
Germane Barnes Creates a Carnival-Themed, Multipart Installation in Miami
When we last wrote about architect Germane Barnes, it was for his work in the 2020 exhibition “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His star has catapulted skyward since, earning both the Architectural League Prize in 2021 and the Rome Prize last year.
His latest triumph happened right in his own backyard: winning the invitation-only 2022 Miami Design District Annual Neighborhood Commission, the first local talent to be selected in the eight-year-old program (Snarkitecture and Studio Proba are among the past recipients). “The focus of my practice is to draw attention to marginalized communities in a way that celebrates their contributions to the design world,” Barnes says. Rock | Roll, as his multipart installation is called, does just that, its Carnival-themed inspiration deriving from the many Caribbean communities that call Miami home.
Peppered along the pedestrian corridors are kinetic seating capsules festooned with colorful foam noodles to
resemble Carnival’s feathered costumes. Hanging on trees are hundreds of windchimes in the shape of a steel drum, critical to soca music. And topping an arch is an enormous “sliced disco ball,” Barnes notes, that acted as a pavilion for Design Miami programming.
Up next for the 37-year-old Studio Barnes founder, who’s also an assistant professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture, is converting an old UPS truck into a mobile museum and continuing his work with the
nonprofit Thrive to build projects for predominantly Black and brown Caribbean communities in South Florida.









read more
DesignWire
Design Miami/ 2021 Spotlights Socially Conscious Designs
While Art Basel Miami Beach anchored Miami’s boasting week of art, design and fashion last week, Design Miami/, right across the street at the Pride Park, determined the busy calendar’s design trajectory. With the re…
DesignWire
“Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America” Exhibit Opens at MoMA
How does systemic racism continue to inform the built environment? This exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York explores the question.
DesignWire
6 Highlights from the 18th Edition of Design Miami/
At this year’s Design Miami/, designers display bold works with an eye toward new materials. See highlights here.
recent stories
DesignWire
10 Questions With… IIDA’s Ronnie Belizaire
Ronnie Belizaire, president of IIDA’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors, discusses her career journey and IIDA’s role in advocating for workplace equity.
DesignWire
See INTERIOR DESIGN’s 2023 Best of Year Awards Finalists
INTERIOR DESIGN reveals project and product finalists for the 18th annual Best of Year Awards, honoring innovation in all its forms across the industry.
DesignWire
Tadao Ando Puts His Spin on the Annual MPavilion Initiative in Melbourne
Tadao Ando is the seventh world-renowned architect to conceptualize MPavilion, the temporary monument staged within Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens.