Profile
Michele Gorman is the Director of the Masters of Fine Arts Interior Design Program and Assistant Professor of Interiors, Objects, and Technologies in the School of Constructed Environments, within Parsons School of Design at The New School. Michele began teaching at Parsons in 2016, and has been a higher design educator in interiors, architecture, and new media for 18 years at leading schools of art & design.
As a designer and technologist, Michele has designed and built a number of award winning multimedia objects, exhibitions, experiences and interior spaces for clients such as the Public Theater, Target, Green-Wood Cemetery, New School’s Center for Data Art, Pratt Insitute, and the feminist group, ArchiteXX. As a design educator, she has worked towards a radically inclusive pedagogy in co-authorship with global institutions. Her recent co-authored chapter contribution is titled “The Radically Inclusive Studio: an open access conversation on inclusive practices within the design studio” (Gorman, Delport, Morkel, Osborne). She speaks and hosts workshops internationally on inclusive pedagogy, catalyzed by the global pandemic.
A recent 2023 exhibition in the Metaverse, Embracing Kinship: Interconnected Interiors in the Metaverse (Gorman, Masimova), creates spaces of connection through dialogues on emerging topics on the Metaverse, AI and belonging.
Michele is committed to addressing social and environmental justice within the profession and academy. She believes in an interdisciplinary, inclusive and collaborative design practice to address the climate crisis and the role we play as designers to mitigate the crisis. She has collaborated with interdisciplinary colleagues (Gorman, Chaparro, Gopinath) and students in Parsons, and The University of Cape Town, to launch the Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party Talks + Workshops (2022 - present). Her practice addresses questions of radical inclusion and belonging within the context of a rapidly changing climate.
Degrees Held
Masters of Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design
Architecture study abroad, China Academy of Art
BS Interior Design (magna cum laude), University of North Carolina
Interior Design study abroad, Manchester Metropolitan University
Professional Affiliation
IDEC, Interior Design Education Council
ACSA
NCARB
NAAB
Recent Publications
Mapping Food Design through Phygital Food Systems: chapter contribution: A Decolonized Decarbonized Dinner Party.Co-authored with Yvette Chaparro and Preeti Gopinath. (Routeledge, in press 2025)
A Sensory and Spatially Inclusive Accessibility Guide for Higher Education Spaces and Exhibitions Toolkit. Co-authored with Sugandha Gupta. (Parsons School of Design, in press, 2025)
Gorman, M., Chaparro, Y., Gopinath, P., (2025) A Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party, vol. 3. New York: Parsons / The New School.
Gorman, M., Chaparro, Y., Gopinath, P., (2024) A Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party, vol. 2. New York: Parsons / The New School.
Gorman, M., Chaparro, Y., Gopinath, P., (2022) A Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party. New York: Parsons / The New School.
Gorman, Michele, Morkel, Jolanda, Delport, Hermie Voulgarelis, & Burton, Lindy Osborne (2021) The Radically Inclusive Studio: An open access conversation on radically inclusive practices in the architectural design studio. In Salama, Ashraf, Harriss, Harriet, & Gonzalez Lara, Ane (Eds.) The Routledge Companion to Architectural Pedagogies of the Global South. Routledge. (In Press)
The New School Library link, for enrolled students and faculty, to download chapter
Companion website: theradicallyinclusivestudio.org
Gorman, Michele, Morkel, Jolanda, Delport, Hermie, & Burton, Lindy Osborne (2021) The Radically Inclusive Studio: An Open Access Conversation on Radically Inclusive Practices in the Architectural Design Studio. Wordpress. 2020
Additional Radically Inclusive Studio publications:
Delport, Hermie, Morkel, Jolanda, Gorman, Michele, & Burton, Lindy Osborne (2023) Design Studios for Sustainable Cities and Communities: A Radically Inclusive Perspective. In Ike, Obiora, Ekué, Amélé Adamavi-Aho, Singh, Divya, & Usher, Jane (Eds.) Leading Ethical Leaders: Higher Education, Business Schools and the Sustainable Development Goals. Globalethics Publications, pp 451 - 519. (For the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: sustainable cities and communities)
Delport, Hermie Voulgarelis, Burton, Lindy Osborne, Morkel, Jolanda De Villiers, & Gorman, Michele (2022) Inclusive Spatial Practices for Professional Education: Exploring the Architectural Design Studio. In Malebo, Ntsoaki & Behari-Leak, Kasturi (Eds.)
