"Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Architecture, and Me" - Neil Pinder, Educator & Activist

I’m thrilled to welcome Neil Pinder to the show today. Neil is an award-winning educator and activist on a mission to demystify and diversify the architectural profession. 

For over 25 years, Neil has taught in a number of inner-city schools and is currently Head of Product Design and Architecture at Graveney School in south London, where he introduced Architecture to the curriculum.

He is a trustee of Thornton Education Trust and Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust). He’s an honorary professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, and also an Arkwright interviewer for a prestigious engineering scholarship.

However, Neil is perhaps best known for the many initiatives he has spearheaded to inspire and support a new and diverse generation of young designers into the creative industries. These include Celebrating Architecture, HomeGrown Plus, GLAM (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Architecture and me) and the transatlantic architectural exchange programme NY-LON.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of creativity in education, the power of early role models, plus why networks matter. And, we of course dig deeper into Neil’s wonderful world of initiatives designed to make architecture more accessible and representative of wider society.

Resources 

• Architects’ Journal, Neil Pinder wins AJ100 Contribution to the Profession award https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/neil-pinder-wins-aj100-contribution-to-the-profession-award-2022 
• Report - Developing the next generation of Black and Global Majority leaders for London schools by Rosemary Campbell-Stephens https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257922356_Developing_the_next_generation_of_Black_and_Global_Majority_leaders_for_London_schools 
• Education, Architecture and the Trojan Horse by Neil Pinder for the Roca Gallery http://www.rocagallery.com/education-architecture-and-the-trojan-horse 
• Thornton Education Trust  https://www.thorntoneducationtrust.org/ 
• Blueprint for All https://www.blueprintforall.org/ 
• Open City https://open-city.org.uk/ 

Neil’s Initiatives 

• HomeGrown Plus https://homegrownplus.co.uk/ 
• NYLON https://homegrownplus.co.uk/project/ny-lon-2022/ 
• Celebrating Architecture  https://architecturefoundation.org.uk/events/celebrating-architecture 
• GLAM Goes Global https://homegrownplus.co.uk/project/glam-goes-global/

LinkedIn: neil-pinder-817786a3 
Twitter: NeilPinder5
Instagram: @homegrownplus @celebratingarchitecture @glam_goes_global

About Stand Tall

Stand Tall with Rachel Bell is conversations about life, careers, and defining moments with people blazing a trail across property, architecture, engineering and construction.

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