S A LT LAKE CITY U TA H
May 20-24, 2019
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From the Program Director Dear Beloved Design Futures Community, As I reflect on the 2019 Design Futures Forum, three main themes continuously emerged throughout the week:
Radical vulnerability, Supportive connections, Building more just institutions
These three actions are ways to shift systems of oppression and move towards a more equitable and joy-filled society. These three themes are foundational values to Design Futures and at this year’s Forum at the University of Utah, the students and faculty helped to remind me how these manifest in our practice.
Theresa Hyuna Hwang she/her/hers theresa@deptofplaces.org @deptofplaces @theresahyuna
Radical Vulnerability We spent a lot of time discussing how as individuals, we have the power to make change. But we also reflected on how there is a lot to change within ourselves internally. Discussions on how our biases, our identities, and how our own bodies and minds are places of social change first, then in external communities, were a pivotal reframing of social impact work. Students reminded me that although the “devil is in the details, the biases are also in the details”. We need to work on the small actions and thoughts; those seemingly insignificant items cannot be overlooked. For this internal change to happen, we need to be available to each other and ourselves, and this is only possible with vulnerability and open-heartedness. I learned that radical vulnerability is the heart space to fundamentally shift a way of being- and I was able to feel that move within me and witness in others. There were so many moments of affirmation, validation, and honesty that I know is essential to the work of community-engaged design. Supportive Connections As the week progressed, the work from individual impact moved towards collective community building. We made time and space for community care, self-health, and love-centered work- moving away from the toxic and competitive environment that is dominant in mainstream design education institutions. In addition to workshops, learning and growth took the form of mindfulness breaks, collective conversations, and affirmations, and lots of group hugs. I was moved to tears by the love and support I was able to witness between participants but that I directly experienced myself.
This year of the thirteen workshops offered, ten were led by people of color and 100% of the courses were facilitated and co-led by women, with seven workshops led by women of color. The student body also reflected greater diversity than the design field at large. Over 72% of the students self-identified as women, and 36% of group were people of color. As a grassroots institution and outlet for professional development, we are making more equitable opportunities to highlight the leadership of under-represented perspectives. Collective Transformation 50% of post-Forum survey respondents stated that the Forum was “transformational” and an additional 37% said it was “exciting and informative”. Words that participants used to describe the week ranged from inspiring, eye-opening, engaging, and heart-warming. Student leaders embraced being in a space where conversations on race, identity, and privilege were considered the norm. A highlight reiterated by many was the new friendships made, “finally meeting like-minded individuals who want to change the world, who believe equity and inclusion are important”. A big part of Design Futures is the community of practice and finding your place in the circle, and recognizing all our efforts are collective and build upon each other. This year we also had the most participation from our alumni network. In addition to several returning student leaders, we had alumni lead critical portions of the week. Awais Azhar (University of Texas at Austin, DF 2018) facilitated a workshop on Wicked Problems, Wicked Leadership, CJ Hellig (University of Utah, DF 2017, 2018) led one of the local day tours, and Rajan Hoyle (University of California, Berkeley, DF 2014) facilitated Thursday’s Collective Conversations and supported the student-led reflections organized by the student leaders on the final day. We closed the Forum with students sharing their own work and visions for the futures. Each year, I am reminded of the power of students and the strength of our next generation of leaders and I am excited for the shift. Design Futures is sometimes the beginning of one’s path, for others it a milestone, but for us all, it is a continuation of the work our elders started generations ago. Sincere thanks to the Utah team: Jon Mills, Kait Brown, Stephen Goldsmith, and Dean Keith Diaz Moore, your care and support were felt throughout the week. I am so thankful and honored to be a part of the Design Futures family. I’m excited to celebrate seven years and delighted to move forward collectively. With gratitude and care,
Building more just institutions Each year, we intentionally center voices that are often marginalized in the design field but also in our neighborhoods at large.
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From the University of Utah Team All too often, the phrase “It was our pleasure” glosses over or dilutes the core sentiment: that in serving, we are also benefiting. Such is the case with hosting Design Futures, so please let us expand and re-invigorate that phrase. It was our pleasure to host each and every one of you, to be present and attuned to each of the workshops and discussions, to hear initial introductions between strangers deepen through conversation throughout the week. It was our pleasure to share with you some local flavors to keep you fed and focused on the challenging, necessary and timely content that makes Design Futures such an incredible event. And it was our pleasure to invite you into the neighborhoods and natural spaces that define Salt Lake’s history and future, to wrestle with concepts of access, ownership, distribution, and equity. We hope that your time here was fulfilling and inspiring and that you were supported throughout. We want to thank you for your contributions to our community: your voices, your honesty, your stories, your songs, your art, your insights, your observations, and your attitudes toward the possible futures of the built environment. Thank you for allowing our visions of those futures to grow along with yours. The amount of energy and potential in any Design Futures week is always uplifting; that it took place here, in our home, made it that much more inspiring. So allow us to say “Thank You”, and know that it was truly our pleasure to host this year’s Design Futures.
