HYBRID PROGRAM: IN-PERSON AND STREAMING ONLINE

Decolonizing Design

Darienne Turner, assistant curator of Indigenous art of the Americas, Baltimore Museum of Art 

Western society, and by extension the design field, has been fundamentally shaped by the social inequities ushered in by white supremacy and colonialism. Decolonizing design is a process that looks at design in new ways: it decenters Anglo/Eurocentrism; challenges the notion that there is a neutral or universal design; examines the complicated system of privilege that underpins 'colonized' design; and honors Indigenous knowledge systems. Taking the position that decolonization is a practice; the goal is to imagine new futures that leverage design as a tool for change. Our speaker will share an example of "colonized" design: a Proclamation Board created by the colonial government in Tasmania in the 19th century. It will help illustrate how there is no such thing as neutral or universal design. Then we will look to some examples of graphic design that fight against the notion of neutrality, and look at different forms of land acknowledgements to illustrate that point.

$15 fee for guests and subscribers (no fee for members)