We recently connected with Jerome Haferd and have shared our conversation below.
Jerome, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I would say that the most meaningful work has been the gradual development of my studio practice itself as a creative project. There is no one artwork or piece of architecture that is the most meaningful. That said, they build on one another and each creative experience has added to the cumulative knowledge and depth that is Jerome Haferd Studio.
Jerome, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Originally from Akron, OH, I am an architect, artist, and educator and founder of Jerome Haferd Studio based in Harlem, NY. My training is in architecture, but maintained close connections to visual artists and other cultural disciplines during my time at Yale for my graduate work and afterwards. I am very proud to be a Black and mixed-race, proud of where I have come from and how much I have achieved in a field that is historically not diverse.
I entered the world of architecture through years of study and then work for a number of renowned design firms around the world in the 2010s. I then entered the world of art and public art practice from a series of early commissions to create public artworks in New York City and elsewhere. This led to a thriving studio practice, and eventually academia. I am now working on a number of large, permanent artworks in New York City and elsewhere.
From the very beginning, Harlem has been a locus of my life and my practice. The interests and focus of my work continue to evolve, but consistently focus on culture, history, memory, and public space that began here in Harlem. Partly due to this, a lot of my work and research is invested in sites of Black and other marginalized living history and significance.
After a number of successful smaller scale public projects and notable competition prizes, Jerome Haferd Studio has grown and the work has gradually expanded into larger commissions and projects around the world – including Africatown, Alabama, Ecuador, Accra, Ghana, and several projects in Harlem and the New York Area.
Right now a project I am very excited about is the reimagining of the Amsterdam News HQ in Harlem. This is a historic Black-owned newspaper that is part of the cultural and political fabric of Harlem and the nation. It is a unique opportunity to reflect on the history of media while commenting on the future of gathering and design simultaneously.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I tell my students to bring their culture, identity, and background to the world of design. When I was developing, we were taught that we needed to learn the “canon” and emulate that, so that we could develop a similar “taste”. I had to unlearn some of that rigidity, and embrace and celebrate some of my own background and ancestry that lies at the margins of art or architecture history.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Most rewarding aspect is being able to create beautiful works of art or architecture that expand culture and history. I am a nerd about archives, events, and anthropology. So for me, when I am able to work with a site or community or historic event or archive and create something visual or experiential out of that history – that is extremely rewarding and enjoyable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeromehaferd.com
- Instagram: @jhaferd @jeromehaferdstudio
- Linkedin: Jerome Haferd
- Other: https://www.archpaper.com/2023/07/africatown-international-design-idea-competition-rewrites-playbook-architects-engaging-descendant-communities-mobile-alabama/
https://www.unitedstatesartists.org/artists/jerome-haferd
Image Credits
01 – Africatown Museum and Boathouse, First Place Competition proposal, Jerome Haferd Studio, 2023
02 – Sankofa installation, Jerome Haferd Studio, 2023, photo : Anna Dave
03 – concept drawing, Amsterdam News Headquarters, Jerome Haferd Studio, 2025
04 – rendering, Denniston Hill Artist Residency, Leong Leong, Jerome Haferd Studio, Carolyn Lazard, 2026
05 – Sankofa installation, Jerome Haferd Studio, 2023, photo : Anna Dave
06 – Jerome Haferd at Sankofa installation opening, 2023, photo Jabari Asanti
07 – Migration Heritage Artwork, Jerome Haferd Studio & Creative Urban Alchemy, 2025, photo : Anna Dave
08 – rendering, Denniston Hill Artist Residency, Leong Leong, Jerome Haferd Studio, Carolyn Lazard, 2026
09 – Aleia installation, Jerome Haferd Studio, 2024, photo : Anna Dave
10 – Memorial Mausoleum, Accra, Ghana, 2025, Jerome Haferd Studio & Atelier Inc.
11 – Jerome Haferd, Lisbon, 2022
12 – ‘Tapestry Fragments’, Jerome Haferd, 2024