Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design

11/21/2023

HSOC-369
RESEARCH JUSTICE
Faculty: Joshua Halstead
Hosted by Humanities and Sciences & Designmatters
Friday, 1-3:50pm
1111 Building, Room 306
**Open to all, including graduate level students. No prerequisites or restrictions.


you ever wondered about how to connect design practice to social justice? Have you ever considered what it might take to embolden marginalized communities through design research? Have you ever wanted to reorder the ways in which benefits and burdens are distributed across society with your knowledge and skills as a designer?

In this course, we will address these questions and more. In particular, it is an investigation into the theoretical, ethical, and processual orientations of participatory design research. Far from a monolithic concept, participatory design is multi-faceted, taking shape only through a constellation of histories and discourses about governance, power, and justice. Thus, course readings cover a diverse literature (e.g., book chapters, journal articles, and blogs) on the nature of participation and its relationship with design and materiality. 

Different from conventional courses on the topic, a review of critical frameworks rooted in feminism, postcolonialism, anti-racism, and disability studies will offer students ways to situate and reconceptualize participatory design in embodied, political and global contexts. We will cover a variety of research techniques, from crafting interview guides to developing prototypes—studying several case studies for guidance. Also, as part of this course, students will engage each other through weekly practice assignments, which will cultivate a sense of comfort and creativity with the many methodologies introduced.
 
This course is eligible for the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation.

08/19/2022

👋 Designmatters at ArtCenter! (Left to right). Garret Scullin, Jennifer May, Kimberly Velazco, Leigh Hoffman.

08/17/2022

Congratulations to the Summer 2022 GRADUATES of the DESIGNMATTERS MINOR IN SOCIAL INNOVATION.

Designmatters engages students across all disciplines in an ongoing exploration of art and design as positive forces in society. Students graduating with the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation have encountered projects in sustainable development, global health, public policy and social entrepreneurship that pushed them to act within the diversity of a global community context.

-- Jennifer May, Executive Director

07/28/2022

TDS-410A
THE (RE)SEARCH FOR INCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE in partnership with Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Health Equity

Co-Faculty: Monica Schlaug and [TBD]
Co-Hosted by: Designmatters + Graphic Design
Day/Time: Tuesdays 8am – 12:50pm
Location/Modality: 100% In-Person @ 1111 Building, Room 306
Eligibility: Open to all Majors, 5th Term & above

Clinical trials are a wide range of research studies used by researchers and hospitals to better understand how to improve health outcomes. Diverse and representative participation in clinical trials is key to developing equitable health recommendations, policies and treatments. Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Health Equity wants to encourage more participation in clinical trials from all communities, especially those in the Latinx and Korean communities. This studio challenges design students to create strong messaging, materials and distribution systems to help community-based healthcare providers, advocates and leaders spread the word on what different types of clinical trials are, why they are important and why folks from all communities should participate.

This course is eligible for the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation.

07/28/2022

TDS-459A
Designing for Green Justice: Exploring Community-Responsive Conservation and Restoration in Los Angeles

Co-Faculty: Jessica Rath, M.Sc. and MFA [and Co-Faculty TBD
Co-Hosted by: Humanities and Sciences + Designmatters
Day/Time: Thursday, 2-6:50pm
Location/Modality: 100% In-Person @ 1111 Building, Room 306
Eligibility: Open to all Majors, 5th Term & above

Native Habitat Restoration and Greening Initiatives within urban ecosystems is a primary concern to environmental justice advocates, restoration ecologists, and communities facing the increasing impacts of climate change. This studio will work within a community located along the Los Angeles Basin on concepts to advocate for and envision green spaces and native habitat restoration. The class will focus on visualizing site-specific connections between the community, plant and animal life through mapping, awareness campaigns, educational tools and other design outcomes. We will brainstorm and prototype together with community stakeholders, environmentalists, and scientists. Both in design and restoration, instructors will bring students into frameworks that practice environmental equity and justice, including indigenous land practices.

This course is eligible for the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation.

07/28/2022

TDS-386A
Kidmania: Learning Through Play

Faculty: Krystina Castella
Co-Hosted by: Product Design & Designmatters
Date and Time: Thursday, 8am-12:50pm
Location/Modality: Hybrid (Online & in-person) @ 1111 Building, Room 306
Eligibility: Open to all Majors, 5th Term and above

This Transdisciplinary Studio is part of The Design School Kolding’s collaboration with the Lego Foundation research on Play and Learning and will Include guest faculty from the Play Program at Design School Kolding, Denmark. 

When we play, we learn. Children’s brains are wired to learn through play. Play allows teens and adults to free themselves from constraints and construct their own understanding. Through exploration, play allows us to achieve our potential, no matter our age. Play helps us to develop knowledge of our bodies, personalities, identity, social skills, and cognitive abilities. Everything we experience or interact with from classwork to entertainment is an opportunity for play and learning.
 
In this TDS, we will design for and with play. As Play Designers, we will research and explore diverse cultural contexts and new technologies to unleash the power of play for learning. Utilizing current play and education theories and our diverse studio practices and skillsets in storytelling, media, art, interaction product, environmental, and communication design we will create playful learning products, experiences, services, and systems. We will also learn new playful methods and approaches to unleash our creative process and our own learning.
 
This course is eligible for the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation.

04/22/2022

CONGRATULATIONS to the SPRING 2022 Designmatters Minor Graduates!

Designmatters engages students across all disciplines in an ongoing exploration of art and design as positive forces in society. Students graduating with the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation have encountered projects in sustainable development, global health, public policy, social justice, and social entrepreneurship that pushed them to act within the diversity of a global community context.

We are very proud of this cohort of 12 students and their projects that create social change.

