Design Talk Series

The Design Talk Series is a virtual talk series where artists and designers discuss their experiences in their respective fields, either through Zoom or Instagram Live. We are thrilled to offer our community the chance to learn from extraordinary creatives working beyond the Barnard gates. 

Below is a list of upcoming talks and the recordings of our past talks! Please enjoy! We hope they inspire you to create and explore design in many forms. 

Below are recordings of previous Design Talks. Please enjoy!

Bio: Stephanie Santana is a textile artist, fine art printmaker, illustrator and designer based in Brooklyn, NY. Through the use of archival family photographs and documents, her work explores themes of interiority, identity and cultural preservation, traversing the space between memory and the physical evidence of Black life.

Santana's work has exhibited nationally and is currently held in both private and public collections, including Getty Research Institute and Smith College Museum of Art. Additionally, her work has been featured in publications such as Pressing Matters, Printmaking Today (Journal of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers) and SPOOK Magazine. Her illustrations are featured in the film An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (The Criterion Collection, Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival), and have been commissioned by clients such as Apple and Nike. She currently serves as Communications Director for Black Women of Print, a homeplace for Black women printmakers.

In this talk:  Drawing upon the Akan philosophy of Sankofa, which translates to "it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind," we will consider the archive as a dynamic tool for preservation and self-determination. Textile artist and printmaker Stephanie Santana will share an overview of her current practice using archival family photographs, as well as a survey of public resources and archivists working with both traditional and alternative methods. We'll end the discussion with tips for maintaining your own archive and a Q+A session.

Resource List Compiled by Stephanie Santana.

During this talk, Lani Adeoye will discuss Studio Lani’s Journey and using design as a mediation tool to seek harmony and merge seemingly different worlds. 

Bio: 

Lani Adeoye is a Nigerian Canadian artist and designer. She is driven by conceptual curiosity and cultural expression coupled with a thirst for innovation. She uses design as a mediation tool; fusing tradition and modernity, merging Art, Craft & Design; whilst expressing intangible cultural concepts.

Prior to studying at Parsons - 'The New School,' Lani worked as a Management and IT Consultant to Fortune Global 100 clients; following her graduation from McGill University, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Commerce. Her versatility as a designer is a testament to her eclectic roots and diverse life experiences, having lived in four major cities, namely Lagos, Montreal, Toronto, and New York.

 As a design consultant, she has developed concepts for various brands including YouTube, Bacchus and NetGear. Conceptualizing unique products and experiences with immense intangible value.

 Most recently, Lani was selected by Elle Décor as part of its ‘Women of the World: 75 Global Female Designers Worth Celebrating.’ Dwell Magazine also included her in its annual list of ‘Young Guns – New Designers Making Waves.’ And in 2017, she won the Wanted Design’s Launch Pad Furniture Competition in New York City. 

Studio:

Studio-Lani creates sculptural lighting and furniture pieces, that express an organic rhythm and a sense of visual harmony.

Driven by conceptual curiosity, handmade craftsmanship and cultural preservation, her pieces celebrate West African elegance with a contemporary sensibility. In addition, as a conscious design studio, she works closely with various artisans in Nigeria and strives to positively impact the community. Studio-Lani’s pieces has been featured in Architectural Digest, Design Milk, Elle Decor, Vogue, Design Indaba and Dwell amongst other publications.

Studio-Lani is on a journey to redefine heritage whilst creating pieces today for your tomorrow.

Learn more about Studio Lani, here and here.

In this Design Talk, Reuben shares his story, design process, sustainable practices and current strategies.

BIO:

Reuben Reuel /pronounced Roo-buhn Roo-el/ is the designer & creative director of DEMESTIK. A native of Virginia Beach with an ancestry from West Africa, Reuben journeys through the past, present, and future to fabricate colorful beauty and share it with the world.

DEMESTIK /pronounced domestic/ is a sustainable lifestyle brand with products ethically made on-demand. Every item is crafted to fit your figure and lifestyle. Our versatile and effortlessly chic designs will encourage you to discover the true feeling of self love and real happiness; clothing that enhances your confidence and welcomes compliments to you from yourself and the world. We believe how you feel in this life is significant. Define the feeling and design your life with DEMESTIK. 

Find out more about DEMESTIK on here or on Instagram

Soap is something we all use several times a day, and even more so this year. The ingredients in the soap we use is often a mystery which requires a Google search to solve. There are also a lot of unnecessary chemicals in the soap we use.

In this workshop, Christine will talk about her journey into soapmaking as a career, a brief history of soap making, and will teach you a simple process of making soap with your choice of essential oils and food-grade color dyes. To follow along at home, you can purchase the supply kit used in the workshop through this link.

Bio: Christine Nixon is a G.I.A Graduate Gemologist and bakery entrepreneur that became a skin and hair care, business owner. Christine initially made soap and shampoo for her sensitive skin and dry hair. Retail products worsened the condition of her skin and hair. Organic products were not readily available, too expensive, or didn’t meet all of her quality standards. Making effective products out of necessity birthed Bathing Spirits Inc. 

More about Christine here, or on her Instagram. 

In this talk Lucas will be showing an overview of his design career starting in art school, his freelance practice in Amsterdam, his move to LA, and ending with the last 4 years of work, and latest book project.

Bio: Willem Henri Lucas studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem in the Netherlands and did his post-academic studies at the Sandberg Institute (Rietveld Academy) in Amsterdam. After his studies, Lucas worked as an independent designer in Amsterdam. From 1990 to 2002 he served as a professor and chair of the Utrecht School of the Arts’ Graphic Design department. In 2004 Lucas moved to Los Angeles as a visiting lecturer at UCLA Design Media Arts, and is a tenured professor since 2007. From 2007 to 2014 Lucas was the department chair, and currently is a Senate faculty member and Professor Step 6.

