Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race in the Interior Design Studio: A Pedagogical Exploration

In this article, I explore the importance of addressing challenging conversations about race within the interior design studio and present strategies for navigating these discussions. Drawing upon Beverly Daniel Tatum’s application of racial identity development in the classroom, I explain how discussions on race were intertwined with design assignments in a junior-level interior design studio, with a focus on creating a museum to showcase the life and death of a lynching victim. Through end-of-semester semi-structured interviews with students (n=11), I highlight the transformative power of interdisciplinary and peer-to-peer interactions in fostering meaningful dialogue across racial divides. Despite the acknowledged challenges posed by traditional studio formats in integrating racial awareness into design education, I propose recommendations such as enriching the studio experience by drawing expertise from departments and programs with value systems aimed at amplifying diverse social and political perspectives. Additionally, I underscore the importance of broader initiatives related to the studio, (in this case a community exhibition and an educational outreach program), to nurture students’ racial awareness and to empower them to become socially responsive designers. By embracing these approaches, design educators could better prepare students to navigate the complex intersection of design, racial awareness, and social justice, thereby fostering a more inclusive and socially conscious interior design community.