Morkel, Jolanda, Delport, Hermie, Burton, Lindy Osborne, & Gorman, Michele (2021) The Radically Inclusive Studio: Unsettling Paradigms. In Unsettling Paradigms: The Decolonial Turn in the Humanities Curriculum in South Africa, 2021-08-10 - 2021-08-11.
Delport, Hermie Voulgarelis, Morkel, Jolanda De Villiers, Gorman, Michele, & Burton, Lindy Osborne (2021) Observations and Provocations: Towards Inclusive Online Design Feedback and Assessment Practices. In Education Academy Remote Teaching Workshop, Dublin, Ireland.
2020 HELTASA Conference: Creating Enabling Learning Spaces for All. Vol. 1. [ 2020 ed.]. Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA), Bloemfontein, South Africa, pp. 82-84.
Additional publications:
Goman, M., Masimova, M., (2023), "Embracing Kinship: Interconnected Interiors in the Metaverse. Creating spaces of connection through dialogues on emerging topics on the metaverse and belonging". Inside.inside.
Performances and Appearances
Recent Talks, Collaborations, Roundtables, Workshops, Written Contributions, Interviews, Exhibitions and Dinner Parties:
NYCxDesign 2025:
Recess // Reset: Conversations for Design Tomorrow; A Live Event Series Exploring Artificial Intelligence, Friction, and the Futures of Learning and Creativity: Designing with the Unknown, a "fishbowl" conversation with Michele Gorman, Katrin Bichler, and Hyon Woo Scott Chung who reimagine pedagogy as improvisation. Event hosted by Parsons School of Design's Carly Cannell and Cotter Christian, May 20th, 2025.
Melbourne Design Week 2025:
Collective Curriculum, hosted by RMIT, at the Melbourne School of Design on May 15th, 2025
(upcoming) Exhibition: Making Space as Matrix, Kellen Gallery at Parsons School of Design. Co-curated with Brian McGrath; co-designed with Christine Facella. November 24th, 2025 - January 9th, 2026.
(upcoming) Exhibition: A Decolonized Decarbonized Dinner Party at Parsons School of Design (2022-2025). Co-curated and designed with Yvette Chaparro and Preeti Gopinath. November 2025.
The Radically Inclusive Studio recognized by the Architecture League of New York's Feminist Spatial Practices, April 2025.
A Decolonized Decarbonized Dinner Party, April 19th, 2025, Governors Island. Co-hosted with Yvette Chaparro and Preeti Gopinath.
A Survey of Artificial Intellegence in Interior Design Professional Practice, Parsons School of Design, April 2025
Designing Interior Futures Symposium, NYIT keynote speaker, "The Future of Radical Inclusion in Interior Design Education", moderated by Francesca Romana Forlini, April 2nd, 2025 at New York Institute of Technology, NYC Columbus Circle campus.
Interior Design Ecucation Council panel: "Graduate Interior Design Programs and Accreditation, or Why Not All Graduate Programs, CIDA?" Co-moderated with Nadia Elrokhsy. March 18th, 2025, IDEC Chicago at Columbia College.
eFoods 2024 Conference: Mapping Food Design through Phygital Food Systems: ID111: A Decolonized Decarbonized Dinner Party, November 2024, Elisava University, Barecelona, Spain. Co-presented with Yvette Chaparro and Preeti Gopinath.
interview with Julie Lasky for Elle Decor on "Will A.I. Replace Decorators", June 2024
Talking Teaching: Ungrading (not a typo), The New School Faculty Center, March 2024
Decentering the Design Canon, an interview on the 2022 and 2023 Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party, written by Julia Rubin, January 2024
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Design, (Gorman, Masimova, Georgieva), The New School Innovation Lab, October 17th, 2023
2023 SECAC Annual Conference: Shaking Up Grades Panel: An Ecology of Radically Inclusive Pedagogy in the Design Studio (Gorman, Matejik), Richmond, Virginia, October 13th, 2023
A Decolonized Decarbonized Talk, School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, (Gorman, intro by Boulanger), 2023.