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Schedule
2019 Consortium
MAY 20
California College of the Arts Tulane University University of Detroit Mercy University of Michigan University of Minnesota University of Texas at Austin University of Utah University of Virginia Washington University in St Louis
MAY 21
2019 Sponsors
MAY 22
UTAH VOLUNTEERS Alice Tess Jackson Kerbs Kelsie Rayce Quintana Magdalena Wilson Hayley Gatchell Gabi Siu Ethan Powell
UTAH STAFF Jennifer Browning Jenny Lind Linda Bastyr Don Burris Derick Bingman UTAH PLANNING TEAM Kait Brown Cj Hellige Shay Myers Shaela Adams Stephen Goldsmith Jonathan Mills
Opening Circle
3:30 pm
History and Context of Salt Lake City
4:30 pm
On This Site: Uncovering the (Racialized) History of Site, Places, and Neighborhoods
6:00 pm
Opening Reception
9:00 am
Power and Privilege Oppression 101
11:30 am
SPECIAL THANKS TO: DESIGN FUTURES BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rajan Hoyle Sarah Wu Christine Gaspar Liz Ogbu Marc Norman Elgin Cleckley
2:00 pm
PHOTO CREDITS: Rajan Hoyle Theresa Hwang Kait Brown Grace Kang Andrea Marquez Linda LaNoue Jose Cotto
designfuturesforum.org
1:00pm
A convening for Women of Color in Design and Architecture
2:00 pm
Equity by Design: Dismantling Barriers of Access for Diverse Co-Designing Creative Insurgencies: Race, Place, and Arts Engagement
9:00 am
Power and Privilege Oppression 101 Faculty workshop: Racism Untaught
11:30 am
MAY 23
Creating Community Agency: The Power of Organizing within the Design and Planning Process Creating a Collaboration Framework for Community Resilience
2:00 pm
Wicked Leadership for Wicked Problems How to Talk to People: Facilitating for Design
9:00 am
Collective Conversations
12:00 pm
MAY 24
What’s Health Got to Do with it? How to Raise Money and Build Budgets, Equitably and Effectively
9:00 am 12:00pm
Local Day
Student-led Reflections Closing
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HISTORY + CONTEXT OF UTAH
HISTORY + CONTEXT
Gregory E. Smoak, Eileen Hallet Stone
On this Site: Uncovering the (Racialized) History of Site, Places, and Neighborhoods
GREGORY E. SMOAK Director of the American West Center and Associate Professor of History at University of Utah specializes in American Indian, American Western, Environmental, and Public History. He completed an MA at Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. at the University of Utah. He has taught at Colorado State University and the University of Minnesota. He is the author of Ghost Dances and Identity: Prophetic Religion and American Indian Ethnogenesis in the Nineteenth Century and a forthcoming environmental history of Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. He is currently the principal investigator on several projects for the NPS, BLM, and Nevada Indian Commission. Smoak’s association with American West Center began in 1988 and has included projects with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Nevada Indian Commission, and the Utah State Division of Indian Affairs. He is currently the Vice-President/ President Elect of the National Council on Public History, and has served on numerous committees for professional organizations including the NCPH, the Organization of American Historians, and the Western History Association. EILEEN HALLET STONE Transplanted from New England, Utah-based writer Eileen Hallet Stone is an award-winning author and public historian. Her published books include Missing Stories: An Oral History of Ethnic and Minority Groups in Utah (co-authored with Leslie Kelen), A Homeland in the West: Utah Jews Remember, which was developed into a photo-documentary exhibit that participated in the 2002 Winter Olympic Cultural Olympiad Arts Festival at the University of Utah Marriott Library; Hidden History of Utah, Historic Tales of Utah; and Auerbach’s, The Store that Performs What it Promises, the story of three Jewish Prussian immigrants who built a family dynasty and 100-year-old landmark in downtown Salt Lake City. A former “Living History’ columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune for over a decade, her commentary is featured in KSL’s 2015 Marx Bros. at the Orpheum; KUED’s 2016 Pioneer Diaries, 2017 Utah Conversations with Ted Capener and the 2018 PBS documentary film, Carvalho’s Journey.
