Congratulations Professor Karimi for receiving a Creative Economy Grant of $25,650 for a project entitled
Black Spaces Matter: Exploring the Architectonics of an Abolitionist Neighborhood.

President Marty Meehan today announced $1,090,500 in grants for UMass science and technology research projects and arts and humanities/social sciences projects all aimed at improving the quality of live in Massachusetts and beyond. “With these grants, we are investing in the vision, expertise and commitment of faculty members from all five UMass campuses,” President Meehan said. “We are supporting distinguished scholars who enrich us through their diligent pursuits.” “These awards demonstrate President Meehan’s commitment to UMass Dartmouth’s research agenda and the value of this work to the economic and social development of the region and the Commonwealth. The longer I am here, the more I appreciate the historic importance of this university and its talented faculty to our collective quality of life.”

The Creative Economy Initiatives Fund provided $256,500 to 11 projects across the UMass system, including a grant received by UMassD Professor Pamela Karimi (Art History Department) and Professor Michael Swartz (Visual Design Department )and in collaboration with the community experts Lee Blake (director of New Bedford Historical Society), Don Burton (filmmaker), Jennifer McGrory (architect) for a project entitled, Black Spaces Matter: Exploring the Architectonics of an Abolitionist Neighborhood.

The seaport city of New Bedford, the home of many pre-Civil War fugitive slaves and abolitionists, provides a lens through which to explore the history of interracial urban zones in the US. This project will highlight the significance of city neighborhoods that were home to fugitives from the South, including the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The program will include a lecture series, an architecture exhibition and a documentary film.