Talking Architecture and working @ Home with Curator Gina Iacobelli

We’re checking in @Home with… Gina Iacobelli who has curated the current Detroit Month of Design exhibition, Architecture of Convenience, which is on display online and by RSVP now at Detroit Center for Design + Technology.

Gina Iacobelli is an independent curator and real estate developer based in Royal Oak. Though her work deals primarily with acquiring and managing real estate, she frequently finds herself engaged in architectural planning and design. Iacobelli specializes in industrial real estate and believes her relationships with these industrial business owners often informs her perspective when it comes to curating artistic projects. “I try to embrace Detroit's industrial history and interweave it with current human stories,” she says.

DCDT: Are you involved in the Month of Design? If so, how?

GI: “I curated an exhibition currently on view at Lawrence Technological University’s DCDT titled The Architecture of Convenience, addressing the importance of infrastructure development. I know this may seem a bit dry, but I think it is really important to ask questions about the systems that organize city life and how they serve citizens. I worked with two wonderful artists on the exhibition, Toby Millman and Bridget Quinn, who both explore how these physical systems of convenience (roads, water management, electrical grids, etc.) interface with lived human experience.”
 
DCDT: What sets Detroit apart when it comes to art, architecture and design?
GI: “Although Detroit has an incredibly rich history when it comes to art and design, I think we have to acknowledge how inequitable access to that legacy has been. From my perspective, there is a critical mass of local artists and designers who are currently seeking to change that. I think that is what sets Detroit apart is a collaborative environment that experiments with real-world solutions.”
 
DCDT: What businesses are you supporting at this time?
GI: “I have been more on the cautious side when it comes to going out right now. I stick mostly to our neighborhood stores. I live within walking distance from downtown Royal Oak, so I try to patronize the local shops. I really like Rail & Anchor and UHF Records on Washington Street. I also have been doing online and outdoor classes at Citizen Yoga.”
 
DCDT: Where are you finding inspiration amid the pandemic?
GI: “I have always loved watching documentaries, so I have been really indulging myself. Historian Henry Louis Gates has been making incredible series on PBS for years now. I have also taken up weaving as a hobby. It is really meditative and allows you to focus on movement and a tactile experience. It is a great escape from being inside my head too much during the pandemic.”
 
Learn more about Gina Iacobelli’s work and current exhibition, The Architecture of Convenience, at Detroit.design.
 
Would you like to be featured in a future @Home with… interview? Just drop a line to stephanie@prologuedetroit.com and we’ll reach out with questions, request a photo and add you to our growing list of Detroit entrepreneurs, designers, architects and artists. Stay safe. Stay @ Home with us.