Bernadette Onyenaka, Jess Zimbabwe The tools of segregation still haunt cities and towns across America. They lurk in the deeds of hundreds of thousands of homeowners living in neighborhoods in cities across the country that have underlying deeds that read “”No person or persons of Asiatic, African or Negro blood, lineage, or extraction shall be permitted to occupy a portion of said property.”” They linger in the monuments to and schools named after Confederate heroes. They remain in modern-day calcifications of redlining maps that directed investment away from whole sections of cities across the country. Participants will learn about the history of race-based zoning, redlining, block-busting, racially restrictive covenants, and confederate monuments in American cities. They will also learn how to research specific events that may have taken place on or near a site, as well as public memorials and markers in a place. They will gain the skills to find records, such as historic newspaper reports, to get a better understanding of the history of racial segregation in their city or any other site where they are working. The tools students are learning in school look very similar to the tools used to build systems of oppression into our shared built environment, and exposing that racialized history is a precondition to using the tools of environmental design to build just cities, so candid reflections on this topic are needed. JESS ZIMBABWE is the Principal of Plot Strategies. Previously, she led the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership and the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. She serves on the boards of Next City, the National Main Street Center, and Colloqate. She also teaches urban planning at Georgetown University. she/her/hers jess@plotstrategies.com
BERNADETTE ONYENAKA is an ardent social justice advocate, who most recently served as the Racial Equity Manager at the National League of Cities. There she provided technical assistance and training curriculum on governing for racial equity. She aims to build the knowledge and practical skills of stakeholders who can facilitate systems level changes to produce racially equitable outcomes. she/her/hers Bernadette@ogracialequity.com @districtNadette
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Core Workshops
Elective Workshops
Oppression 101
What’s Health Got to Do with It?
What are the components of the systems of oppression impacting the context that we’re working in?
Kiara Nagel This training should be a platform to create a shared definition and understanding around the concepts of oppression including racism, sexism, ableism, and classism. It should also explore how these methods of oppression intersect with each other and appear in everyday life from the personal experiences to institutionalized examples. Participants should be able to identify how these oppressions manifest in the built environment and community-engaged design, and discuss tools to address and dismantle these issues to move towards justice and equity as outcomes. KIARA NAGEL is a creative strategist based in Los Angeles with 20 years of experience building creative and collaborative initiatives and supporting social groups, leaders, and organizations to become more engaged and effective. She serves as faculty at Antioch University in Los Angeles and The International Youth Initiative Program (YIP) in Sweden. She is an Associate with the Center for Story- based Strategy and an Affiliate with Interaction Institute for Social Change and she holds a Masters in City Planning from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT.
Monica Guerra, Nupur Chaudhury Cities embody the powerful interaction of people and the communities they live, work, and play in. Our neighborhoods are shaped by planners and designers creatively thinking about streets, parks, and job. However, public health also plays a role. We see community design as an approach to address complex health challenges not only in our neighborhoods and cities, but also with the potential to have broad impacts on social equity. This course explores opportunities for urban and health experts to work together in shaping the future of community design. We will learn about health, the fight for health equity, and the roles of planners in the fight for healthier cities. Students will share with each other creative approaches to addressing broad health outcomes in a community, developing new skills to promote health and reduce health inequities. MONICA GUERRA is committed to building healthy communities. She brings extensive experience working across the fields of urban planning, health, and education to transform social policy in cities. She currently works as a senior planner at Raimi + Associates. Prior to this, she conducted research on urban poverty interventions in Medellin, Colombia. she/her/hers monica@raimiassociates.com @miguerrax
she/her/hers Kiaranagel@gmail.com
Privilege and power
NUPUR CHAUDHURY works to develop and implement strategies to support residents, communities, and neighborhoods challenge power structures to build just, strong, equitable cities. Trained in Urban Planning and Public Health, she’s led coalition building efforts after Superstorm Sandy, redeveloped power structures in villages in India, and developed a citizen planning institute for public housing residents in Brooklyn. The American Journal of Public Health, CityLab and NPR have all featured her work.
How do we understand our own positionality and self-work in the context of these issues?
