New Paltz Design Week, a five-day celebration of cross-disciplinary design on campus and throughout the Hudson Valley, will return in 2021 with a full schedule of expert talks, workshops and participatory activities from March 29 to April 2.
This year’s program will be held in a fully virtual format, and registration is required for all events. The full Design Week schedule and registration information can be found on the Design Week website.
This year’s Design Week keynote speakers are:
Sabrina Hall, product design manager for Justworks, who will give a lecture “Speaking Your Truth and Advocating Through Design” about finding your voice in community and design at 2 p.m. Monday, March 29
Aaron Porterfield, industrial designer and founder of computational design and research consultancy F=F, who will speak on the importance of collaboration and open-source projects in his lecture, “Communal Effort,” at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 1
Nina Stössinger, senior typeface designer for Frer-Jones Type, who will discuss signage and identity typeface at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 1 in her lecture, “Beef Pork Lamb Veal & Type.”
The full schedule offers a number of workshops featuring Department of Art faculty, students and alumni, including some led by our keynote speakers. Some highlights:
Hall will give a presentation on “Designing for the Changes You Want to See,” introducing concepts of advocacy and inclusive design, at 9:30 a.m. on March 29.
“Field Notes from a Freelancer,” starting at 10 a.m. on April 2, will be a conversation and Q&A about the various “chores” of being a freelance graphic designer, guided by Rob Mostransky ’08.
Later that afternoon, at 2 p.m. on April 2, alumna Brianna Roscoe ’15 will guide current students through a discussion-based workshop covering best practices for job hunting and internships, with discussion of building your portfolio, networking tips, and much more.
The “Coffee with Creatives” networking event returns this year as well. American Institute of Graphic Arts Upstate NY President Shauna Keating will host an opportunity for aspiring and experienced designers to connect with one another from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 31. “Coffee with Creatives” will take place via Zoom, while all other Design Week events will be on WebEx.
And as with previous years, Design Week will conclude with our annual Slide Slam, where faculty, students, alumni, and local designers will share their work in a fast and entertaining presentation format. Emceed by Assistant Professor of Design & Digital Fabrication Aaron Nelson, the Slide Slam will include presentations by alumni Ed Gonzalez ‘14 (Graphic Design) and Carla Rozman ’98 (Visual Arts) and current Bachelor of Fine Arts students Caitlin McGetrick ’23, Ezra Peterman ’22, Kristen Van Aken ’21, and Celine Wang ’22.
Design Week is organized by the Graphic Design and Digital Design and Fabrication programs and the School of Fine & Performing Arts, with support from the Office of the Provost and the School of Science & Engineering.
To become a Design Week sponsor to help support and expand student learning opportunities outside the classroom, from lectures and project materials to conference travel and networking activities, visit the 2021 Sponsorship page.
Follow the hashtag #npdesignweek from March 29 to April 2!
