Dem Lashawn Keilu’s current interest is in telling Black stories within a diverse range of artistic disciplines, while also giving a platform for other artists to express their own experiences through their work. Keilu works as a filmmaker, designer, painter, writer, and furniture designer. He holds a BA in Architecture from Morgan State University, an MA in Social Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MFA in Filmmaking, also from MICA. Keilu, of New York City, is a 2013 Artscape Student Awardee, a 2013 AIA Emerging Design Professional Awardee, a 2015 Gensler Architecture Impact Awardee, a 2015 Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab Fellow, a 2016 Rose Fellowship Finalist, a 2016 Winter Warnock Baltimore Social Innovation Winner, and a 2021 AICAD Fellow.