RESEARCHER/DESIGNER/EDUCATOR, SOUTH BEND IN
As a designer, researcher, and educator, I situate myself within the evolving discipline of visual communication design. My work critically uses design as a tool for social equity and justice. It focuses on systemic social issues viewed through the lens of power and privilege, and interrogates power structures embedded within broader social ecologies. My approach to design embraces principles that expand the discipline’s canon to include diverse, pluriversal perspectives in contemporary design discourse. I believe that design practice should not only address “needs,” but more importantly, prioritize “relevance” — responding to its social, cultural, and environmental contexts. In my professional practice, I have collaborated extensively with museums, cultural organizations, not-for-profits, and educational institutions. Clients have included the American Red Cross, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, Liberty Science Center, New York Botanical Garden, The New York Public Library, MIT Press, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. As a design researcher, my projects have focused on youth violence and designing for the visually impaired. As an educator, I specialize in Social Design, exploring the intersections of social innovation, community engagement, and collaborative practices. My teaching emphasizes cocreation with communities and fostering socially responsive design that catalyzes positive change.
TELL US HOW AND WHY YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATIONS, AND SHARE ANY THOUGHTS ON WHY DESIGN CAN BE AN ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE TOOL?
As a designer, my research has explored how design can be embedded within communities, positioning the designer not as the primary creator, but as a facilitator. Collaborating with diverse partners, I engage in community-driven, participatory practices to address systemic issues in direct partnership with those most affected. I have worked extensively with the community of South Bend to address the systemic issue of youth violence — not as a series of individual choices, but as a complex manifestation of a frayed social fabric.
Over the past four years, this work has led to the design, development, and implementation of Audacious Narratives & Enduring Voices, an arts enrichment program designed specifically for at-risk youth ages 14-22 at a local detention facility. The program provides a rich space for self-expression, self-reflection, and engagement. Its goal is to empower young people affected by violence, giving them both a voice and a platform to shape their own narratives and share their perspectives. In addition to enhancing the participants’ experiences, the program equips them with transferable skills to support their reintegration into the community upon completing their sentences—enabling them to become agents of change and role models within their communities.
GIVEN THE CONFLUENCE OF EVENTS AND CHALLENGES OUR SOCIETY NOW FACES, DOES THIS MOMENT IN TIME PRESENT ANY SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES, URGENCIES, OBSTACLES TO DESIGNING FOR GOOD?
We live in an increasingly globalized world where economies are transcending borders and cultures are converging. As a result, many socio-economicenvironmental challenges are becoming a shared predicament. As designers, our steepest challenges lie in moving beyond the traditional framework to tackle complex, systemic issues.
By addressing these at local, regional, and global scales, designers today are uniquely positioned to work collaboratively with multifaceted partners to instrument socially innovative outcomes, build thriving communities, and create environmentally sustainable futures. At its core, design holds the potential of becoming a force in transforming the way it serves societies and the human condition.
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