Landscapes Matter" discusses landscape architects, planning professionals, and scholars to probe how race, memory, and meaning intersect in the American landscape.