A Decolonized Decarbonized Symposium, Zoom link and passcodeL .2R5Yi#@, (Gorman, Chaparro, Gopinath, Trelles, Zegarra, El Bakry, Phiri, Boulanger), 2023
A Decolonized Decarbonized Dinner Party, Governors Island, 2023 (Gorman, Chaparro, Gopinath, Moss, Roth, Seck, Dai, Shah, Maldonado, Sura, Bhide, Gaitan, Kikita, Yu, Thies, Zimmerman, Moraka, Tasneem, Konstantinidi, Moss, Hernandez, Barnes, Naledi, Nelia, Matheka, Siya, Chemonges)
2023 Radically Inclusive Studio Facilitated Conversation: An open access conversation on radically inclusive practices in the DESIGN STUDIO (Gorman, Delport, Morkel), Cape Institute for Architecture, Cape Town, South Africa, 2023
Radically Inclusive Design Studio Facilitated Discussion and Workshop for Kimberly Ackert's Raising Looking Beyond: Glass Ceiling seminar (Gorman, Yadav), 2023
Expanded Identities (Michele Gorman, gBoyega Adefope, Yetunde Olaiya, Julianknxx, and Wandile Mthiyane), The New School Public Program, 2022.
Decolonized & Decarbonized Dinner Party Talks and Workshops (Gorman, Chaparro, Gopinath), Parsons, 2022
Report on the future of the home, Expert interview with Dazed Media, 2022. Assistant Professor of Interiors, Objects and Technology, Michele Gorman, interviewed for Dazed report on the shifting definitions of home: https://space10.com/project/impermaculture/
Interiors and inclusivity in the Metaverse, Interview for Kaleidoverse Metaverse contest, 2022
Spatial Collectives, Talk + Roundtable Discussion, Pratt School of Architecture, 2022
Interview for Learning Design Voices on The Radically Inclusive Studio and feminst design collectives, (interviewed by Daniela Gachago and Maha Bali) 2022
Delport, Hermie Voulgarelis, Burton, Lindy Osborne, Morkel, Jolanda De Villiers, & Gorman, Michele (2020) Inclusive Spatial Practices for Professional Education: Exploring the Architectural Design Studio. In Malebo, Ntsoaki & Behari-Leak, Kasturi (Eds.) 2020 HELTASA Conference: Creating Enabling Learning Spaces for All. Vol. 1. [ 2020 ed.]. Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA), Bloemfontein, South Africa, pp. 82-84.
Morkel, Jolanda, Delport, Hermie, Burton, Lindy Osborne, & Gorman, Michele (2021) The Radically Inclusive Studio: Unsettling Paradigms. In Unsettling Paradigms: The Decolonial Turn in the Humanities Curriculum in South Africa, 2021-08-10 - 2021-08-11.
Delport, Hermie Voulgarelis, Morkel, Jolanda De Villiers, Gorman, Michele, & Burton, Lindy Osborne (2021) Edication Academy Remote Teaching WOrkshop: WS3: "Judging from a Distance: Final Jury and Assessment." Observations and Provocations: Towards Inclusive Online Design Feedback and Assessment Practices. In Education Academy Remote Teaching Workshop, Dublin, Ireland.
Present Gradeless Assessment Pilot to Parsons School Curriculum Committee, (Gorman, Matejcik), Parsons, 2022
Present Gradeless Assessment Pilot at Parsons Curriculum Development Day, (Gorman, Matejcik), Parsons, 2022
Talk on Radical Design Pedagogy and Gradeless Assessment for Cotter Christian's Design Teaching seminar, 2022
Talk on Mistresses of Design Dinner Party and Spatial Collectives for Kimberly Ackert's Raising Looking Beyond: Glass Ceiling seminar (Gorman, Imperiale), 2022
Interior Design Education Council: The Anatomy of the Syllabus: Dismantling Power in Teaching Interiors (Gorman, Christian, Khew, Bennett, Elefterin), 2021
EAAE Workshop: Judging from A Distance: Observations and Provocations Towards Inclusive Online Design Feedback and Assessment Practices (Gorman, Delport, Morkel, Osborne-Burton), 2021
Unsettling Paradigms: The Decolonial Turn, Towards an Alternative / Inclusive Paradigm (Gorman, Delport, Morkel, Osborne-Burton), 2021
Parsons Curriculum Day: Future Visioning for the Radically Inclusive Studio (Gorman, Delport, Morkel), 2021
Talk on Fabricating in Mixed Reality for Jonsara Ruth's MFA Interior Design Fabrication and Processes course, 2021
Parsons MFA Interior Design Roundtable series, 2021
MFA ID ROUNDTABLE: (In)Dangered Domesticity; MFA ID Roundtable: The Political Power of Interiors; MFA ID ROUNDTABLE: Decoloniality + Participatory Design