His work is based in the field of Culture and the Arts. In 1998 he designed a series of 20 holiday postage stamps for the PTT (Dutch Post and telecom company). He won several (book) design awards in the Netherlands as well as in the US. Primarily a book designer (exploring sensibility of printed matter; in material as well as content) most of his projects are self-initiated and he is (co-)editor, producer, as well as a designer. Lucas is interested in addressing social issues and bringing design back ‘to the street,’ and ‘humanity’ back into design, encouraging future designers to be a valuable part of their communities. His body of work deals with issues of ‘war’ and ‘love’, and ‘the human condition.’

More about Willem Henri Lucas here. 

In this talk, Elanur Erdogan will share the story of her career as a designer. As a designer Elanur constructs literal methods to communicate abstract ideas. She will dissect her distinct creative process and how she takes an idea and constructs it into a physical product. This discussion will be followed by a demonstration of how she has come to naturally dye her textiles at home with repurposed materials. The talk will conclude with an audience Q&A.

Bio: Elanur is a designer, stylist, and artist born and raised in New York. She graduated from Parsons New School for Design with BFA in Fashion Design. From then went on to work at Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam where she was inspired to build her own artisanal womenswear brand DOBS NY upon her return to New York in 2015. The brand gained recognition through its approach solely creating with repurposed materials down to personal food scraps that she repurposed to manipulate the garments. More recently Elanur has expanded her horizons as a stylist in fashion/entertainment, working with costume designers such as B. Akerlund and Ane Crabtree. As a craftsman herself, her passion lies in supporting the work of independent artists and designers.

More about Elanur here, or on her Instagram.

From an ever-evolving art form to a method of storytelling, collage is a medium with limitless applications. Artist, illustrator, and art director Emily Haasch will walk through their ongoing practice as a collage artist, and how it translates to the practice of editorial illustration via perception, conceptual thinking, and journalistic storytelling.
 
Bio: Emily Haasch is an artist, illustrator, and designer residing in Brooklyn by way of both San Francisco and Chicago. Their work supports artists and creative communities through art direction and design for maker marketplaces (Etsy), games (Cards Against Humanity), musicians (Splice), art platforms (Electric Objects), and many more. Editorially, Emily has had the honor of illustrating stories for clients such as The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, MIT Technology Review, GOOD Magazine, Vox, Medium, and others. In addition to a professional practice, Emily is also a working artist and master of side projects, ranging from textiles to low-fi websites.

More about Emily here, or on their Instagram.

During this workshop, Erin will teach you how to make different bookbinding structures and stitches from her home letterpress and bookbinding studio. You'll learn pamphlet and stab binding, and some variations. We'll also look at examples and talk about how you can use bookbinding in your design practice. Everyone who zooms in will make at least one book during the session. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, this workshop is a great place to start.

Materials

• A blunt butter knife (Bonus: bone folder - link: I personally prefer pointed: the best tool!)
• Needles of various sizes (bonus: curved needles)
• Scissors (Optional but useful: cutting mat and x-acto knife)
• Ruler
• The fattest needle you have, an ice pick, or an awl
• Clothespins, bulldog clips, or paper clips
• Dental floss, embroidery floss, or thick thread and a beeswax candle (bonus: linen thread and a beeswax candle)
• Lots of paper and some thin card (a cereal box or two would work)

Bio: Erin is an artist from Brooklyn who currently lives in Aotearoa (New Zealand). She works with place, memory, democratizing processes, and pop culture. Her favorite mediums are drawings, books, prints, and crazy schemes. She holds an MFA from the University of Auckland and runs Tāmaki Makaurau's very own zine vending machine.

More about Erin here, or on her Instagram.

Watch Anisa Tavangar's (BC ’18) workshop and Q&A on creating niche media, exploring why community-driven publications matter and how to set yourself up for success when starting a digital publication. Hear about how to stay organized, avoid burnout, build a community around something you care about, and utilize the tools available to realize your vision. One year into One Report, Anisa’s own publication that explores facets of spirituality, the project has amassed 21 issues featuring over 100 contributors from over 30 faith backgrounds.

Bio: Anisa Tavangar is a writer, editor, and creative producer in Brooklyn, New York. She works at the intersection of art, justice, and spirituality, writing and producing content for arts organizations, galleries, artist studios, and spiritually-driven initiatives. She is the founding editor of One Report, a publication that offers space for learning and reflection among people of all beliefs and backgrounds. Anisa has worked with Shondaland, Refinery29, Vogue, Teen Vogue, For Freedoms, Google Earth, issuu, and others. 

Learn more about One Report here, or on Instagram!

During this talk, Daniela will discuss topics including her path from Barnard into the world of professional architecture, looking for and applying to jobs, and being an entry-level designer, particularly at small firms. Topics will include the relationship between personal ethics and one's professional career, navigating different management styles, advocating for oneself in the workplace, the importance of having a personal creative practice separate from a 9-5 office job, and how work and hobbies have changed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. There will be opportunities for audience Q&As throughout the talk. 

Bio: Daniela is an architectural designer and illustrator based in Seattle, Washington. She received her B.A. in Architecture from Barnard College in May 2019, where she was also a staff illustrator on the Columbia Daily Spectator and frequented the Design Center as much as possible. She currently works at VELOCIPEDE Architects, a small firm in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood that specializes in environmentally conscious design of single-family and multifamily homes, as well as retail spaces. When she is not working, she enjoys drawing, reading, cooking, and experimenting with backgrounds on Zoom.

More about Daniela here, or on her Instagram.