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Aki Carpenter

@akichan43

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🇯🇵 hafu📍NYC
VP, Chief Creative Officer
@ralph_appelbaum_associates
Board Pres @segddesign
Cofounder @bipoc_directorscollective
@rippleeffectnola
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We’re thrilled to celebrate our member Aki Carpenter (@akichan43) and her work for The Obama Presidential Center Museum, opening today on Juneteenth. Aki is the Vice President and Chief Creative Officer for @ralph_appelbaum_associates, and says: “Designing the Obama Presidential Center Museum has been a profound honor and an opportunity to tell a story about democracy as a collective practice. RAA assembled an extraordinary team of design partners, artists, educators, practitioners, and creative collaborators—many rooted in Chicago and the South Side—to co-create the artistic vision and civic spirit of the work. Together with the Obama Foundation, we designed a journey through the context and communities that shaped President and Mrs. Obama’s lives and work, connecting visitors to the past, to one another, and to the possibility of building a more just, inclusive future.” The Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago’s Jackson Park presents the story of President and Mrs. Obama, and the work of the Obama administration, as well as the promise and complexity of American democracy. Across the Museum’s four exhibit levels, visitors can explore the formative experiences that shaped President and Mrs. Obama, the work of the Obama presidency, and the continuing responsibility we all share in building a more perfect union. Aki and RAA led the exhibition design effort in collaboration with the Obama Foundation Museum team as well as firms and individuals with expertise in public interest design, artistic practice, architecture, media, lighting, acoustics, and civic storytelling. Nearly half of the exhibition design work for the Obama Presidential Center was completed by minority- and woman-owned businesses. The RAA team designed a multilayered visitor journey that unfolds through four major exhibition levels: “Toward a More Perfect Union,” “Working for the Common Good,” “The People’s House,” and “We the People.” Through artifacts, large-scale and immersive media, storytelling, and hands-on digital and analog interactives, the Museum connects history to action, inviting visitors to see democracy as a living practice shaped by ordinary people working together.
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Introducing @akichan43 as a 2026 Communication Arts Design Competition judge. As CCO of @ralph_appelbaum_associates, she leads visionary exhibition and museum design, creating public spaces that inspire learning, spark dialogue, and address social impact and activism.
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This week we welcome Aki Carpenter (@akichan43). As RAA’s global Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Aki provides vision and oversees creative direction and output, including providing guidance and feedback on projects, and ensuring that the company’s design work aligns with the practice’s brand, objectives, and principles. She is a lead voice of planning and design inside and outside the firm, articulating its vision, sharing the work, and promoting holistic thinking about making public spaces for learning. She has opened over ten award-winning museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Aki’s current work at RAA includes leading the exhibition design for the museum at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, IL; the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH; the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA; and advising the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum in Liverpool, UK. Her most recently opened project included the creative direction for the exhibition and graphic design for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC. Aki’s passion and experience is dedicated to the development of national and international cultural institutions, with a focus on issues- and mission-based projects. Many of her projects address topics of social justice, activism, and community. Aki is co-founder of BIPOC Directors Collective, an initiative by Directors of Color for fellow and future Directors of Color. She is also a founding member and Creative Director for Ripple Effect, a New Orleans based environmental education start-up dedicated to K-12 education about socio-ecological issues of climate change. 🗓 Catch Episode 32 this Thursday, March 27th at 12:00 p.m. EST on The Art Pod Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and www.theartpod.co 🎶 #womenleaders #creativedirector #theartpod #womenindesign #womeninart #podcast #CCO #design
