Driven by an insatiable curiosity, Michele’s practice, OMW, meshes interdisciplinary design, while blending her expertise in design, curation, research, writing, and academia. Her expertise in curation, research, writing, and academia forms the foundation of her work, which spans cultural spaces, non-profit institutions, civic design, publishing, and archival collections. Most recently, she was co-curator and researcher for Designer’s Choice: Norman Teague’s Jam Session at MoMA in New York City and consulted on Branding Black Panther Party at the Poster House Museum. She also worked on Brownsville Heritage House with the BlackSpace Urban Collective. Michele’s other projects focus on civic design with Coforma and collaborations with cultural institutions and non-profits such as A Long Walk Home, the Romare Bearden Foundation, Poster House Museum, Medgar Evers College, and City as Living Lab.

Michele holds two master’s degrees: an MFA in Design Criticism from the School of Visual Arts and an MS in Communication Design from Pratt Institute. She has taught in the Graduate Exhibition and Experience Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology and design programs at CUNY and Pratt Institute. Her scholarly endeavors have been recognized through prestigious fellowships, including the Columbia University A’Lelia Bundles Community Scholars Fellowship and the Billops-Hatch Fellowship at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. She has also completed a residency at Monson Arts.

As the founder and host of the “Curious Story Lab” podcast, Michele brings to life the voices of designers, architects, curators, urbanists, and creative professionals of color. Michele’s written work has been featured in a variety of publications, including Imperfect Index, Everlasting Plastics, Feminist Media Histories: An International Journal, America I Am Pass It Down Cookbook, The Black Experience in Design, InQue Magazine, Architectural Record, Print Magazine, and Wonder City of the World: New York City Travel Posters.

Michele serves on the boards and advisory committees of the Poster House Museum, Pivot: A World of Many Centers, the National Museum of African American History & Culture, BlackSpace Urban Collective, SEGD’s Education Task Force, and the Indigo Arts Alliance Advisory Circle.

Board Appointments:
Poster House Museum, Advisory Board
2020-present
Pivot: A World of Many Centers, co-organizer
2020-2022
National Museum of African American History & Culture
2016-present
SEGD, Education Task Force
2019-present
Indigo Arts Alliance, Advisory Circle
2018-present
Sing Sing Prison Preview Center
2018-emeritus
AIGA Design Journey Advisory Board
2010-2019

Past Boards:
IXDA/NYC leadership
AIGA NY Chapter
Global Interaction in Design (GLIDE).

email: Michele Washington