University of Virginia Professor Elgin Cleckley to Deliver Next DeLaney Dialogue Lecture Cleckley will present his research on _mpathic design in the Watson Galleries on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.

Communications & Public Affairs
January 26, 2024

The Delaney Center at Washington and Lee University will present its second speaker in the 2023-24 DeLaney Dialogue series when Elgin Cleckley, assistant professor of architecture and design at the University of Virginia, delivers an address on Thursday, Feb. 1, from 2-3 p.m. in the Watson Galleries. The talk is free of charge, and refreshments will be provided.

The Delaney Dialogues was created to engage audiences in conversation about regionally resonant themes, allowing for open dialogue and learning opportunities. Exhibiting innovative strategies for teaching and researching Southern racial realities, these programs allow faculty and other interested participants to imagine how this protean region fits into broader professional and public possibilities.

Cleckley, who will also lecture at 5 p.m. as part of the Mudd Center’s yearlong programming “Ethics of Design,” will present his research on “_mpathic design,” a teaching approach and architectural method that fosters inclusivity.

Cleckley’s work operates at the intersections of identity, culture, history, memory and place. His research follows a self-formulated empathic design thinking methodology, a hybrid approach to deep empathy that uncovers the layers of a site, cultural landscape and the built environment. The method is an empathic approach to discovering untold narratives and unheard voices, allowing Cleckley to find design responses and meet the design activism needed in non-inclusive architectures. It also provides tangible toolkits and frameworks for developing belonging in public spaces.

Before joining Virginia’s faculty in 2016, Cleckley was the 3D group leader and design coordinator at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Science Content and Design Department and Agents of Change Initiative. He is a recipient of Virginia’s Alumni Board of Trustees Teaching Award, Distinguished Public Scholar Award and Armstead Robinson Faculty Award, as well as numerous national fellowships, including from MacDowell and the Mellon Foundation.

Cleckley received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia and his master’s degree in architecture from Princeton University.

The DeLaney Center is an interdisciplinary academic forum that promotes teaching and research on race and Southern identity. Visit the DeLaney Center website at https://my.wlu.edu/delaney-center for updates on further DeLaney Dialogues, film screenings and other programming.