Nekita Thomas

About Nekita Thomas

Nekita Thomas is a designer, educator, and researcher with a deep commitment to the belief that design possesses immense power to address complex social issues, stimulate innovation, and foster change. Her research centers around developing, implementing, and evaluating frameworks, artifacts, and interventions that facilitate critical thinking, creative collaboration, and futuring amongst diverse stakeholders in addressing the intersection of race, well-being, and the built environment. Thomas applies this approach across academia, community, and professional spheres. This work manifests as placemaking solutions, public installations, and design workshops that combine art, design, and social practice aimed at empowering people toward healthy environments and futures.

Thomas’ latest project Supergraphic Landscapes explores the histories and futures of visualizing American Blackness on the south and west sides of Chicago. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and her MFA in Visual Studies from University at Buffalo New York.