Damon Rich (HECTOR)

Lecture by Damon Rich of HECTOR, with a response by Jelisa Blumberg and Nina Cooke John.

Damon Rich is a partner at HECTOR, an urban design, planning, and civic arts practice whose projects include the memorial for eco-feminist Sister Carol Johnston, a housing crisis learning center within the Queens Museum, and a youth-centric development plan for Detroit’s west side, recently recognized with the 2023 National Planning Award. Damon previously served as planning director and chief urban designer for the City of Newark, New Jersey, and founded the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that uses art and design to increase meaningful civic engagement. His work has been recognized by the MacArthur Fellowship, Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, MacDowell Artist Residency Program, and Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies.