Black Suburbia
Black Suburbia: From Levittown to Ferguson is an exhibition presented by The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, one of the leading institutions focusing exclusively on African-American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. The exhibition examines the complex narrative of the African-American suburb from the 20th century to today, looking to communities such as Hempstead, NY, Ferguson, MO, and Shaker Heights, OH, as case studies for a contradictory yet hopeful dream. Developed in collaboration with the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, Black Suburbia, tackles issues such as suburban segregation, institutional discrimination, and residential racism in black communities from the late 1800s to the current day.
In order to address these issues the exhibition's logo, sets type within an upside-down American flag and references the United States Flag Code, which states that the flag "should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." The red stripes of the flag are echoed throughout the titling of the exhibition and used as a device to anchor and highlight content.
Pedro and the Pentagram team designed the identity, exhibition graphics, and print materials as well as data visualization displaying migration and other relevant data about the exhibition.
