EXHIBIT A is a design practice directed by Akima Brackeen—a designer, educator and researcher. Blending architecture, digital media, and sound, her practice investigates the social, political, and ecological dimensions of water access. This work exposes the systems of power and care, as well as the material traces that shape perceptions and values within the built environment.

EXHIBIT A transforms data, narrative, and design into modes of engagement and critical reflection— making the invisible systems of water visible, audible, and felt.

Ongoing research projects include an audio/visual catalog, a collaborative playlist, and a narrative index.

Pool/Side, Columbus Indiana | Image c/o: Elli Bryana | 35mm film

Akima Brackeen is currently an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has an MArch from the University of Michigan with Distinction, and a BA in Architecture and Community Design from the University of San Francisco. Akima was born and raised in the Bay Area and is based in Chicago, IL.

Previously, she worked in the offices of David Baker Architects in San Francisco, California, and MASS Design in Kigali, Rwanda, and was the inaugural Rowe Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

In the past year, Akima was awarded the Lily Auchincloss Rome Prize in Architecture by the American Academy in Rome and was selected as a University Design Research Fellow for the 2024-25 cycle of Exhibit Columbus.

The current team includes Ella Edelstein and Nicole Tooley, both graduates of University of Michigan’s Taubman College.