About this Event
Walters is an artist, designer and researcher who engages with histories of Black American print publishing, material culture and archival practice. She explores these themes in her studio practice Bright Polka Dot, and works across platforms to create exhibitions, installations, publications and digital design experiences for cultural and commercial institutions. Walters was selected as a Graham Foundation award recipient in 2021 for her curated exhibition With a Cast of Colored Stars, which highlighted the evolution of racialized iconography in early 20th century Black American popular entertainment. Her publications include Black, Brown + Latinx Design Educators: Conversations on Design and Race, and the co-edited anthology The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection. Walters has been recognized by AIGA, Connecticut Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, Graphis, It’s Nice That and The One Club. Walters is currently an Associate Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design at The New School.
About the event
Doors open at 6:30 PM. Talk starts at 7:00 PM and will be followed by a reception.
This event will be in-person in the Rose Auditorium at The Cooper Union and live-streamed over YouTube.
Registration on EventBrite is required. However, an in-person EventBrite ticket does not guarantee entry as this is a first-come-first-served free event.
About the series
This event is part of Open Flat File, a free 10-part lecture series held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Herb Lubalin Study Center. Each lecturer was invited to select a single object from the collection to respond to through a free public talk and to design a poster about the object. Lecturers have designed a commemorative poster that will distributed for free at the event. Lectures will be staged during the 2026–2027 academic year.
This series is presented by MillerKnoll with support from Athletics and Gretel.
About the Lubalin Center
Forty years ago, on September 10, 1985, The Cooper Union Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography began with a simple mission: to preserve the work and legacy of Herb Lubalin, a Cooper Union alumnus and one of America’s most influential graphic designers. Forty years later, that mission has expanded into one of the world’s most significant archives dedicated to graphic design, typography, and visual culture. The collection, which opened with a series of original design pieces by Herb Lubalin and his studio, has grown to encompass nearly 80,000 design objects by a multitude of designers spanning two centuries and five continents. The space provides students and designers unparalleled open access to rare publications, posters, sketches, and other materials that contextualize the history of design.
Event venue & nearby stays
Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, 41 Cooper Square, New York, United States
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