Christine Gaspar, Liz Ogbu This workshop will outline and collectively explore concepts of privilege and power and how these important ideas exist in community-engaged design. Participants will reflect on their own positionality, including their fragility and their privilege, and understand how these are fluid and complex in projects. Students will workshop tools around personal agency and how to leverage their power but also learn to identify fragility and how this can also impede projects.
she/her/hers nupur.chaudhury@gmail.com
*This workshop is for students only. LIZ OGBU A designer, urbanist, and spatial justice advocate, Liz is an expert on social and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments globally. Through her multidisciplinary design and innovation practice, Studio O, she collaborates with/in communities in need to leverage the power of design to catalyze sustained social impact. Among her honors, she is a TEDWomen speaker, one of Public Interest Design’s Top 100, and an Aspen Ideas Scholar. she/her/hers liz@lizogbu.com @lizogbu CHRISTINE GASPAR is Executive Director of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a New Yorkbased nonprofit who uses the power of design and art to increase meaningful civic engagement. She partners with community organizations to create visually-based educational tools that help demystify complex issues from zoning law to sewage infrastructure. CUP’s work is in use by dozens of community organizers and tens of thousands of individuals in New York City and beyond, being featured in art and design contexts such as the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s National Design Triennial, PS-1, and the Venice Biennale, and recognized with a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Institutional Achievement. she/her/hers christine@welcometocup.org
How to Raise Money and Build Budgets, Equitably and Effectively Jess Garz Participants attending this session will leave with an: 1) Understanding that budget building is a creative act that is the clearest articulation of project or organization’s values; 2) A structural understanding of the inequities of institutional philanthropy so they are aware of their own privilege or exclusion; and 3) Practical tools to understand what writing proposals, creating budgets and defining impact really means. This workshop will be dynamic, and together we will demystify and decode jargon used in philanthropy. Wanna think about how you’d spend 5 million dollars?!? Come to this session. JESS GARZ’s primary goal is to support organizations – including those belonging to government, philanthropy and civil society - to have policies, practices and cultures that take an active position towards social and racial equity. As the founder and director of RAE Consulting, Jess’s practice is informed by a decade of work as a grantmaker — first with the New Orleans-based Transforma Projects and then as a Senior Program Officer at the Surdna Foundation – and an amazing set of colleagues, peers and friends across the country. she/her/hers jess.garz@gmail.com
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A Convening for Women of Color in Design and Architecture (This is a Women of Color (WOC)-Centered space, WOC only please)
Shalini Agrawal, Rashidah Williams Holding space for underrepresented practitioners is a powerful step towards liberating the next generation of a diverse leadership, and positions equity and inclusion in leadership in the hands of those with an innate understanding of its challenges. Women of color have expressed frustration with how traditional architecture fields are managed, and have been sidelined or excluded. We recognize the value of convening as a catalyst to shift the constructs of traditional leadership and support structures, and aim to generate a path for meaningful and sustainable practice. In this interactive session will hold a restorative healing circle, and provide a venue to share our lived experiences around identities, identify areas of capacity-building, and provide a space of support. Though we recognize the commitment of our allies who are dedicated to advancing diversity and equity in community engaged practice, this session will focus and emphasize holding space for self-identified women of color. SHALINI AGRAWAL is trained as an architect with over 25 years of experience in community-engaged practice. She is founder of Public Design for Equity, and co-director of Pathways to Equity, a leadership experience for equity in design. Shalini is Associate Professor in Diversity Studies at California College of the Arts.
Creative Insurgencies: Race, Place, and Arts Engagement Joseph Larios, Mary Stephens InSite has developed a method of thinking about arts, creativity and place in ways that support the material lives of those most impacted by disparity. We call this work: Creative Insurgency. We build on the work of creative practitioners who have used the arts to build insurgent knowledge and practices of solidarity. Latin insurgentem: rise up, lift oneself; rise against; stand high, gather force. Creative Insurgencies cultivate the radical roots of creative/artistic practices in ways that uphold community organizing strategies and seek to prevent displacement (imprisonment, loss of home, state sanctioned premature death, deportations) of marginalized communities. Creative Insurgencies delink the arts from private development and gentrification practices, and fuse cultural/artistic practices with feminist praxis to demand power-sharing, policy change, and community-driven solidarity. MARY STEPHENS’ practice engages civic engagement and cultural citizenship through the arts, with demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with diverse communities locally, nationally and internationally. Mary’s work advances visibility, representation, and power-sharing between local, state and national artists and organizations. Mary received her B.A. in Theatre from Arizona State University, and an M.A. in International Peace & Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, DC.
she/her/hers sagrawal@cca.edu
she/her/hers segnothi1979@gmail.com
RASHIDAH WILLIAMS has always been passionate about the transformation of depressed communities and the evolution of its residents. During her childhood, she witnessed various grassroots efforts to empower Black communities of New Orleans as well as urban decay and violence of inner city New Orleans due to the after effects of divestment and other social ills. Fiercely determined to transform the blight and decay she saw in neighborhoods, Rashidah made the decision to enter the design and construction industry. As Assistant Director of the Tulane Small Center, Rashidah brings a dedication to create strategies that allow New Orleans to function at its full potential.
JOE LARIOS grew up a poor Gay Latino kid from the wrong side of the tracks. He watched his mom organize the community to fight back against gangs and drugs that had taken over the neighborhood — it was a powerful lesson. While at Arizona State University, he fought alongside construction workers at the Arizona AFL-CIO and co-founded the AZ Worker Rights Center to give workers the tools to stand up to harassment and wage theft. He also helped form Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy (CASE) that developed community programs and municipal policy.
she/her/hers rwilli37@tulane.edu
Equity by Design: Dismantling Barriers of Access for Diverse Co-Designing Antionette Carroll, Hilary Sedovic, Creative Reaction Lab What is the role of equity, history, and power in design? How might we design more equitable communities and systems through the lens of personal & organizational humility-building? In this interactive introductory workshop, participants will learn about and apply award-winning Equity-Centered Community Design strategies to examine how their own identities shape design and decision-making in collaborative processes, explore and practice inviting diverse co-creators to the table, and begin to develop the foundation for becoming an equity designer or design ally of today and tomorrow. Participants will also explore the reality that oppressive, discriminatory, and inequitable systems are by design; therefore they can and must be redesigned. ANTIONETTE CARROLL is the Founder and CEO of Creative Reaction Lab, a nonprofit empowering and challenging Black and Latinx youth to design healthy and racially equitable communities. Antionette is a co-founder of the Equity Design movement. She is a TED Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, and AIGA National Board Director. acarroll@creativereactionlab.com @crxlab @antionettecarroll HILARY SEDOVIC, LMSW is a social work professional specialized in programs that promote equitable outcomes through systems change. As Learning + Education Manager, she develops Equity-Centered Community Design tools, designs and facilitates workshops supporting institutions seeking to better understand and improve their relationship to equity, and manages evaluation strategy and implementation. hsedovic@creativereactionlab.com
he/him/his josephlarios@gmail.com
Creating a Collaborative Framework for Community Resilienace Ifeoma Ebo
What is the role of equity, history, and power in design? Collaboration with colleagues, partners and communities is critical, but must result in learning and action. Often, efforts are made to engage community and partners in participatory planning methods that provide a conducive space for collaborative problem solving, however these initiatives sometimes fall short of leading to action. As a result communities are left to experience engagement fatigue, a reduction in trust and a reluctance to invest time and energy into similar engagements in the future. Bringing diverse stakeholders together creates an opportunity for knowledge exchange and capacity building if it is properly planned. This collaborative space has the power to solve some of the challenging issues that lie at the heart of community vulnerability. Through an exploration of several discussion exercises participants will develop a framework for collaboration towards community resilience. In the context of this workshop the term resilience is broadened to connect to holistic community strength and adaptability. To further promote action driven collaboration students will also explore the use of an Action Planning Framework and the BlackSpace Manifesto. The Action Planning Framework is a guiding document that allows users to create a common agenda for taking action. Participants will learn how to facilitate an engagement process that incorporate opportunities for capacity building and knowledge exchange; identifies desired future changes and a framework for creating agents of change. The BlackSpace Manifesto provides the core principles necessary for engaging with Black communities that builds trust, is inclusive and demonstrates respect for all. IFEOMA EBO is an Urban Designer and Strategist striving for equity and design excellence. she/her/hers ifeomaarch@gmail.com @culturalurbanism
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Creating Community Agency: The Power of Organizing within the Design and Planning Process Lauren Elachi, Christian Rodriguez, Kounkuey Design Initiative What is the role of equity, history, and power in design? What do we mean, as designers and planners, when we talk about community engagement? Ideas of resident engagement, involvement, or organizing are common in our lexicon as participatory designers, but to create real sustained empowerment and agency, how can we use community organizing as a tool within our work? This workshop aims to elucidate methods and challenges of community involvement, emphasizing the importance of organizing and advocacy, and allowing students to explore how they can operationalize their lived experience to create inclusive ways to engage with community members. Using case studies and personal experience from our work at Kounkuey Design Initiative, this workshop will help students understand how to integrate organizing tactics into their work, with the goal of helping to create sustained community advocacy that can live on after the lifetime of a project or nonprofit’s involvement. LAUREN ELACHI is a Senior Design Coordinator at KDI. She is passionate about collaborating with communities to achieve design with maximum social benefit over the long term. Lauren manages a number of KDI projects at multiple scales, helping build consensus between a broad range of stakeholders to achieve community goals. she/her/hers lauren@kounkuey.org @kounkuey CHRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ is a Community Associate at KDI. He is passionate about social, racial, economic and environmental justice for underserved communities. A proud resident of the Eastern Coachella Valley, Christian works with community members on a daily basis to develop programming and advocate for environmental justice. he/him/his christian@kounkuey.org
