NOMASiit Launches New Virtual Art Gallery

The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students chapter at Illinois Institute of Technology (NOMASiit) has launched its first-ever NOMAScape, a virtual art exhibition comprising photos, poetry, paintings, and other visual arts.

“In a world divided by difference and powered by prejudice, the debut edition of NOMAScape aims to provide a platform where designers, artists, and creative minds can express their perspectives on discrimination and oppression in our society,” says O.A.J. Ige (B.ARCH. 4th Year), a NOMASiit board member and one of the exhibit’s curators.

Based on the theme of “Equality and Humanity,” the artwork is inspired largely by a summer of widespread protests following George Floyd’s death while in police custody in May. The exhibit features over 40 works produced by College of Architecture students. Both Ige and Shandon Herft (B.ARCH. 3rd Year) led the curation efforts.

“In the wake of the largest demonstration of civil unrest that this generation has ever seen, the urgency, pressure, and support for the Black Lives Matter movement are validating to see,” says Nimah Mohiuddin (B.ARCH. 4th Year), president of NOMASiit. “We wanted to create our own space to share art that has resulted from this movement and speaks directly to everything going on right now.”

“With one of the largest movements in U.S. history with the Black Lives Matter movement, NOMAScape was a medium to provide a relevant theme for creatives to confront this systemic racism in a non-violent and effective way,” adds Herft.

The exhibit is now live on the NOMAScape Instagram page. Artwork can be viewed individually through posts, while a virtual video tour of the art hung in S. R. Crown Hall can also be viewed in the Instagram page.

Illustration: "Through the Tears" by Nimah Mohiuddin.