17 Mar

Posted at 22:07h in Research & Scholarship

I really enjoyed chatting with the collaborative team of Valerie Molnar & Matt Spahr during the special Tasmeem edition of the video podcast VCU ALT Lab, entitled RVArts Majlis Conversations. The RVArts Cultural Passport is a VCUarts Richmond initiative that explores the diversity of visual and performing arts in the Richmond area by featuring conversations between diverse faculty members. The 2017 Tasmeem Doha edition was streamed live to the home...

06 Nov

Posted at 15:45h in Research & Scholarship

After spending a week in Taiwan for The International Conference on Design History and Design Studies (ICDHS), I am smitten with the city of Taipei. Not only did we have an opportunity to attend some fantastic talks and presentations at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, but the city itself is brimming over with innovative projects and initiatives. One of the highlights of the conference was the opportunity...

29 Oct

Posted at 22:45h in Research & Scholarship

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Taipei was the opportunity to visit the International Design House Exhibitions as part of the World Design Capital Taipei 2016. With Songshan Cultural & Creative Park serving as the main exhibition area, we had a whirlwind tour of the major halls and a peek into the diverse aspects of Taipei as an “Adaptive City – Design in Motion.” The core concept...

26 Oct

Posted at 19:09h in Research & Scholarship

It has been an incredible week in Las Vegas at the AIGA Design Conference: the Shape of Design. There were provocative sessions, discipline-driven symposia, and inspiring speakers. The 2016 Conference brought together a diverse group of designers, artists, writers, strategists, inventors and other creative thinkers to explore and explain the role adaptation plays in shaping designers' creative practice, culture, and selves. "Adaptation is change with purpose. Writers wrestle with it. Artists embrace...

20 Aug

Posted at 13:05h in Research & Scholarship

I was honored to attend the 2016 IAMCR Conference recently held at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom from July 27–31, 2016. The conference theme of memory, commemoration, and communication was a meaningful opportunity to examine how the media speak to local and global audiences, in both the past and the present. During the conference, I presented the paper “Unfolding memories: Representations of migration and intercultural communication.” The paper investigates the...

07 Nov

Posted at 20:46h in Research & Scholarship

I recently returned from the 'AASHE 2015 Conference and Expo: Transforming Sustainability Education' and am bursting with sustainability-related ideas and inspiration. Having been accepted to the Conference and Expo with Kelly Murdoch-Kitt (following a double-blind, peer review process), I invited four outstanding graphic design students from my “Design for a Sustainable Future” course to participate in this international dissemination opportunity. Our exhibition was presented within the ‘Art’ Track at the Minneapolis Convention Center (Exhibit...

30 Sep

Posted at 12:50h in Research & Scholarship

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the ‘Third International Conference on Leadership in Pedagogies and Learning’ held in Brisbane this September on the beautiful Stuartholme campus. The goal of islPAL is to promote high-quality pedagogies and effective learning across disciplines, for safe, sustainable living, lifelong learning, and community well-being. This two-day gathering of educators was an opportunity to share authentic conversations and build personal capacity around trends in pedagogies and learning in...

02 Jul

Posted at 19:04h in Research & Scholarship

It has been an inspiring week in Chicago, filled with fresh ideas about contemporary design education research and the teaching of design. The LearnxDesign Conference (aka the 3rd International Conference for Design Education Researchers), was an engaging week focused on design methodologies and teaching tools. Organized by the DESIGN-ED Coalition, in partnership with DRS and Cumulus, the conference was held at various locations on SAIC's campus. Themes discussed during the conference include Design...

27 Apr

Posted at 13:42h in Research & Scholarship

This April, the AIGA made history with the organization's first ever Design Educators Conference coordinated outside the United States, in neighboring Canada. Held in Toronto on the beautiful York University campus, the three-day event had an excellent array of keynote speakers including Denise Gonzales Crisp, Carl DiSalvo, and Sanne van der Beek. [gallery columns="2" link="none" size="full" ids="6977,7085"] The AIGA Spaces of Learning conference questioned assumptions about the relationship between making design, thinking and asking...