How to Talk to People
Facilitating for Design Liz Kramer, Annemarie Spitz Any effort to make positive change and up-end systems of oppression requires having conversations with people, and guiding people with different opinions, experiences, and backgrounds through these conversations. The fundamental skills of facilitation can help expose people’s motivations, needs, fears, and dreams of the future, framing design projects that are in service of those they impact most. In this workshop, participants will practice core facilitation skills:
LIZ KRAMER Liz Kramer oversees the Office for Socially Engaged Practice at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, which serves as a hub and a resource to support collaborative, engaged practices that address systemic social, environmental, and economic challenges in St. Louis. As a human-centered design researcher, Liz explores participatory methods to expose needs and translate them into experiences, services, and environments. She teaches Design Thinking. She is a graduate of Washington University (2008, BS in Mechanical Engineering) and Northwestern University (2012, MS in Engineering Design & Innovation), as well as Archeworks (2011). she/her/hers kramer@wustl.edu @samfox_engage ANNEMARIE SPITZ is a design researcher, service designer, and community facilitator focused on social impact. She’s led teams designing new programs, tools, and learning experience for diverse social sector clients. Before that, she studied architecture at Washington University in St Louis, and earned a masters in Design for Sustainability at SCAD. she/her/hers annemariespitz@gmail.com
Wicked Leadership for Wicked Problems Nicole Joslin, Awais Azhar As practitioners, researchers, and advocates doing the work of “wicked problems” on the ground we rarely encounter the idealized partners we saw in the case studies in school or hear about at conferences. More often, our partnerships are dynamic, messy, and confusing. Complicating matters even more are the realities of “insider” and “outsider” perceptions we face as we enter the realms of different community challenges. What we have learned through the default experimentation that is practice is that there are many entry points to understanding and influencing issues from the ground up and top down that are necessarily linked and critical to engage in simultaneously. We aim to share our personal and organizational experiences of managing complex partnerships as insiders and outsiders in the face of complex problems and to provide tools for workshop participants to think through their own leadership entry points. NICOLE JOSLIN has a background in Architecture and Planning with a focus on governance, leadership, and resource distribution in moments of community crisis ranging from natural disasters to displacement pressure. As the Executive Director of the ACDDC, Nicole has collaborated with frontline community leaders on locally-led solutions to community-identified challenges. she/her/hers nicole.joslin@acddc.org
1) Eliciting responses through deep listening and exploration of a topic; 2) Digging into the reaction to an idea to understand the why; and 3) Visualizing ideas and probing the implications. Participants will practice facilitating around one of these skills, leading a small group through a scenario. Participants will test practical elements of facilitation, including planning, improvising, and using different tools, as well as experience how facilitation can empower and project voices and perspectives that would not otherwise be heard.
AWAIS AZHAR is a Community and Regional Planning Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. His research and advocacy focus on affordable housing, racial equity and LGBTQ+ rights. He serves in several community leadership roles, including as a Planning Commissioner and Equality Texas Board Member. he/him/his awais.azhar@utexas.edu @Awais_CRP (Twitter)
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Faculty Workshop
Faculty Leaders
