New Paltz Design Week returns for third year with a full line-up of workshops and guest lectures

The SUNY New Paltz School of Fine & Performing Arts will host a week-long series of events merging art, graphic design, digital fabrication and technology as part of the third annual New Paltz Design Week, which will run from April 2-6.

“The main goal of Design Week is to showcase and celebrate the variety of design activities that happen across campus and in our programs,” said Amy Papaelias ’05g (Intermedia Design), associate professor of graphic design. “From data visualization to furniture design, at the center of all of these activities are human-centered practices: How do we effectively communicate visual messages? How do we create objects and products that are functional and beautiful? Design sits at the intersection between people, technology and culture, and we hope to demonstrate this with Design Week.”

Design Week 2018 is headlined by two keynote lectures:

• Jen Christiansen, the senior graphics editor for Scientific American, will present “An Infographer’s Journey through Time and Technology,” on Monday, April 2, at 4 p.m. in Lecture Center 102
• Vivian Beer, a furniture designer/maker whose work has exhibited in the Smithsonian, will present “Today’s Landscape: Digital Making and the Creative ‘Shop,’” on Thursday, April 4, at 5 p.m. in Lecture Center 102

The program will include daily workshops on topics ranging from letterpress printing and Project Gutenberg books, to digital clay sculpting and animated GIFs.

There will also be a concurrent exhibition, “Design for Good,” on view at the Sojourner Truth Library, which highlights student designs that focus on social and environmental justice, a coffee and networking event at Truth Café the morning of April 4, and a “Slide Slam” closing the Design Week, where faculty, students, alumni and local designers will share work in rapid succession at the College Terrace.

All events are free and open to the public, though registration is required. For complete schedule information visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/fuel/npdesignweek/2018/, and register for workshops and other events via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fuel-9852191942.

New Paltz Design Week 2018 is organized by the Graphic Design Program, the Digital Design and Fabrication Program, and the School of Fine & Performing Arts. Additional support provided by the Office of the Provost and the School of Science & Engineering.