Spring Programming of Online & In-Person Design Exploration
NYCxDESIGN is pleased to announce the launch of Design Days, six days of inspiring design programming from May 13-18 filled with engaging, safely-organized virtual, hybrid and in-person events, created by organizations across the five boroughs. As the city continues to heal, rebuild and re-emerge, Design Days will provide an opportunity for New York Cityâs designers, practices, design industry and community to once again celebrate accomplishments, share new ideas, and find inspiration.
The NYCxDESIGN team, led by Executive Director, Elissa Black, Program Director, Valerie Hoffman, Marketing Manager, Maya Bayram, the NYCxDESIGN Board of Directors, and the Steering Committee, worked closely together to conceive an event series that empowers and supports the cityâs entire design ecosystem. Special NYCxDESIGN anchor programming includes: the announcement of the IMPACTxDESIGN competition winners with Caesarstone, a new interactive platform called Self-Guided Journeys, âIn the Neighborhoodâ Talks, the Design Leaders Conversation series, an Emerging Designer Residency program with Arts Thread at Hudson Yards, and the Student Spotlight.
Leveraging the momentum and marketing support provided by NYCxDESIGN, show organizers, galleries, design buildings, museums, media outlets and schools have created compelling spring programming to take place during Design Days. Highlights include: Design Days at 200 Lex, the Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF): Virtual Cinema*, Madison Avenue Art & Design Weekend, the Radiator Show and many more. ICFF, WantedDesign Manhattan, and Design Pavilion, long-standing partners of NYCxDESIGN, will also be part of the action. Reprising their popular CLOSEUP event*, ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan will present innovative and engaging virtual talks and product launches. In partnership with ArtsThread, Design Pavilion will present Windows Open to the Sky, featuring the work of NYC design students in store windows across Manhattan including locations in Soho Design District and Madison Avenue BID.
NYCxDESIGNâs website and social media channels will be a hub for up-to-date programming information on all participating activations across the city. To discover all of the Design Days event programming, visit nycxdesign.org. Please note, several events require registration. Events marked with an asterisk indicate a virtual or hybrid event.
Much of the Design Days programming has been organized around daily themes:
Thursday, May 13 – Architecture Day sponsored by Eventscape
Friday, May 14 – Graphics and Branding Day
Saturday, May 15 – Outdoors Day
Sunday, May 16 – Interior Design Day
Monday, May 17 – Product Design Day sponsored by Smart Design and The Brooklyn Navy Yard
Tuesday, May 18 – Digital and Technology Day sponsored by Material Bank
IMPACTxDESIGN Competition with Caesarstone | Special Announcement – May 12
To kick off Design Days, two winners of the inaugural IMPACTxDESIGN competition will be announced on May 12, granting each designer $10,000 and the opportunity to collaborate with NYCxDESIGN, Caesarstone, the Design Trust for Public Space, Dumbo Improvement District, and the Downtown Alliance. In March, NYC-based designers were invited to submit proposals that introduced new installations for public gatherings in Dumbo Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan, two historic neighborhoods and city-centers for the arts and commerce. The winning designs will be brought to life over the next five months and unveiled this fall, coinciding with the annual NYCxDESIGN Festival (November 11-18).
Self-Guided Journeys | Launching May 13
Discover New York Cityâs most creative neighborhoods through a beautiful, interactive journey. Whether you live in the five boroughs or 5,000 miles away, everyone will have the opportunity this spring to explore five neighborhoods selected from each of the boroughs: South Bronx, Long Island City, Soho + Tribeca, Southwest Brooklyn, and St. George. Each area will have its own unique map, including seamless video integration and influential curation for easy navigation of each neighborhoodâs design studios, architectural facades, cultural institutions, creative landmarks, restaurants, and more.
âIn the Neighborhoodâ Talks | May 13-18
To bring the Self-Guided Journeys to life, NYCxDESIGN will host a series of five virtual talks to check in with design friends across NYC. These conversations will air on DesignTV by SANDOW:
-The South Bronx | May 13 @ 2pm | Featuring Jerome LaMaar, Amaurys Grullon, Owner, Bronx Native, and Jake Szymanski, Owner, J.M. Szymanski.
-Long Island City | May 14 @ 1pm | Hosted by Wendy Goodman of Curbed and New York Magazine; featuring Russell Greenberg, Partner, Rux Studios & Stickbulb and Audrey Dimola, Director of Public Programs, Socrates Sculpture Park.
-St. George | May 17 @ 2:15pm | Featuring Puiyan Taglianetti, Visitor Services & Education Manager, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden; Victoria Munro, Executive Director, Alice Austen House; and Scott Van Campen, Co-Founder, MakerSpace NYC.
-Soho + Tribeca | May 17 @ 2:45pm | Featuring Tommy Zung, Founder, Studio Zung & Shop Zung, and Anna Karlin, Founder, Anna Karlin Studio.
-Southwest Brooklyn | May 18 @ 2:15pm | Hosted by Diana Budds of Curbed; featuring Kelly Valletta, Co-Executive Director, Textile Arts Center; Dylan Davis, Co-Founder, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio; and Cristal Rivera, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement, Industry City.
Design Leaders Conversations | May 13-18
NYCxDESIGN will present six conversations with the cityâs most influential design experts, celebrating the past, present, and future of the industry. Elissa Black, the organizationâs new Executive Director, will host these virtual conversations on DesignTV by SANDOW:
-Architecture & Supporting Communities | May 13 @1:30pm | Featuring Fauzia Khanani, Principal and Founder, Studio F??r and Colin Koop, Design Partner, SOM.