Racism Untaught: Revealing and Unlearning Racialized Design Terresa Moses, Lisa Mercer Now, more than ever, it is imperative that educators, learners, and organizations possess the tools necessary to foster conversations and learning environments with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity. Design research and social innovation play a large role in providing a space for co-creation between different disciplines and industry in order to develop an inclusive space for learning. Our goal of developing the tool kit titled, Racism Untaught, was to assist in cultivating learning environments for undergraduate and graduate students, and organizations to further explore issues of race and racism. This workshop focuses on the following question: how can design professors and learners utilize design research to critically assess anti-racist concepts and solve racialized design problems within projectbased learning environments? As a society we continue to create and accept ‘racialized’ design while arguing the need to be “untaught” racism. This contradiction leaves us blaming others for racist incidents, disassociating, and leaving ourselves out of the social justice movements. By doing nothing, we are perpetuating this system. Our hope is to use Racism Untaught to help undo the disconnect and positively impact our communities to develop new and inclusive design at a local, state, and national level. Racism Untaught is an effort to redesign how individuals engage with and create artifacts, systems, and experiences to break down systemic racism. LISA MERCER is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Coordinator of Graphic Design at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include creating design led interventions to impact change. She has been published and invited as a keynote speaker for her work with Operation Compass and Racism Untaught. she/her/hers lemercer@illinois.edu @operationcompass @racismuntaught”
Aneka Montgomery she/her/hers University of Detroit Mercy montgoan@udmercy.edu
Elgin Cleckley he/him/his University of Virginia elc2n@virginia.edu
James Wheeler he/him/his University of Minnesota whee0113@umn.edu
Shalini Agrawal she/her/hers California College of the Arts sagrawal@cca.edu
Sarah Wu she/her/hers University of Texas at Austin sarahwu@austin.utexas.edu @sarahwu16 (IG)
Rashidah D. Williams she/her/hers Tulane University rwilli37@tulane.edu
Charlton N. Lewis he/him/his University of Texas at Austin charltonlewis@austin.utexas.edu
Jonathan Mills he/him/his University of Utah mills@design.utah.edu
Rajan Hoyle he/him/his Design Futures Board Member rajanhoyle@gmail.com
Sarah Habib she/her/hers el centro santa barbara sk.habib@gmail.com
TERRESA MOSES is the Creative Director at Blackbird Revolt, an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at UMD, the creator of Project Naptural, and co-collaborator of Racism Untaught. She serves on the executive boards of the Duluth NAACP, the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, and AIGA Minnesota as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion. she/her/hers terri@blackbirdrevolt.com // hardaway@d.umn.edu @blackbirdrevolt @projectnaptural @racismuntaught
Liz Kramer she/her/hers Washington University in St Louis kramer@wustl.edu @samfox_engage
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Student Leaders Tarin Jones he/him/his University of Virginia jones.tarin.alexander@gmail.com @tarinalexander (IG), @theSADboy_ (T)
Grace Kang she/her/hers Washington University in St. Louis inmokang@wustl.edu @findinginmo
Marla Brown she/her/hers University of Minnesota brow5782@umn.edu @marlajillian (IG)
Courtney Klee University of Michigan cgklee@umich.edu @co_courts (IG)
Meghan Kress she/her/hers University of Minnesota meghanhkress@gmail.com @meghanhelenakress
Caroline Carr Grant she/her/hers University of Virgina cg3ny@virginia.edu @ccgrant (IG)
Alma Davila she/her/hers California College of the Arts alma.davila@cca.edu @almaadavila (IG)
Linda LaNoue she/her/hers University of Detroit Mercy lanoueli@udmercy.edu
Mitchell Lawrence University of Michigan milawren@umich.edu @mr.mitcheru (IG)
Taylor Davis she/her/hers University of Texas at Austin Taylordavis118@utexas.edu
Kellen Dunnavant she/her/hers University of Virginia kellendunnavant@virginia.edu @kellendunnavant
Grace Lund she/her/hers University of Utah lund_grace@yahoo.com @gracelund
Jingyi (Emma) Yi she/her/hers California College of the Arts jluo@cca.edu
Caroline Garfield she/her/hers Tulane University carolinevgarfield@gmail.com @caroline_garfield (IG)
Gwen Gell University of Michigan ggell@umich.edu @gwen_caroling
Andrea Marquez University of Michigan marqueza@umich.edu @andreamarqz
Ian McCain he/him/his University of Detroit Mercy iancolinmccain@gmail.com @iancolinmccain
Kenita R. Harris she/her/hers University of Detroit Mercy @smartkrh@gmail.com
Holly McKenna she/her/hers California College of the Arts hjmckenna22@gmail.com @holly_luyah22
Katelin Morgan she/her/hers Tulane University kamorgan1995@gmail.com @morgandesigneye
Hailey Algoe she/her/hers University of Texas at Austin healgoe@utexas.edu @perchermeter (IG)
Sutath Amphavannasouk he/him/his University of Minnesota ampha001@umn.edu @sutath9513 (IG) @sutath (SC)
Rachel Bennett she/her/hers Washington University in St. Louis r.bennett@wustl.edu @ra_bennett
K. Thatch Gerike he/him/his University of Virginia kthatcher.gerike@gmail.com @beingheredoingthings (IG)
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Student Leaders
Juan Muñoz-Ponce University of Michigan jrmunoz@umich.edu @el_sonico (IG), @sonicm (SC)
Tamara Oniani she/her/hers University of Utah tamar.oniani@utah.edu @tamarah.design
Haihan Qu she/her/hers Washington University at St. Louis haihan@wustl.edu
Val Quarles she/her/hers University of Minnesota quarl011@umn.edu
Nikolas Raimondo University of Detroit Mercy nickraimondo3@gmail.com
Rachel Roberts she/her/hers Washington University in St. Louis Rachelroberts@wustl.edu @raevro
