The Black Imagination at the Oculus
The Institute of Black Imagination (I.B.I.), located in the Oculus at the World Trade Center, transforms a retail space into a cultural hub. Space 001, typically a site for commerce, now provides public access to thousands of books, periodicals, and records related to Black culture while also serving as a platform for innovative Black designers.
Founded in October 2024 by Dario Calmese, a creative director, choreographer, and visual artist, I.B.I. is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating Black creativity. Calmese made history in 2020 as the first Black photographer to shoot a Vanity Fair cover, featuring Viola Davis.
The institute also hosts a podcast of the same name, which explores unconventional thinking across various industries. Calmese says its purpose is to provide access to the conversations he wished he had growing up in St. Louis. Last week, I.B.I. marked its 100th episode with a live recording featuring Academy Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell.
Calmese traces I.B.I.’s origins to his encounter with the creative legacy of Geoffrey Holder, a Tony Award-winning artist. After Holder’s passing in 2014, Calmese visited his storage loft in East Harlem and was inspired by the vast collection of books, costumes, and artwork—what he saw as a blueprint for creativity.
Seeking to preserve and share this knowledge, Calmese petitioned Holder’s family for access to part of the collection. After three years, they agreed, but he lacked funding to establish the envisioned reference library. In the meantime, he stored the collection in his studio and started the I.B.I. podcast to build a community around the idea.
Financial support came when Deborah Cullen-Morales of the Mellon Foundation encouraged Calmese to apply for a grant. In 2021, I.B.I. received an initial $500,000 disbursement, which was renewed two years later, enabling the institute’s expansion.
I.B.I. functions as a central hub for multiple initiatives, including its physical archive, podcast, and digital platform, blackimagination.com. Unlike traditional institutions, it prioritizes accessibility, bringing Black culture into everyday spaces rather than confining it behind paywalls or academia.
This philosophy influenced the decision to place I.B.I. in the Oculus—not for its retail setting but for its centrality to historic Black neighborhoods. The goal is to turn everyday encounters into transformative experiences, allowing visitors to discover Black intellectual and creative contributions unexpectedly.
The store features designers chosen for their innovation and underrecognized talent. It carries work by figures like Nifemi Marcus-Bello, a Lagos-based industrial designer, and T-Michael, a Ghanaian-Norwegian designer behind Norwegian Rain, a luxury outerwear brand with no North American distribution.
Beyond fashion, I.B.I. highlights thought leaders from diverse disciplines through its podcast. Notable guests include gospel musician Kirk Franklin, AI researcher Timnit Gebru, and Dr. Danielle Wood, an M.I.T. faculty member working on space technology for sustainable development.
While rooted in the Black diaspora, I.B.I. embraces a concept of “decentralized blackness,” extending its reach to dreamers, thinkers, and the curious worldwide. Its mission is not just to archive history but to propel Black creativity forward in a rapidly evolving digital age.
By providing a dedicated space for deep engagement with Black stories, I.B.I. ensures that contributions historically overlooked or inaccessible are now at the forefront. In doing so, it nurtures future generations of creatives and intellectuals, equipping them with the tools to shape the world.