+++++++++++++

04/20/2022

The Designmatters team is so pleased to announce that Illustration student Oesef is the inaugural recipient of the Designmatters Community Impact Award.  
 
The Designmatters Community Impact Award is given to exceptional graduating Designmatters Minor students whose work in Designmatters courses has had a positive impact inside and outside the walls of the classroom, and who have exhibited collaborative leadership, ethical practices, and a commitment to creating an inclusive, equitable and just society through art and design. 
 
Oesef has been an excellent leader and collaborator in the many Designmatters projects she has participated in. In the project “Inside and Out: Closing the Cancer Gap for LGBTQIA+ Communities”, her team’s work was selected by Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Heath Equity to be pilot-tested and rolled out to communities in Los Angeles, making a real difference. In addition, one of her original poster designs was so beloved by all of the partners and stakeholders that Designmatters printed them to send to everyone involved as a thank you gift.  Her team was selected by the Indonesian Consulate to implement their mural design to celebrate the diversity of Indonesia and Indonesians living in Los Angeles, handling the entire installation, from organizing to ex*****on. Oesef has also served the ArtCenter community beyond Designmatters, holding leadership positions in ACSG, as an Orientation Leader, a TA and a peer counselor. 
 
Please join us in congratulating Oesef!

12/13/2021

Designmatters is seeking a candidate for a full-time faculty position of Social Innovation Design! This position is open rank, with placement commensurate with experience. Reporting to the Executive Director of Designmatters, the incumbent will develop and teach undergraduate courses and studios that align with the Designmatters Program Learning Objectives.

The application deadline is January 21, 2022. Please pass this along to anyone who would be interested! Learn more about how to apply for the position here:

classroom, foster institutional expertise in the intersections between art and design practices and legacies of racism and colonialism, and advance more just and equitable futures both within and beyond the ArtCenter community.

12/08/2021

Over the summer, Designmatters and Environemental Design co-hosted a topic studio which challenged ArtCenter College of Design students to design interventions and customizable solutions that would ensure all Angelenos have access to life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Focusing on under-resourced communities, students explored causes of vaccine hesitancy along with sources of misinformation and inequity in distribution while engaging with experts in the field such as researchers, doctors, policy makers and community organizers. Working directly with local professionals provided students with first-hand, on-the-ground experiences of addressing a contemporary real-world problem as it unfolds. Employing empathy-based design principles, teams defined areas of opportunity, co-created with Knowledge Partners and discovered how they can address contemporary issues through design for social change.

Special thanks to partners from Get Out the Shot LA, Pasadena Public Health Department, and Shared Harvest Fund for sharing your time and expertise with the students!

Read the whole case study here: https://designmattersatartcenter.org/proj/vax-for-all-design-to-overcome-vaccine-hesitancy-and-achieve-equity/

10/26/2021

As ArtCenter College of Design social innovation program, Designmatters has led an ongoing exploration of art and design's ability to act as a positive force in society since its introduction in 2001. Through Designmatters courses, ArtCenter students tackle a range of local, national and global issues head-on, everything from designing campaigns to encourage uptake of cancer screenings and vaccines in local communities to developing solutions for access to clean and safe water internationally.

Designmatters' studio-based offerings engage students across all majors, and are taught with an entrepreneurial and experiential approach to design education. And, since 2017, the program has offered a minor in social innovation, a boon for undergraduate students interested in navigating the complex dynamics of working with communities and designing for social impact.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary this year, our colleagues reached out for reflections from 20 students, alumni, faculty, staff and partners who helped turned the pioneering program into the force for change it is today. Thank you to Designmatters team Jennifer May, Garret Scullin, Leigh Hoffman and Kim Pham. Thank you to Brenda Rees for editing the article and Mike R. Winder and Jered Gold for supporting the project!

Please be sure to read the full DOT Magazine article here: https://lnkd.in/gbGbu8HM

Special thanks to:
Karen Hofman (Provost)
Aaron Bruce (Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer)
Jane McFadden (Humanities and Sciences Chair)
Esther Pearl Watson (Associate Professor of Illustration)
Dr. Jorge Rojas Zegers (founder and executive president of Coaniquem)
Mari Nakano (MFA '09 Media Design Practices)
Tyrone James Drake (Professor of Graphic Design)
Ana-Paola Laveaga (current Environmental Design student)
Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati (associate professor in preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC)
Grace Lynn Hayes (BFA '17 Illustration)
Amanda Oesef (current Illustration student)
Timothy Kordic (project manager for LAUSD HIV/AIDS Prevention)
Wendy MacNaughton (BFA 99 Fine Art)
Jonathan Goldman (BFA 10 Advertising, chief curator at the B&O Railroad Museum)
David Mocarski (Environmental Design Chair)
Dillon Chi (BS '21 Interaction Design)
Mariana Marroquin (program manager at Trans Wellness Center)
Ibby Day (BFA '21 Illustration)
Dr. Robert Haile (director of the Cancer Research Center for Health Equity at Cedars-Sinai Academic Medicine)
Michelle Kim (BFA 18 Illustration, user experience research lead at Scanwell Health)

On the occasion of Designmatters' 20th anniversary, Dot speaks with 20 students, alumni, faculty, staff and partners who helped turned the pioneering program into a force for change.

10/21/2021

DesignJam Y&Z: Generations of Changemakers

DesignJam, a one-week design competition from that partners current ArtCenter College of Design students with high school students from Sequoyah School, where they will compete to solve design challenges that are curated by local organizations and knowledge partners. Open to all ArtCenter students and 9th and 10th grade Sequoyah students.

The competition will take place Nov. 8th-12th. Winners will receive cash prizes, mentorship opportunities, and ArtCenter ACX Scholarships. The deadline to apply is November 4th at 5pm.

Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/j579w8xj