It is not too late to participate in Elon's 2021 Design Forge! The Forge is bringing twenty-one teams from across higher education and non-profit sectors together to design participatory placemaking projects. Event keynotes and workshops will feature North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green, Dr. Josina Vink from Oslo School of Architecture and Design, and the Creative Reaction Lab.
This year’s Design Forge is hosting a diverse group of design thinking educators, practitioners, and thought leaders. More than 20 teams from across higher education will be in attendance, including Tulane University and Brown University. This event also welcomes members of the Elon faculty, staff, and students alongside the African American Cultural Arts & History Center, the Mayco Bigelow Center, and Alamance County’s Health Equity Collective.
Spread out over two days, the Design Forge invites participants to engage in exploratory workshops facilitated by North Carolinian Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, Josina Vink, and Creative Reaction Lab. Each will offer strategies and insights central to the Forge theme of placemaking. Kaitlin Macintyre, a student Design Thinking Catalyst and member of the Forge team, explains how the event “is really tapping into people’s own places, where they come from, and how that affects the way they engage with the present.”
Participants will engage in workshops that foster conversation and collaboration about placemaking within design. Examples include zine making and mapping ecosystems within sources of power. “It’s amazing to see projects that are based on place and actual, living communities each with their own histories and realities,” adds MaCintyre.
The Design Forge is also offering breakout adventure opportunities open to Elon students, faculty, and community members. You can choose from sessions featuring tools and strategies for participatory design pedagogies, digital storytelling, local and global learning resources, and more!
Sign up for these opportunities on the Forge website, and view the video below to meet members of the Forge Team.
To learn more about Elon By Design, request a consultation, or sign up for a workshop, head to our website.