Nathaniel Rodriguez he/him/his Washington University in St. Louis nrodriguez@wustl.edu
MaKayla Rutt she/her/hers University of Texas at Austin makayla.rutt@utexas.edu
Samah Safiullah she/her/hers University of Utah samah.safiullah784@gmail.com @samahsafiullah; nindiya_re(IG)
Mila Santana they/them/their University of Texas at Austin milacsantana@utexas.edu @revarkmila
Brett Stolpestad he/him/his University of Minnesota stol0284@umn.edu @_stolpes_ (IG)
Brandon Surtain he/him/his Tulane University bsurtain@tulane.edu @brandonjuansurtain (IG)
Ian Van der Merwe he/him/his University of Utah iwybev@gmail.com
Danielle Wilson she/her/hers University of Detroit Mercy danielleruthwilson@gmail.com
Michelle Barrett she/her/hers Tulane University mbarrett1@tulane.edu Naba Faizi she/her/hers University of Utah naba.faizi@gmail.com Jennifer Pranskevich she/her/hers University of Texas at Austin jennygr8@gmail.com @jennygr8
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Student Reflections “Before going into the conference, to be frank, my approach to public interest design was skeptical and passive. Over time, the architecture program paved ways for understanding the complexity of social infrastructures, strategic urban planning shaping history and culture, but never did expose me to radical, humanitarian, and personal tools to change a community. Design Futures 2019 conference excitingly transformed my understanding of and engagement in public interest design. Architecture and social justice is inseparable; it should be taught more openly in studios from start to end, because it will make us better designers in the professional field where our design intentions will have lasting impact on social dynamics and individual lives.”
Grace Kang, Washington Univ.
“Design Futures challenged me to look at community development work in a new way. I feel enlightened, uplifted, connected, and curious for the future. The best part of the experience is knowing you are not alone in approaching design work through a holistic, liberated lense. I am excited to get back to work in Detroit, and watch the amazing work DF alumni continue to do around our country and world.”
Ian McCain, Univ. of Detroit Mercy “Participating in Design Futures - 2019 was critical to my personal and professional development as a public servant. Through the workshops and facilitated discussions, I was able to crystallize ideas regarding my personal position in relation to power. With a deepened sense of self-awareness, I feel exceedingly more equipped to advocate for equitable standards in the provision of resources, particularly for people who are marginalized.”
“Design Futures was a great opportunity for me to connect with students and faculty who believe in the importance of similar values and initiatives in design education, as well as hear from professionals who held onto those beliefs throughout their career trajectories.”
Katelin Morgan, Tulane University New to discussions about race, equity, and privilege, I was initially intimidated by the topics central to the Design Futures conversation. Once I dove in, however, I was astounded by the openness, honesty, acceptance, and encouragement I found within the group. I came in to Design Futures not knowing what to expect; not only did I leave with new friends, but I found a new confidence to promote the change I want to see.
Marla Brown, Univ. of Minnesota Design Futures showed me that one can truly use design to work with and for communities. The opportunity to be presented with diverse projects and real people who are doing this work each and every day taught me that everyone is a part of a community and that a future in this work is possible and necessary. My passion for designing accessible architecture was fueled by the incredible workshops where I learned how to effectively work with communities, understand complex social issues, and uncover the agency that I have to affect positive change. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have been immersed in an incredible community of individuals who are all passionate about working towards a future of equity.
Courtney Klee, Univ. of Michigan “Meeting and exchanging stories among students, faculty, and professionals from across the country was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed linking academia with professional practice and hearing directly from nonprofits (e.g. learning about the inspirational stories and work environments behind our catered food). Tying in the history and evolution of Salt Lake City was a crucial perspective and I am very glad I was able to visit the city for the first time and learn from those who are passionate about public interest design.”
Andrea Marquez, Univ. of Michigan
Linda LaNoue, Univ. of Detroit Mercy
Design Futures created a loving and open space where I felt tremendous growth in understanding my own identity and privilege. Never have I been a part of such a caring group of people. I am grateful for the knowledge, wisdom, and experience shared throughout the week and for the leaders who made this year’s Design Futures possible. I continue to feel energized and inspired by this community and I look forward to the next opportunity to share, discuss, and collaborate with our growing DF family!
Brett Stoplestad, Univ. of Minnesota D e s i g n Fu t u re s | 2 0 1 9
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