26 Sep

Posted at 21:51h in Research & Scholarship

The first Cumulus conference hosted in Africa took place this September in lovely Johannesburg at the Greenside Design Center (GDC) and the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA). The ‘Design with the other 90%: Changing the world by design’ conference was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the role of design in social advancement with like-minded designers and educators from across the globe. [gallery columns="2" link="none" size="full" ids="7039,7034"] Presentations revolved around the...

23 Sep

Posted at 23:09h in Research & Scholarship

I had the unique opportunity to virtually present my research with Kelly Murdoch–Kitt at the AIGA Design Education Conference, New Ventures: Intersections in Design Education, held in Portland, Oregon. Our paper, titled “Click. Connect. Crit: Teaching global collaboration for international design innovation,” was met with great interest as we shared ideas about our experience teaching design collaboration across international borders. New ventures are propelling design educators and students to rethink what...

05 Sep

Posted at 18:32h in Research & Scholarship

Throughout the 2012-2013 year, I conducted a collaborative project with my colleague, Kelly Murdoch–Kitt, on intercultural design exchanges in the University classroom. It is our belief that design educators must learn to develop and lead successful intercultural projects and exchanges for students entering into a globally connected and diverse profession. Teaching students to approach problems by using collaborative and interpersonal skills can provide them with durable assets to better understand international...

11 Aug

Posted at 11:28h in Research & Scholarship

Hosted by the Seattle University Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, the Just Sustainability: Hope for the Commons Conference focused on the intimate connections between environmental justice and sustainability. True sustainability can only be achieved when all communities have healthy air, water, food, green space, and security, and when all people have meaningful involvement in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. As part of the conference lineup, I virtually...

13 Jul

Posted at 14:27h in Research & Scholarship

Rome was an absolutely beautiful host city for the Ninth International Conference on the Arts in Society 'The Lives of Art' held at Sapienza University this June. The conference focused on the intersection of academia and social impact, bringing together interdisciplinary and international perspectives to discuss new developments in art and design, including research, practice, policy, and teaching. [gallery columns="2" size="full" link="none" ids="7004,7007,7008,7006"] Kelly Murdoch-Kitt and I presented “Matters of responsibility: Prioritizing sustainability in design curricula...

28 Jun

Posted at 14:42h in Research & Scholarship

DRS 2014: Design's Big Debates gave me an opportunity to experience the nightless nights and sunny days of a Midsummer in Umeå, Sweden. The main purpose of the Design Research Society's 7th Biennial Conference, hosted by Umeå Institute of Design, was to foster a shared design discourse by focusing on key big issues in the design discipline. As an alternative to traditional paper presentations, the conference encouraged participants to take part in 'debates and conversations'....

30 May

Posted at 16:42h in Research & Scholarship

Thanks to my research partners Kelly Murdoch–Kitt and Dr. Kelly Norris Martin, I was able to virtually attend the UCDA (University and College Designers Association) Annual Design Education Summit. Held in May of 2014, this summit for graphic design educators enables opportunities for professional participation and development. As part of the conference activities, we presented two papers - focused on topics of sustainability and collaboration. The first presentation with Kelly Murdoch–Kitt was...

09 Dec

Posted at 19:46h in Research & Scholarship

I was (and am) extremely grateful for the opportunity to visit Hong Kong as part of my participation in the DesignEd Asia Conference held at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The conference was structured around the theme “Delimitation – Creating with Constraints” and featured engaging presentations surrounding culture, space, business, design process, and curriculum development. Two excerpts from the call for papers helps to put the conference into perspective: “Constraints provide the challenges...

24 May

Posted at 19:07h in Research & Scholarship

I recently had the unique opportunity to visit Oslo Norway for the 2nd International Conference for Design Education Researchers (jointly held by DRS and Cumulus) at the Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. The conference revolved around the theme of “Design Learning for Tomorrow – Design Education from Kindergarten to PhD” and looked at approaches to design curriculum, education, assessment, and challenges in educational methods. As an organization, the Design Research...