Constructing the Virtual Studio, 2020 + 2021
HELTASA: Inclusive Spatial Practices for Professional Education, (Delport, Morkel, Gorman, Osborne-Burton), 2021
Immersive Environments Workshops, 2020
Towards an Equitable School: Equitable Town Hall I + II, Pratt School of Architecture, 2020
Public Workshop / Collaborative Engagement: Radical Education Today: Architecture and Posthuman Life (New School), 2020 (Gorman and Perez de Vega), 2020
Gorman, M., Perez de Vega, E, Harriss, H., Morton, T. 2020, Decolonizing the Architecture Review: A Case Study in Designing an Equitable Review, Pratt Institute, online video, Talks. https://talks.pratt.edu/media/t/1_iz0soo26/41641711
The Dinner Party, Mistresses of Pratt, Coordinator of a 40 person team of faculy, students, staff. Coordinating the making and designing of unique place settings, food, drink and event, licenses, media, websites, researchers, and special guests for feminist dinner party performance and event at President Frances Bronet’s House, March 2020. https://commons.pratt.edu/mistressesofarchitecture/event-photos/
CodeXX Feminist Roundtables + Design Action Exhibitions, 2013-current
Exhibition Design: ArchiteXX's Now What?! Advocacy, Activism, and Alliances in American Architecture since 1968, 2018
Feminist Roundatables around the theme of New Feminist Practices and Ecofeminism: Feminist Domestic Mutations, 2020, Xenofeminism and the Post Natural, 2019
WIKIPEDIA EDIT-A-THON SESSIONS, 2016-current: A feminist Wikipedia workshop to write the women of architecture into Wikipedia.
CodeXX Roundtable discussion series: Curator, Coordinator + Researcher for a series of topics affecting women in design. “Future Practices”, “Surface Matters: Sandra Wheeler”, “Engineering Tactics: Mediating Designn, Politics, + Practice: Eunjeong Seong, + The Environmental Tipping Point in Design: “Can Design Save the Climate Refugee?” 2015 Jan ‘13- present
Exhibitions: Private Choices, Public Spaces, 2014 (New School) in collaboration with ArchiteXX. Provides a venue for exhibiting designs, meeting, presentations, and design reivews for the last abortion clinic in Mississippi based around the research of Lori Brown.
Public Workshop / Collaborative Engagement: Radical Education Today: Architecture and Posthuman Life (New School), 2020 (Gorman and Perez de Vega)
Public Talk: Hour lecture on Michele Gorman’s creative work for Architecture, Objects, Technology and Social Justice at Parsons School of Constructed Environments, 2020
Zoom Talk: HELTASA (Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa) 2020 Conference: INCLUSIVE SPATIAL PRACTICES FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: EXPLORING THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO, (Delport, Gorman, Morkel, Osborne, Burton), December 3rd, 2020, https://heltasa.org.za/heltasa-conference-2020/ https://youtu.be/8vBfmmb7pCM
Zoom Talk: Creating a Virtual Commons, Urban Morphologies: Teaching Architecture Online: Methods and Outcomes, May, 2020 (Gorman) https://labs.ozyegin.edu.tr/drum/2020/05/20/teaching-architecture-online-methods-and-outcomes/
Zoom Talk: Gorman, M. 2020, Creating a Virtual Commons, Pratt Institute Consortium for Research and Robotics, online video, viewed June 17, 2020, https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/18F1da79-2NIEqv82GqFR6V8LNnJX6a80CIf_aUNyfFnNmyAV7QUGy9ZQ7wdRCk .
Zoom Talk: Mistresses of Architecture, Fosters and Partners, 2020.
Zoom Talk: SoA Equitable Town Hall I, II, II, 2020 / 2021
Zoom Listening Session: Towards an Equitable School, 2020, Co-hosted with Jerrod Delaine, 2020
Research Interests
Immersive and Inclusive Interior Design, Accessible Exhibition Design, Social Justice and Design Activism, Climate Justice, Interiority, Decoloniality, Intensifying the Built Environment though Mixed Realities, Democratizing Design Technology, Radically Inclusive Pedagogy and Curricula, Feminist Design Pedagogy, Design Research Methodologies
Portfolio
The Radically Inclusive Studio
LinkedIn