Design guild AIGA waded into the national conversation on race, social justice and arts practice in a big way with a 2-hour Live streamed Town Hall Tuesday night. Here's an excerpt from their pre-announcement:
AIGA’s executive director, Julie Anixter, and Su Mathews, president of the AIGA national board of directors, posted a joint article, “AIGA believes design can enable social justice.” In this statement, they expressed AIGA’s hurt and distress over the fissures in society that have erupted into further acts of violence, charged with racial tensions and historical burdens—as seen and felt vividly by many in the recent series of shootings. They also laid out a perspective that’s emerging across the design field: Designers have the capacity to enhance understanding and empathy, help communicate and troubleshoot problems in a human-centered way, and can be adaptive in prototyping solutions to today's challenges. "These are powerful ideas that we’d love to unpack more as a community. We recognize that many of you may have frustrations and stories to share with the community in advance of a town hall forum. We’re creating a space for you to share your narratives and feelings around race, justice, and design, and hope to open it soon."
"Designers have the capacity to enhance empathy and prototype adaptive solutions to social issues." Watch the video of the Town Hall proceedings on Youtube.
Speakers and presenters included:
Nicholas Turner, President & director of Vera Institute of Justice // Twitter: @VeraInstitute | @NickTurner718 Website: vera.org; Hassan Aden, Founder of The Aden Group // Twitter: @chiefaden | @adengroup; Penelope Spain, Co-founder and chief executive officer of Open City Advocates // Twitter: @opencityadv Website: opencityadvocates.org; Poetry in Motion: Dominique Holder, the first Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate; Richard Hollant, CO:LAB principal, AIGA national board member // Twitter: @colab_inc I Website: colabinc.com; De Nichols, Social practice designer // Twitter: @de_nichols Website: deandreanichols.com; Kate Deciccio, Street painter, mural artist, art educator // Instagram: @k8deciccio
Website: kdeciccio.wixsite.com/k8deciccio