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What a wonderful afternoon of art in Brooklyn with #FriendsofRxART ! On our first stop, we visited Faurschou - thank you to Blake Dorfman and @faurschou for hosting us for a private walk-through of your three incredible exhibitions featuring Curtis Brown Sr., Zachary Armstrong, and Robert Rauschenberg. We were also privileged to experience a very special introduction and tasting of the next-door restaurant that will be led by an acclaimed Danish chef opening next spring. Next, we walked to the nearby studio of Tomokazu Matsuyama where he shared a deeper look at his practice. A huge thank you to @tomokazumatsuyama and his team for hosting us all at your studio. We're looking forward to working on more RxART collaborations with you ✨ @b_a_dorf @z____a #StudioVisit #TomokazuMatsuyama #Faurschou #Foundation #RobertRauschenberg #CurtisBrownSr #RxART
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Capturing Friendship + Joy. ❤️🖤💜
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IT’S HERE!!! The Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer List 2022 is here! SEGD’s very own Cybelle Jones had the pleasure of being on the judging panel for this exclusive list that identifies individuals whose innovation and creativity have been crucial to developing today’s museums. This year the list included several SEGD Members and Supporters who we would like to recognize and congratulate! Aki Carpenter is a Principal and Director of Special Projects at Ralph Appelbaum Associates and was recognized on The Power 10 list. Aki Carpenter is an active SEGD Board Member and is the chair of SEGD’s Racial Justice Commission. Joy Bailey Bryant of Lord Cultural Resources has 20 years of experience making the world a better place through culture and was recognized on The Power 10 list. SEGD was honored that Joy joined us in Philadelphia for our 2021 Conference and presented on her experiences and how we can all make the world a better place through culture. L’Rai Arthur-Mensah is recoginzed on the list of 50 influencers for her role as a Project Director at Local Projects. L’Rai spoke at SEGD’s 2021 Exhibition and Experience virtual event and became a member shortly after. L’Rai is now a member of SEGD’s Racial Justice Commission and is a co-chair for SEGD’s 50th Anniversary Conference in Washington D.C. in August of 2023. Congratulations to Abigail Bysshe (The Franklin Institute) and Nathan Lachenmyer (Sitara Systems) for also being recognized. We cannot thank you all enough for your dedication to this field! Learn more about the Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer List 2022 and the other amazing museum professionals recognized in it here: https://blooloop.com/the-blooloop-50-museum-influencer-list-2022/ . . . . . . #blooloop #blooloop50 #museum #museums #exhibitions #segd
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Friday April 15th. Waxing Moon Iftar chez @ateliersoschefs
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Styled beautifully by @akichan43
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HIGH TOUCH / this piece has been living with good friends in great design for years now. Every time they remix their dwelling the painting seems to land in the perfect spot. Always inspired by their style and setup! c/o @akichan43
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SEGD is very excited to announce and welcome our two newest board members; Aki Carpenter and Dayton Schroeter! Aki Carpenter is Principal, Director of Social Projects at Ralph Appelbaum Associates and has opened over ten award-winning museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Dayton Schroeter is a Design Principal who has championed Design Justice advocacy throughout his career at SmithGroup. “I am honored and excited to welcome Aki and Dayton to our SEGD Board of Directors.” says Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD. “They are both talented and accomplished designers who have contributed much to the cultural community through their work and leadership. I know they will be invaluable to SEGD’s growth and evolution both in terms of DEI initiatives, but also to help chart our future as an inspiring and relevant international design organization.” Please join us in welcoming both Aki and Dayton to the SEGD Family! Read more about them in our feature article via the link in our bio. #segd #boardmembers #creativedirector #designprincipal #exhibition #experiencedesign #architecture #diversityindesign @akichan43 @dschroeteraia
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Save the date! Lunchtime round table— FREE and open to the public. Simply click link in bio to join via Zoom. @akichan43 @konradng @hi_shangrila @book_lust @obamafoundation @nwaka.onwusa @rockhall . . . . . . #bipocdirectorscollective #bipocdirectorscollectiveconference2020 #bipoc #diversityandinclusion #representationmatters #dei #museum #museums #obamafoundation #rockandrollhalloffame
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Truly honored & geeked about participating in an upcoming conversation hosted by @bipoc_directorscollective . . Tune in on October 1st 1pm ET/10am PT for the Museum Roundtable 💪🏾🙌🏾🔥🖤 . . @bipoc_directorscollective thank you for unifying our diverse voices and amplifying the conversation of the BIPOC experience! Honored to join @akichan43 @konradng @book_lust @obamafoundation @rockhall @hi_shangrila . . #bipoccollective #museumsmatter #blacklivesmatter #yourlocalcurator #rocknroll 📸 @thedarkroomco
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