Join us for a conversation with artist and designer Jon Key in celebration of the Philadelphia launch of his book Black, Queer, and Untold: A New Archive of Designers, Artists, and Trailblazers. Inspired by Key’s formative upbringing in the South and his educational experiences in graphic design, Black, Queer & Untoldinvites us to consider how identity could be archived in a design canon that has consistently erased contributions by designers who were not white, straight, and male and pays tribute to the incredible designers, artists, and people who came before.
The program will begin with a selected reading by Key who will then be joined in conversation by Philadelphia-based graphic designer Nijel Taylor and Rachell Morillo, ICA’s DAJ Director of Public Engagement and Research. A light reception and book signing will follow the conversation.
This program sits in dialogue with Entryways: Nonstikelelo Mutiti (on view through April 6, 2025) at the intersections of art, identity, and design.
Registration
Register to attend this free event here. | Virtual viewing for this program will be available soon.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for this program.
ICA is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all visitors. For more notes on accessibility including accessible parking nearby visit our Accessibility landing page. If you require any accessibility accommodations or have any questions about the program, please contact Brittany Clottey (bclottey@ica.upenn.edu).
About the panelists
Jon(athan) Key is an artist, designer, and writer originally from Seale, Alabama. After receiving his BFA from RISD, Jon began his design career at Grey Advertising in NYC before moving on to work with HBO, Nickelodeon, and The Public Theater. Now he is co-founder of the Brooklyn–based design studio Morcos Key with Wael Morcos. As an educator, Jon has taught at MICA, Parsons, and currently teaches at Cooper Union and SVA. Jon is also a Co-Founder and Design Director of Codify Art, a multidisciplinary collective dedicated to creating, producing, supporting, and showcasing work by artists of color, particularly women, queer, and trans artists of color. Jon was selected for Forbes 30 under 30 Art and Style list for 2020 and was the Frank Staton Chair in Graphic Design at Cooper Union 2018-2019. His work has been featured in Jeffery Deitch Gallery NYC, the Armory Show, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. Jon holds an MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism from SVA. His writing has been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Black Experience in Design and AIGA.
Nijel Taylor has led the transformation of major brands across multiple industries throughout the last decade. As an accomplished creative director, designer and strategic consultant, Nijel understands not only how to quickly generate great ideas, but also how to develop them with rich storytelling and strategic insight. He is adept at setting logo design, color, photo art direction, illustration, typography, and 2D animation. With his can-do attitude and creativity, he loves to develop nothing but the best ideas for clients, from start to finish. As a champion of DEI, he deeply knows the value voices from all backgrounds can contribute to the design process. He believes being collaborative, curious, even-keeled, and efficient makes for positive and timeless work. He passionately sees design as a tool to engage others and create meaningful change. Through his projects, Nijel aims to create work that resonates with a diverse range of audiences and pushes the potential of branding. Partnering and contributing to the work of powerhouse creative agencies such as Lippincott, Trollbäck+Company, Superunion, and Siegel+Gale, Nijel has had the fortune of collaborating to transform and reimagine notable iconic brands such as Taco Bell, MTV International, The NFL Network, and Sesame Workshop. Nijel received his BFA from The University of the Arts, where he graduated as the Valedictorian with honors in Graphic Design. He has taught Motion Design at Kean University and actively mentors industry talent. His work has been recognized by design publications such as GDUSA, Logo Lounge, Graphis and recently Graphic Design Solutions Edition 6, as well as Strategic Creativity – both by creative author, Robin Landa. In 2022 he had the distinct honor of being a design jury member for The One Club for Creativity: Young Guns 20.
Support
Programming at ICA is made possible in part by the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts and the Lise Spiegel Wilks and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation. Public and Student Engagement at ICA is supported by the Bernstein Public Engagement Fund, Suzanne Weiss Doft & Jacob W. Doft, Stacey & Robert Goergen Jr., Hilarie L. & Mitchell Morgan, the Nash Family Foundation, Joline & David Stemerman, and by Dana McDonald Strong & Mark W. Strong.