Sat, Sep 27
|CCS Wendell W. Anderson Auditorium
Toyota Lecture Series: Michael Ford
Time & Location
Sep 27, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
CCS Wendell W. Anderson Auditorium, 301 Frederick St, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
About the event
This lecture offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at over two decades of work by Michael Ford—widely known as The Hip Hop Architect—exploring the intersection of hip hop culture and design. From the architectural storytelling of The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx and The Memphis Hip Hop Museum to award-winning product collaborations and international youth camps, the presentation reveals how hip hop continues to shape the built environment and the objects within it.
Michael Ford, AIA, NOMA, NCARB has dedicated his career to increasing diversity in architecture through culturally relevant education. He founded The Hip Hop Architecture Camp, a global program that uses Hip Hop to introduce underrepresented youth to design.
As Founding Principal of BrandNu Design Studio, Ford leads projects like The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx. His work has been featured on Oprah Winfrey Network’s Super Soul Sunday, The TODAY Show, Rolling Stone, and Interior Design Magazine.