-Graphic Design & Inspiring Change | May 14 @1:30pm | Featuring Jon Key, Partner, Morcos Key, and Greg Mihalko, Co-Founder, Partner & Partners.
-Designing the Future of Outdoors | May 15 @2pm | Featuring Signe Nielsen, Principal at MNLA.
-Interior Design & Future Wellbeing | May 16 @2pm | Featuring Kia Weatherspoon, President, and Founder, Determined by Design, and Suchi Reddy, Founder of Reddymade.
-Product Design & the NYC Ecosystem | May 17 @3:15pm | Featuring Jonsara Ruth, Co-Founder and Design Director, Healthy Materials Lab, and Satish Rao, Chief Product Officer, New Lab.
-Digital & Tech: The Way Forward | May 18 @2:45pm | Featuring Julie Samuels, Executive Director, Tech NYC, and Clayton Banks, CEO, Silicon Harlem.
NYCxDESIGN Awards | May 17-18
In its sixth year, the annual NYCxDESIGN Awards, presented by Interior Design, honor outstanding products and projects in categories that span major areas of design, from architecture to interiors, from products to accessories. Selected by a jury of 13 esteemed creatives and industry leaders, winners and honorees represent the very best design talent of New York City. A live virtual ceremony to celebrate the spirit of New York City and the unparalleled talent of its design community will be hosted on May 17 and May 18 by Cindy Allen, Editor in Chief of Interior Design on DesignTV by SANDOW.
NYCxDESIGN Student Showcase Night | May 17
In addition to year-end gallery shows and exhibitions that many NYC-based schools will be holding, The Cooper Union, FIT, Parsons, Pratt, and SVA have come together to host an annual âNYCxDESIGN Student Showcase Night,” online â featuring presentations from leading design students. For the first time, a gallery of student projects from each school will be featured on nycxdesign.org and select projects will also be highlighted on LinkNYC screens across the five boroughs.
Additional Design Days event highlights, organized by design schools, industry associations, designers, artists, brands, and other leading creatives, can be found below.
Featured Registered Events (*indicates a virtual event format)
Exhibitions
March 4-August 15 – Julius Klinger: Posters for a Modern Age
April 26-May 19 – The IIDA New York Design Exchange (DEX NYC)*
May 12-June 12 – WantedDesign Online – International Schools Show*
May 13-18 – Arts Gowanus Spring Exhibition
May 13-18 – Radiator Show
May 13-June 24 – Inside~Out In The Garden*
May 17-18 – CLOSEUP presented by ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan*
May 18 – ECO Solidarity*
Open Houses – Showrooms, Studios, and Design Centers
May 13-18 – Design Days at 200 Lex
May 13-18 – The Citizenry Flagship
May 13-31 – Society Limonta Immersive Photo Gallery
May 13-18 – Armetide Celebrates NYCxDESIGN
May 13-18 – Seoul Made in New York (SMiNY) Pop Up Shop
Virtual Screenings + Panels
May 13 – Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF): Virtual Cinema presented by Eventscape*
May 13 – Lighting Design + presented by David Ghatan*
May 13 – The Architectâs Newspaper presents âScreen Time: Student Work Gets the Immersive Treatmentâ in partnership with Eventscape*
May 13 – New York City Jewelry Week Presents: Jill Newman and Glenn Spiro in Conversation*
May 13 – Made in NY Campus at Bush Terminal Virtual Tour*
May 17 – FOOTPRINT | Design, and Creativity in Sneaker Culture presented collaboratively by Harlem202, GoodThin.gs, and the Apollo Theater Education Program*
May 17 – Innovating Today For Tomorrow presented by Smart Design and the Brooklyn Navy Yard*
May 18 – New York Product Design and Innovation Insights from the likes of IBM and Google Nest*
Live Tours
April 10-October 31 – KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature at the New York Botanical Garden
May 1-30 – AD Art Show 2021 presented by MvVO ART
May 11-15 – Art Exhibitions at High Line Nine designed by studioMDA
May 13 – Hudson Yards Art Tour presented by Related
May 14-16 – Madison Avenue Art & Design Weekend* presented by Madison Avenue B.I.D. in partnership with Design Pavilionâs WINDOWS Open to the Sky
About NYCxDESIGN
NYCxDESIGN is a not-for-profit organization committed to empowering and promoting the cityâs diverse creative community. Since its inception as a grass-roots organization, NYCxDESIGN has been an influential and unifying entity by nurturing, supporting, and providing opportunities for NYCâs design sector on a global stage. NYCxDESIGN organizes exceptional year-round activations, including its annual international festival. Strategic leadership includes a new Board of Directors and a Steering Committee made up of representatives from NYCâs design schools, museums, cultural institutions, design districts/centers, and trade shows. Diversity, purpose, cultural placemaking, economic opportunity, and creativity are core to the not-for-profitâs values. NYCEDC and SANDOW Design Group are key, ongoing supporters of NYCxDESIGN. 2021 sponsors of the organization and its programming include Caesarstone, Eventscape, Smart Design, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Material Bank, and this yearâs media partners are Metropolis, Luxe Interiors & Design, Interior Design, The New York Times, Vox Media, The Architectâs Newspaper, Sixtysix, Architectural Record and Brownstoner.